Why would a dishwasher fix itself?

[RJM62]

I have a dishwasher. A machine, that is, not a person. A Maytag Performa, to be exact. It hasn't worked in almost two years, but because it was a low priority, I just today decided to fix it.

But when I pushed the button this time, it worked.

I have tried to start it dozens of times in the past two years, and it never worked. So why now?

There are two water-related things that have transpired in that time. The first was a couple of months ago, when I had to get the well pump replaced. The water, of course, was shut off for a few hours while that was being done.

The second was today, and I think this may be the answer, although it's still puzzling to me. The neighbor's kid is taking some course to be certified to test water (for a private company, not for a government license), and yesterday he tested mine for practice. The cold water was fine, but he found low levels of bacteria in the hot water.

He then found that the water temp was 114 F, which he said was too low for safety; so he had me turn up the temperature as hot as it will go and told me to leave it there for 24 hours, then flush the tank, refill it, and set it to 120.

Okey dokey, I said. And then after work today, I was inspired to fix the dishwasher. I suspected that there may have been some gunk in the inlet filter so I decided to pull it out and clean it.

But when I pushed the button, it worked.

Would the low water temperature have caused the machine to do nothing at all when the button was pressed? Some sort of warning, I could understand. But nothing at all? There was no water flow at all before. The power light lit, but that was all.

It doesn't make much sense to me that it would do nothing because even if the heater had been set at a higher temperature, the water in the hose at the inlet would still be room temp unless the machine had just been used. So low temp on the inlet shouldn't have caused it to do nothing at all. I'd think it would have to run long enough to get hot water in the line before deciding that it wasn't hot enough.

It does have a heater in it, if that means anything.

Thanks,

-Rich

 

[Chip Sylverne]

Water temp makes no difference. There is a sensor in the machine that will turn the heater on if the water falls below a certain temp during the cycle, but it'll fill with tepid just fine.

Maybe a motor has a self-resetting breaker that got stuck, and when you pulled it out it reset?

 

[txflyer]

It's unemployment benefits finally ran out? .... :wink2:

 

[Jaybird180]

Intermittent failures are the worse. Good luck.

 

[RJM62]

Water temp makes no difference. There is a sensor in the machine that will turn the heater on if the water falls below a certain temp during the cycle, but it'll fill with tepid just fine.

Maybe a motor has a self-resetting breaker that got stuck, and when you pulled it out it reset?

I didn't get that far. I looked to see what tools I would need, and then on a lark, pushed the button. It's been running since then, apparently going through its cycle normally.

We did have a brief power failure a month or two ago. I remember having to re-set the clocks when I woke up. Maybe that did it. Or maybe it did have some gunk in there, but when I depressurized the system to change the well pump, it flushed itself out?

'Tis a puzzlement...

-Rich

 

[Matthew]

It's unemployment benefits finally ran out? .... :wink2:

That's funny right there. I don't care who you are.

 

[RJM62]

Intermittent failures are the worse. Good luck.

I had one of those intermittent failures on the clothes washer for a while. It would randomly still be full of water when it should have been finished. Then last week it stopped rinsing or spinning altogether. It turned out to be the lid switch.

I got a new switch on eBay for $6.99 postpaid. An hour of work and a few choice words later (in three different languages, just for good measure), it was fixed.

-Rich

 

[jhausch]

Steam getting at the circuitry (or other heat affect). Two years to dry out. How many loads have you ran since it started working?

 

[RJM62]

Steam getting at the circuitry (or other heat affect). Two years to dry out. How many loads have you ran since it started working?

It's running empty now on the same "wash" that started when I pushed the button. The house was unoccupied for about six months before I moved in, though, and it didn't work at that time. During that time the electricity was turned off, but there was still pressure in the water lines.

I've been living alone since Jeannette and I split up, so fixing the dishwasher was a pretty low priority. I probably still won't use it all that much except when I have guests. I mean, really, how hard is it to wash one set of plates by hand after a meal?

But I still find it puzzling.

-Rich

 

[Gary]

Would the low water temperature have caused the machine to do nothing at all when the button was pressed? Some sort of warning, I could understand. But nothing at all? There was no water flow at all before. The power light lit, but that was all.-Rich

Gremlins!! Has the power light always been lit? What did the inlet filter look like? Plugged such that water could not get through? Wondering if the dishwasher has been working correctly, but if water can't get in, it may have an auto shut off if the fill sensor isn't activated within a certain period of time, it goes to "sleep".

As far as the bacteria in the water, did you have a test done? There are limits for potable water. Don't know about your neck of the woods, but our county will do a free total/fecal bacteria test for free. They have the sample kits available, just take a sample according to the directions, and drop it off at a designated collection point. Having your hot water heater set at 120F won't necessarily stop bacterial growth.

Gary

Gary

 

[Clark1961]

I agree with the gremlins theory...but also think cleaning the gunk filter and cycling the hot water pressure may have helped trip the water pressure switch that the dishwasher has have "on" to allow it to run.

 

[RJM62]

Gremlins!! Has the power light always been lit? What did the inlet filter look like? Plugged such that water could not get through? Wondering if the dishwasher has been working correctly, but if water can't get in, it may have an auto shut off if the fill sensor isn't activated within a certain period of time, it goes to "sleep".

As far as the bacteria in the water, did you have a test done? There are limits for potable water. Don't know about your neck of the woods, but our county will do a free total/fecal bacteria test for free. They have the sample kits available, just take a sample according to the directions, and drop it off at a designated collection point. Having your hot water heater set at 120F won't necessarily stop bacterial growth.

Gary

I didn't get that far to check the filter. It worked when I pushed the button this time, so I decided to let it keep running. The power light has always lit when I pushed the button.

My county will do the test, too. If I pick up a sample bottle and bring the sample back to them, they'll do it for free. Or I can just let the neighbor's kid test it again. He said he'll stop by to check the actual temperature because the thermostats aren't especially accurate.

He actually told me the water should be set at "at least" 120 degrees. I just now turned the thermostat down to the white line where 120 degrees should be on the dial (there are no number markings). I had it set to the next marking lower than that, so I'm sure it was lower than it should have been. Amazingly, I'm still alive.

-Rich

 

[cowman]

Mine has randomly refused to fill with water for the past year or more but works most of the time so I don't mess with it.

 

[Jaybird180]

It's running empty now on the same "wash" that started when I pushed the button. The house was unoccupied for about six months before I moved in, though, and it didn't work at that time. During that time the electricity was turned off, but there was still pressure in the water lines.

I've been living alone since Jeannette and I split up, so fixing the dishwasher was a pretty low priority. I probably still won't use it all that much except when I have guests. I mean, really, how hard is it to wash one set of plates by hand after a meal?

But I still find it puzzling.

-Rich

Is it really a set if it's only one plates?

 

[Gary]

I didn't get that far to check the filter. It worked when I pushed the button this time, so I decided to let it keep running. The power light has always lit when I pushed the button.

Ahh! Guess my first suspicion would be a bad inlet solenoid valve. Didn't look up the electrical diagram, but would think that opening of that valve is the first item in the logic train of the dishwasher "brain". If that part doesn't work, nothing else will. Could be either an electrical connection or mechanical.

county will do the test, too. If I pick up a sample bottle and bring the sample back to them, they'll do it for free. Or I can just let the neighbor's kid test it again. He said he'll stop by to check the actual temperature because the thermostats aren't especially accurate.

Good thing to do every few years. You might be surprised how far contamination from a malfunctioning septic system can travel.

He actually told me the water should be set at "at least" 120 degrees. I just now turned the thermostat down to the white line where 120 degrees should be on the dial (there are no number markings). I had it set to the next marking lower than that, so I'm sure it was lower than it should have been. Amazingly, I'm still alive.

120-130F is a good temperature, a balance of economy and hot enough water to make soaps/detergents work, but not give you a burn - as well as feeling good in a shower! Suspect it would take more than water temperature to knock you for a loop!


Gary

 

[Jaybird180]

I agree with the gremlins theory...but also think cleaning the gunk filter and cycling the hot water pressure may have helped trip the water pressure switch that the dishwasher has have "on" to allow it to run.

Can't be Gremlins. You have to put water on a Mogwai to make a Gremlin. And clearly there was no water coming out of this dishwasher. Geez, didn't you read the OP???

 

[Henning]

Usually when I run into a dishwasher problem like that, it's the float switch hung.

 

[Marauder]

I got a better one. My 10 year Kitchen Aid control board died. I took the front apart and replaced it. When I test ran it with the cover off, worked like it should. Put the screws back in the cover, it stopped working.

Was able to narrow it down that 2 out of 10 screws had to be removed to make it work. Took it apart and could find no reason why it shouldn't have worked.

Left the 2 screws out and it ran another 8 years before the tub gave out...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Dan Thomas]

We did have a brief power failure a month or two ago. I remember having to re-set the clocks when I woke up. Maybe that did it.

That probably did it. They have microprocessors in them that freeze up just like your computer. Shutting off the power can reset it.

Dan

 

[SixPapaCharlie]

Is it possible you got a little sauced and went out and bought a new dishwasher then sobered up and forgot that you replaced it?

I have gotten a lot of seemingly free $h!t that way.

 

[mjburian]

Is it possible you got a little sauced and went out and bought a new dishwasher then sobered up and forgot that you replaced it?

I have gotten a lot of seemingly free $h!t that way.

Sounds like my buddy who ALWAYS wins at the casino. Problem is, he doesn't count the times he plays the machine that takes his debit card and pays out big money!

 

[SixPapaCharlie]

Sounds like my buddy who ALWAYS wins at the casino. Problem is, he doesn't count the times he plays the machine that takes his debit card and pays out big money!

I never win at the casino but I win at the ATM machine every time.

Twannie dolla bill yaw

 

[RJM62]

Is it possible you got a little sauced and went out and bought a new dishwasher then sobered up and forgot that you replaced it?

I have gotten a lot of seemingly free $h!t that way.

Nah. I would have bought a nice wine chiller had that been the case.

The dishwasher finished its cycle okay, so I decided to re-wash the clean dishes. (Hey, the kid said there was bacteria in the hot water, right?) I ran out to the dollar store and was totally blown away by how many different dish washing detergents there are. I mean, seriously, how different can they be?

I settled on "Finish All-In-One Gel Packs" because they didn't have chlorine, weren't marked "antimicrobial," were orange in color and scent (I like orange -- both the color and the scent), and were on sale for a dollar off (woo-hoo!). I loaded up the machine, and it's running as we speak.

I'll pick up the water test kit the next time I have occasion to run into town. It's about a 28 mile drive each way, so I try to combine trips. In the meantime I'll let the kid repeat his test, which he said was very sensitive, but not specific to any particular bacterium. It's kind of a "yes" or "no" sort of thing.

It seems a bit odd that he only found it in the hot water, but I suppose it could be some bug left over from when I had the pump replaced. I didn't bother to test the hot water at the time, I never use enough hot water at one time to completely replace the water in the tank, and the temperature was in fact low; so it's entirely possible that something was festering in there.

-Rich

 

[cessna182b]

That probably did it. They have microprocessors in them that freeze up just like your computer. Shutting off the power can reset it.

Dan

Almost everything has a microprocessor in it these days - and they occasionally get hung up. Some have a reset function that works - and some don't seem to. In the latter case you have to disconnect power completely - and leave it off for awhile - to resolve the problem. In some cases that means removing an internal battery as well. I found out by accident that a cranky microwave oven I have will respond to a looong press on the reset button - so try that before unplugging the unit next time.

Dave

 

[SCCutler]

I like Henning's float switch theory; almost everything else, you'd see some kind of action, water or no. Hear the pump start up. Something.

 

[Henning]

Nah. I would have bought a nice wine chiller had that been the case.

The dishwasher finished its cycle okay, so I decided to re-wash the clean dishes. (Hey, the kid said there was bacteria in the hot water, right?) I ran out to the dollar store and was totally blown away by how many different dish washing detergents there are. I mean, seriously, how different can they be?

I settled on "Finish All-In-One Gel Packs" because they didn't have chlorine, weren't marked "antimicrobial," were orange in color and scent (I like orange -- both the color and the scent), and were on sale for a dollar off (woo-hoo!). I loaded up the machine, and it's running as we speak.

I'll pick up the water test kit the next time I have occasion to run into town. It's about a 28 mile drive each way, so I try to combine trips. In the meantime I'll let the kid repeat his test, which he said was very sensitive, but not specific to any particular bacterium. It's kind of a "yes" or "no" sort of thing.

It seems a bit odd that he only found it in the hot water, but I suppose it could be some bug left over from when I had the pump replaced. I didn't bother to test the hot water at the time, I never use enough hot water at one time to completely replace the water in the tank, and the temperature was in fact low; so it's entirely possible that something was festering in there.

-Rich

What is the food in your water supply? Microbes are living organisms, they need food and water to survive. What is the food source in your hot water system? If you are concerned enough with bacteria to turn up your hot water heater, why would you not want chlorine (sodium hypochlorite), a simple salt that will kill those bacteria at no extra cost? Granted it's likely not necessary, especially for a hermit , but there is definitely a reason that it is required in the sanitizer dunk of a bar back glass cleaning station, it works very well at low concentrations.

Most boats run a UV lamp and/or silver iodizer in the potable water ship's service line to kill the stuff that the R.O. desalinization plant brings in from the sea water, especially the cytoplasts, there are also ceramic filters for those.

 

[RJM62]

I like Henning's float switch theory; almost everything else, you'd see some kind of action, water or no. Hear the pump start up. Something.

I think that's the most likely cause, followed by a stuck inlet solenoid. Both of those things could unstick themselves, and might have been nudged to do so by the depressurization when the well pump was changed.

The others are also possible, but a bit less likely:

• It's possible, but less likely that a filter screen would go from completely blocked to free flowing just from depressurizing the water system;
• It's possible, but less likely that a reboot resulting from a short power failure fixed it, when the power having been turned off for six months previously hadn't;
• It's possible, but less likely that it took almost 2 1/2 years for steam in the circuitry to dry up, especially considering that the house was sitting in the sun with no A/C and no windows open for almost all of the summer of 2012.
• It's possible, but less likely that gremlins caused the problem because that raises the question of why they would depart at this particular moment.

It is, of course, possible that the gremlins, upon witnessing my masterful repair of the clothes washer, were intimidated enough that they decided to find someone less skilled with tools to harass. If any of the neighbors start to experience random, unexplained appliance problems, that will tip the scales toward the gremlin theory.

-Rich