# Dishwasher problem **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 30, 2015, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwasher-problem/716347 "2015-03-30T16:47:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwasher-problem/716347/1 "2015-03-30T16:47:13Z")
Miele G575 Dishwasher. You helped [this guy](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=752203&highlight=dishwasher)with his problem a few days ago, now try mine. It’s the exact opposite problem. My machine doesn’t fill with water. It runs through the cycle, dry. If I fill it with a bucket, it drains empty, then continues the cycle, dry. The water supply seems to be fine. I’m guessing there’s some water level indicator, that’s stuck, and showing an overflow, but I can’t find any such thing. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwasher-problem/716347/2 "2015-03-30T17:52:59Z")
Well, my dishwasher is a GE, so don’t necessarily expect it to be a template for yours. The timer switch on my dishwasher simply opens and closes the water supply valve at preset times in the cycle. To the best of my knowledge, there is no overfill-prevention float switch; the valve is open when the solenoid is energized, and if the timer switch fails, it deenergizes. Probably a dumb question, but is yours an under counter or a portable dishwasher? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwasher-problem/716347/3 "2015-03-30T18:11:30Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Probably a dumb question, but is yours an under counter or a portable dishwasher? It’s a full size one. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwasher-problem/716347/4 "2015-03-30T18:41:39Z")
So is my portable, but I’m going to assume that you mean yours is permanently installed under the counter. I did a little looking around, and on some videos it shows that some models of dishwasher DO have a float switch down in one of the corners near the heating element. If yours doesn’t, then it might be like mine. I also found some message board conversations that suggest your inlet control valve is kaput. [Here’s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE16m_Tvssg) a video showing the general steps you need to go through to accomplish the repair of that. You might notice that the first thing they recommend is obtaining a replacement valve. Which, for your model, looks like it might be a bit of a challenge. Downloading a service manual with a parts list looks kinda tricky (there are a few sites that purport to offer a free download, but they look a little dicey to me). However, I did find a [seven-year old thread](http://applianceguru.com/forum1/16320.html) that discussed obtaining parts. I checked the phone number in the last post, and it’s still current. They’ll be asking you to have your model and serial number ready, and they can probably help you find the part number (they might be a sole source for the part, but once you have the PN, it can’t hurt to google around to see if it’s generic enough to find anywhere else). ---
**Author:** ![edwardcoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cab0a1/32.png) [@edwardcoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwardcoast)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwasher-problem/716347/5 "2015-03-30T20:36:36Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Miele G575 Dishwasher. > > You helped [this guy](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=752203&highlight=dishwasher)with his problem a few days ago, now try mine. It’s the exact opposite problem. > > My machine doesn’t fill with water. It runs through the cycle, dry. If I fill it with a bucket, it drains empty, then continues the cycle, dry. The water supply seems to be fine. > > I’m guessing there’s some water level indicator, that’s stuck, and showing an overflow, but I can’t find any such thing. Phone Miele customer support. It’s free even for out-of-warranty and they will walk you through diagnostics (if you unit has them) and answer your questions. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwasher-problem/716347/6 "2015-03-30T20:38:26Z")
I had this problem and it was a simple and lasting (1 year and counting) no cost fix. There is a solenoid valve that changes the direction of water from pump it through the DW to pump it to the drain. The valve itself got stuck or clogged on one position. This meant all the water, even water added manually, would simply be pumped out. The solution was just to move it by hand, I may also have wd-40’ed it, I’m not sure. But it now works like it is suppose to. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2015, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dishwasher-problem/716347/7 "2015-03-31T13:26:54Z")
Thank you, Kanicbird, that sounds a promising action to take. I know very little about mechanics. Where can I find this solenoid valve?