I have a Kenmore Elite under counter dishwasher. It is about 6 days out of warranty. It is not draining. I have removed and cleaned the round filter and screen at the base of the tub, and probed the outflow drain of the sump. No relief. I think my next step is to detach the drain hose from the garbage disposal and see what is up. My cursory look does not show the drain attached to the dishwasher. Where am I likely to find it when I move the stuff out from under the sink? Is there anything else I should be looking at? Can I access the drain from the air gap?
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To IMHO.
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Not sure if this will be of any value to you, but I also have a Kenmore dishwasher that periodically refuses to fully drain (some of it drains out, but the rest just sits). When I called the plumber in, he told me a little trick that usually helps. I run the garbage disposal for 1 minute before I run each load of dishes. Evidently that pushes any accumulated gunk out of the main pipe and clears the way for the dishwasher to drain.
I have the partial drainage issue about once every 6 weeks, but have been able to clear it every time with the pre-wash disposal run.
Does the dishwasher sound like it is trying to pump and drain? Usually, there’s an audible click as the motor engages and the drain valve opens.
I do not detect the pump trying to start. However, I have hearing aids, and the damn thing is really quite quiet. I have no confidence in saying that it either is or is not trying.
Also, since this got moved even though I thought the question was definitely fact based, I thought I would add a few IMHO questions:
How does the thing know that it’s warranty just ran out? I know it is a “smart” appliance, did not realize it could follow a calendar.
Do you think it is mad at me? I pre-rinse my dishes. Perhaps it is sulking because I do not seem to trust it. I know it is a “smart” appliance, but did not realize it was emotive.
At 2:14 a.m., EDT, on August 29, 1997, Skynet gained self-awareness. The dishwasher probably saw you putting a fork into the toaster. Skynet perceived this as an attack and came to the conclusion that all of humanity would attempt to destroy it. Unless your name is Sarah or John Connor, you should be safe for the time being.
OTOH, does this model DW have flashing LEDs and diagnostic codes? Do you have the service or owners manuals?
Post #4 -
*The voltage was correct but still no drain but I did a diagnostic check by shutting off power then open the DW door then type in the diagnostic key command to clear all past errors & now it is working again & very clean after taking every thing out including pump circulation motor & sump all hoses & flushed everything out with many test cycles of wash.
So this problem is fixed.
This is a great service!
Thanks
Dan *
Uncanny, isn’t it? I’m not the kind to go for Conspiracy Theories, but…
I had this exact problem recently with my Frigidaire dishwasher. It turned out to be a grease clog in the drain hose.
Personally, I always prime the hot water before I start the dishwasher and while I’m doing that I spin up the disposal. About half the time there’s something in there. Not likely enough to cause the dishwasher to back up into the sink, but why chance it, it’s a nice habit to be in.
I always run the hot water until it’s at its maximum temperature, as per the manufacturer’s instructions. We don’t have a garbage disposal, and there isn’t one in the dishwasher. I do scrape as much material off the plates as possible.
When we eventually replace this appliance I will look for one with a built-in disposal.
Mine had the float that was stuck. There is a float in the bottom of the dishwasher that controls the water flow, similar to a float in the toilet. It got gummed up and stuck. Cleaning this solved our problems
This recently happened to me and I spent a while getting the water out and looking for issues (there are many videos out there telling you what to do). Finally I just ran it again and it worked fine. It appeared that it was simply out of sync with the cycle. It is not clear from your post if you have tried this.
So after playing around for a week, while the family watched Interstellar, I watched Youtube videos. I kept running into the kitchen to try something new, and also to ask “Fill me in.”
I had looked at the air gap before, but did not realize that squeezing a couple of clips I could take off a second plastic piece. Did that and found rather disgusting debris which I fished out, and now it works fine.
Problem is, no one would tell me what was going on with the guy in the spaceship.