# Need dishwasher advice **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 10, 2022, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-dishwasher-advice/971324 "2022-09-10T14:05:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2022, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-dishwasher-advice/971324/41 "2022-09-11T23:27:51Z")
He’s a YouTuber with 1.7 million followers whose videos have been viewed nearly 200 million times. What other credentials do you need? But seriously, I don’t happen to know where he went to college, or anything like that, but if you’ve done any Googling you know his name is Alec Watson and he’s been doing this for almost 8 years. His inspiration was James Burke’s TV series, _Connections._ I’ve watched lots of his videos and have never noticed any significant errors, even in subjects where I have greater than average expertise. On the subject of water usage for hand washing, I just measured the output of my kitchen faucet, and found that it’s about 1.7 gallons per minute. Which means that, assuming this is a typical rate, if you spend more than about 2.5 minutes hand washing, you’re using more water than a dishwasher’s full cycle. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2022, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-dishwasher-advice/971324/42 "2022-09-11T23:36:15Z")
Thanks. I didn’t mean to belittle the guy, I was just curious about his background etc. Since I don’t have a lot of expertise about most of his topics I couldn’t tell. But he’s very funny in a way with his criticisms and sometimes that just means people like him because he’s kinda nasty. You know? ---
**Author:** ![gnarator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gnarator/32/8266_2.png) [@gnarator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnarator)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-dishwasher-advice/971324/43 "2022-09-12T00:08:44Z")
Neither arm moved? Or you didn’t see them moving? It can be hard to tell, but if no water gets in, it’s not going to clean. You can put some dishes in, fill it with water, and start it, and see if it’s spraying water around. I’m assuming: 1. the water is on to the dishwasher 2. the valve is getting 120 v power and no water in the machine, the fill valve is plugged or bad. It should pump the water around and through the spray arms to clean. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-dishwasher-advice/971324/44 "2022-09-12T00:42:52Z")
The water is on to the dishwasher. That’s the first thing we checked. The house water pressure is fine. Maybe i didn’t add enough water, but no, the arms didn’t move and the water didn’t spray. ---
**Author:** ![gnarator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gnarator/32/8266_2.png) [@gnarator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnarator)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-dishwasher-advice/971324/45 "2022-09-12T00:55:59Z")
If you put in enough water until the float lifted, that should be more than enough. No water could be the valve, but perhaps it’s not getting power from the control board. If the board is bad it may not turn on the pump to pump the water around… But it’s impossible to tell from here. Do you have a volt meter? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-dishwasher-advice/971324/46 "2022-09-12T01:11:43Z")
> [@gnarator](#): > > Do you have a volt meter? No. 😢 ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-dishwasher-advice/971324/47 "2022-09-12T02:26:58Z")
No, the snarkiness of that clip is rather uncharacteristic, and I don’t think anyone would say that meanness is part of his appeal. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-dishwasher-advice/971324/48 "2022-09-12T12:38:42Z")
When I’m cooking I use my time efficiently and wash my dirty dishes/pots/utensils as I create them. When we’re done eating I just have a couple of dishes, glasses, and cutlery. If I’m putting dishes in the dishwasher I rinse each item thoroughly because I don’t want dirty, crusty stuff sitting. When my gf cooks, she piles dirty stuff everywhere. After we eat I have a half hour cleaning up. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-dishwasher-advice/971324/49 "2022-09-12T12:45:23Z")
You clean the frying pan between the food cooking and serving it? I usually serve it in the frying pan. For that matter, all the serving dishes need to be cleaned. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-dishwasher-advice/971324/50 "2022-09-12T12:52:14Z")
I plate everything in the kitchen, then serve it in the sunroom. We eat there because our African Grey has his main cage there and he likes to eat with us. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-dishwasher-advice/971324/51 "2022-09-12T13:07:24Z")
We eat family style – so I set out a few dishes of food for people to take what they want. Or I may serve at the table. But at the end of the meal, I take any extra food off the cooking/serving dishes to put in the fridge, and then have those dishes, the utensils I served with, and three sets of eating-dishes (there are three of us) as well as anything I haven’t cleaned up from while cooking. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-dishwasher-advice/971324/52 "2022-09-12T13:33:40Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > When I’m cooking I use my time efficiently and wash my dirty dishes/pots/utensils as I create them. > [@kayaker](#): > > When my gf cooks, she piles dirty stuff everywhere. After we eat I have a half hour cleaning up. Sounds like me and my wife. The handwashing we (well, _I_) do is generally only pots, pans, serving dishes, and utensils that either don’t go in the dishwasher or will have to be used again before we run it next time. > [@kayaker](#): > > When we’re done eating I just have a couple of dishes, glasses, and cutlery. If I’m putting dishes in the dishwasher I rinse each item thoroughly because I don’t want dirty, crusty stuff sitting. This is where you may not be taking full advantage of the dishwasher. A) If you’re handwashing because it’s only a few dishes, in the long run you’re using a lot more water (and time) than if you loaded up the dishwasher for a few days and ran it. B) If you’re using the dishwasher, you don’t have to rinse the dishes, even if they’re going to sit for a few days. Used properly, the dishwasher should remove even caked-on food. If your dishwasher doesn’t always do so, try adding detergent for the pre-wash. Running hot water in the sink before you start the dishwasher also helps, because most don’t heat the water for the pre-wash, and even with detergent if the gallon or so that’s pumped in for pre-wash is cold, it won’t do as good a job. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-dishwasher-advice/971324/53 "2022-09-12T14:09:19Z")
I would get an appliance repair person to check the dishwasher. They’re pretty simple machines and you often don’t need manufacturer parts. A lot of the parts are generic. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-dishwasher-advice/971324/54 "2022-09-12T14:10:18Z")
They are in short supply. I have an appointment with a repair person in November. I may call around today and see if i can do better, but I’m not super optimistic. ---
**Author:** ![gnarator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gnarator/32/8266_2.png) [@gnarator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnarator)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-dishwasher-advice/971324/55 "2022-09-12T22:04:05Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > They are in short supply. I have an appointment with a repair person in November. They are in **very** short supply. My employer is hiring people and training them in-house for appliance repair. They are getting paid to go to vo-tech, essentially. ---
**Author:** ![gnarator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gnarator/32/8266_2.png) [@gnarator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnarator)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-dishwasher-advice/971324/56 "2022-09-12T23:29:18Z")
No [voltage pen](https://www.amazon.com/Voltage-Testers/b?ie=UTF8&node=14244481), either? Can the float move freely? Nothing stuck under it? If you gently lift it, do you hear a click? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-dishwasher-advice/971324/57 "2022-09-12T23:34:47Z")
The float moves freely. No clicking ---
**Author:** ![gnarator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gnarator/32/8266_2.png) [@gnarator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnarator)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-dishwasher-advice/971324/58 "2022-09-12T23:38:42Z")
Should hear a slight click when it’s up–the float sits on a microswitch, and it breaks power to the fill valve when it rises up. Supposed to keep the dishwasher from overfilling. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/DPtfU1s1kEo/maxresdefault.jpg "Dishwasher float switch - How to locate and simple test") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPtfU1s1kEo) ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2022, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-dishwasher-advice/971324/59 "2022-09-13T18:13:41Z")
Did you check too see if the holes in the wash arm are clogged with gunk? I had that problem with mine, which was causing it to not spin. Cleaning the holes with a toothbrush was enough to get mine going again. If that doesn’t work you may need to take the arm apart and clean it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-dishwasher-advice/971324.md?page=2)