After our 13-year-old cheapo dishwasher started leaving food particles caked onto every load of dishes, we decided it was time for an upgrade, and sprung for a fancy new Electrolux model. Imagine our dismay when we ran into the exact same behavior on the new guy! There’s still bits of food scattered on the dishes, the remnants of our strawberry smoothies are stuck to the cups we used, and there’s even some tiny particles on glasses that I’m pretty sure were relatively clean. :smack:
Tried again with both detergent cups full, and, same story. :smack::smack:
So I figure it’s either bad luck or bad water I’m working with. I got one of those test strips for water hardness, and it reports somewhere between 7 and 10 gpg, which seems to be medium-hard, but not dishwasher-completely-fails-to-work-hard.
Is there something else that could be wrong with my water? Or another variable I’m not thinking of? Do I call Electrolux and complain?
Two more things that I’m aware of. Your water might not be hot enough, probably you would notice this somewhere else in the house if it were the issue. You could run some into a glass and check it with a meat thermometer or something. IIRC it should be around 140 degrees (F). Another commonly overlooked problem is that dishwasher detergent will go stale. I ‘fixed’ a friend’s dishwasher by buying her a new bottle, that’s an easy try at least.
you might also try changing around where you put the things in the new dishwasher. The new one may have a totally different pattern of spraying than you are used to. Also, try lengthening the wash cycle, using the pre-heated wash option, or making sure you have hot water running to your kitchen tap when you start the dishwasher.
Hmmn. Gunk where gunk had not previously been? If your dishwasher has a liquid “rinse aid” dispenser, you might check to make sure it’s full and not plugged up, or draining itself all in one load, or anything.
(1) Yes, I read the manual cover-to-cover.
(2) The detergent is relatively new, so, staleness probably isn’t a concern.
(3) The rinse-aid isn’t being released all at once (there’s a low level indicator and it’s not lit). I can’t see a way to determine whether it’s being released at all. But these are actual food particles, not just spots.
(4) The manual says water should be at least 120F. My hot water reaches about 135F according to my meat thermometer. One possible explanation is that I have to run about 2/3 gallon before it reaches max temperature, so, maybe the average temp is on the low end. I’ll try using the Hi-Temp Wash option where the dishwasher heats the water to 140F, and we’ll see if that does anything.
Try using a little extra detergent just in case the water hardness is the issue. I would try a bit smaller load as well if the other loads were really full.
(bolding mine)
FWIW, and it sounds like you have this covered so it probably doesn’t apply to you unless maybe your brand new machine has a broken indicator light, rinse aids help prevent not only spots but also redeposition of food particles.
Check to make sure the drain is completely clear. Back when I used to do a little appliance repair on the side, a restricted drain line was the most common cause of this. It causes some of the dirty water from the wash to get trapped and remain even through the rinse.
Also check to make sure you’ve got a good air gap where the drain hose from the dishwasher goes into the drain pipe (if this is not a portable attached to the faucet for use). If there is no air gap, you can get some siphon effect that can pull dirty water back in after the drain pump quits running.
It can be fairly easy, but it depends on how things are hooked up. And you probably need to feel comfortable with basic tools and know enough about electricity to be sure when a circuit is dead. If not, find yourself a plumber or handyman.
First, you can check to see if your unit is draining by simply stopping it after the wash cycle and drain, but before it starts to fill for the rinse cycle. Stop the unit and open the door and wait a few seconds to make sure no water is going to siphon back in. There should be no standing water in the bottom at all (or at least very little), other than perhaps a few drops from the wet dishes. If there is no water, it’s probably draining ok. If there is any standing water, you’ve got a problem. Could be a bad pump, stuck valve, restricted drain, siphon problem, etc.
There is some good advice here:
on checking the drain hose for crimps, clogs, or no air gap.
In addition to the advice given there, if your dishwasher is plumbed in under your sink, make sure the sink itself (or garbage disposal if that’s where the connection is) is not clogged and is draining freely. Dump a couple of gallons of water down it and make sure it drains quickly and fairly quietly (a lot of noise while draining a sink-full of water can indicate problems with your vent).
I’ve fixed units where the only problem was the rubber drain hose was bent too sharply somewhere and so the unit did not drain completely between wash and rinse. Or where the garbage disposal was partially clogged so the drain water from the dishwasher filled up the disposal, then ran back down into the dishwasher during the rinse cycle.