The dishwasher won't turn on and the hot water doesn't work in the kitchen! Help!

General Questions
#1

Last night, it was discovered that the dishwasher wouldn’t turn on—that is, I’d hear sputters as I turned the dial through the cycles, but water wouldn’t fill in and the whole big noise of the start-up wasn’t there.

Today, I turn on the faucet in the kitchen sink over to the hot water side (we have the kind of faucet with one lever that you move from right to left, rather than individual handles), and lo and behold, the water turned off as I swung it to that side! The cold water side works like a charm, as does the hot water in my downstairs bathroom. I looked at the hot water heater, and it feels warm (I forgot where to look for the pilot light, is it on the inside?). To boot, the hot water heater has a couple more years left, as I gather (10 year lifespan? Installed 1995).

Is this corrosion, perhaps, and does this hot-water phenomenon have anything to do with the dishwasher not turning on? Is calling a repairman in order?

#2

Sounds like hot water is not getting to the kitchen. My first reaction would be to check the line as it comes from the hot water heater to the kitchen. You may have a leak. Also check the valves under the kitchen sink - perhaps the hot water valve got turned off accidentally.

#3

If you’re getting hot water anywhere else in the house, the problem can’t be with the water heater itself, so you can certainly avoid wasting time and effort looking in that direction.

#4

Okay, let’s get it narrowed down. You have the dishwasher hooked up with a hot wated lead, right? And, in the same room, your sink’s hot water side won’t flow. But, elsewhere in the house, you get hot water. Are these facts straight?

First, check what 90 said.

If it indeed is on, then you have a leak. Actually, a braek. Should be easy to find, what with water pooling up somewhere.

Does your house have a crawl space? Shine a light along that wall and look for a puddle. Follow the pipes if you can see them.

No crawl space? Look behind the cabinets along the wall that the pipes follow. Look for water, moisture, or mold.

If you find the break, go out to the front yard and turn your water off. Then, determine if you can DIY or call your plumber.

You should probably find the problem very quickly. If not, give us some more detailed info on your house set up.

btw, the pipes would likely be in the wall that offers the shortest route to the hot water tank. In your area, tho, I would expect the house to be elevated and the pipes underneath.

#5

Thanks for all the advice. Now, this is weird. I went down and used the faucet just now, and lo and behold, it works, and scaldingly so! I don’t get it; it was out for all of today.

But, the dishwasher is still out. Drat. Guess we’ll call about that one.

#6

What about the dishwasher, does it work yet? Do you live with anyone else? Anyone else at all, apartment, that someone else could have messed with your pipes, or do you have any curious kids that could have been playing with the valves under the sink? Landlord that was doing maintenece? If there’s no chance that anyone else could have shut the valve off, I would take a quick look at it to make sure it’s working all right.

#7

How old are the pipes? Rust and scale may have caused a blockage. Although I have not experienced a total block, the hot water to my tub will occasionally be reduced to a really s-l-o-w trickle, usually after my landlord plays with plumbing somewhere in the building. Playing with the other faucets and/or shut off valve tends to loosen the debris. Did you get funny colored water in the kitchen when it started working again?

#8

Did the hot water from the faucet come out in spurts at first? If so, then your pipes were at least partially dry and the faucet was expelling air before the water came through full.

If that’s what happened, your dishwasher will probably fill up, too. Run it without dishes and look in it after a little bit. If it’s still dry, turn it off. Shouldn’t hurt to run it dry for a little bit, but why take a chance.

As to why your pipes were dry, I don’t know. Do you have any one way valves or something installed that might have temporarily clogged (like the above guys have suggested) ?

#9

I live at home still, none of us tamper with the valves, etc., and no funny-colored water was apparent. The pipes are about 22 years old, although I can only guarantee their age for 15 years; any repairs before we moved in are unknown to me.

I did turn the hot water valve under the sink on and off earlier; perhaps this has something to do with clearing a blockage. Perhaps opening the other faucets helped, as well? We do live in a hard-water area.

It’s still a no-go on the dishwasher. As I twist the dial, it sputters as if it wishes to start, but nothing else comes of this action.

Thanks for the continued advice and support. :slight_smile:

#10

Ah, I missed NCB by a hair.

Nope, no air apparent ( :stuck_out_tongue: ) when I turned on the water. That’s not to say there wasn’t any.

I’ll try the dry run bit, and I will post as to its results in a bit. Thanks!

#11

Nope, dishwasher doesn’t work still. In fact, a burning smell is apparent upon running it. What’s this, then, motor burn-out?

#12

Do a web search for the terms REPAIR APPLIANCE SCHEMATICS and you’ll come up with pages like this.

While I would work on my own dishwasher, I wouldn’t advise on anyone else’s. Maybe an appliance repairman will find this thread.

#13

I used my old dishwasher so infrequently, the motor seized up. When this happened, it made grunts & groans as if it wanted to start, but nothing would happen. I had to take off the front access plate and push against the drive train to get it to free-up.

NOTE: switch off the breaker to the DW before poking around at the motor & associated mechanical parts. Use something non-conducting like a chopstick or wooden spoon.

[soapbox]Anyway, don’t be so stressed. Just wash the dishes by hand. In this age of dishwashers I think many people have forgotten that you can wash a dinner’s worth of dishes in about two minutes per place-setting, instead of running two major appliances (dish washer & water heater) for nearly an hour.[/soapbox]