Author Topic: Dishwasher woe - is it the end?  (Read 13283 times)

Dishwasher woe - is it the end?
« on: 27 August, 2012, 08:44:35 pm »
Is it dead?

Went out today left the dishwasher on it's fave setting and on our return, no washing joy. It was stgill running but appeared not to have filled with water. There was a slightly sickly electrical plastic overheating smell too.
Checked filters, and water supply, it's like the valve's not letting water in. I've left it a few hours to 'cool down' before I try and run it again.

It's a 9 y/o Bosch Maxx Classic, it gets run at least once every day and twice at w/ends so it owes us nothing .... but I'd rather have it fixed if feasible.
I've not interrogated UKwhitegoods yet ....

Any ideas out there or is it off to John Lewis Online?

gordon taylor

Re: Dishwasher woe - is it the end?
« Reply #1 on: 27 August, 2012, 08:51:59 pm »
We have occasional trouble with out Bosch - usually a bit of broken glass is stuck somewhere.

A weird online tip fixed it last time:

"Tip dishwasher forwards 45 degrees, shake it about a bit, put it back."

Honestly - that worked for us.

Re: Dishwasher woe - is it the end?
« Reply #2 on: 27 August, 2012, 09:05:20 pm »
We have occasional trouble with out Bosch - usually a bit of broken glass is stuck somewhere.

A weird online tip fixed it last time:

"Tip dishwasher forwards 45 degrees, shake it about a bit, put it back."

Honestly - that worked for us.

I obviously read the same tip and it worked for me too, turned out to be glass too but it was invisible in water, but sloshing it around must have displaced it from pump impeller a bit - I only found it when it stuck in my finger...

Re: Dishwasher woe - is it the end?
« Reply #3 on: 28 August, 2012, 09:24:10 am »
Checking and changing out the inlet valve on Bosch dishwashers is much easier that it would first appear. The hot plastic smell would indicate the valve solenoid has burn out

The valve is attached to a small removable plate in the casing behind where the inlet hose connects at the bottom left of the rear of the dishwasher (when viewed from the front).  Pull the dishwasher out, disconnect the inlet hose and mains supply. Flip out the plate.  Remove the two wires from the valve and the internal hose. Unclip the valve. Replace and reassemble.

Sometimes the internal hose can be very stiff to remove.  In which case remove the top of the dishwasher (by sliding it backwards following a smart blow with the hand to the front of the top) and the left hand side panel (when viewed from the front) by removing the two screws in the casing revealed when the door is opened and some at the rear.  You will then see the other end of the internal hose from the inlet valve attached to a flat plastic bottle type gizmo with other associated hoses.  The plastic bottle can be lifted out as the mounting hose connectors are o ring seals which the bottle sits in.  You and the remove the short inlet hose to remove the inlet valve from the machine to wrangle the hose off it.

The best web source I have found for spare inlet valves is http://www.tdspares.co.uk/default.asp where a valve is about £20 plus post with very fast despatch.  Check your model number which is usually stamped on the top edge of the st steel door liner and visible as the door is opened.

Skill level required about the same as repairing a rear puncture.

Wowbagger

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Re: Dishwasher woe - is it the end?
« Reply #4 on: 28 August, 2012, 09:36:06 am »
I've been disappointed with the Bosch appliances we've had - one washing machine and one dishwasher.

The dishwasher played up for most of its 10-year life. Very idiosiyncratic: often wouldn't start, or the program got stuck. Lots of turning off and on again. I sometimes though it ran Windows.
Quote from: Dez
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Re: Dishwasher woe - is it the end?
« Reply #5 on: 28 August, 2012, 09:41:33 am »
Conversley we've had Bosch appliances for the lat 10 years (since we moved into our current house) and have had few problems - one with the fridge/freezer - broken handle that resulted in two replacements of a new design being sent out FOC, one with the washing machine (a speed sensor failed) repaired under warranty, and one failed dishwasher - but as it only cost £90 and was 5 years old it was replaced by me with a similar model without bothering to try and repair.
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

Paul

  • L'enfer, c'est les autos.
Re: Dishwasher woe - is it the end?
« Reply #6 on: 28 August, 2012, 12:05:48 pm »
Checking and changing out the inlet valve on Bosch dishwashers is much easier that it would first appear. The hot plastic smell would indicate the valve solenoid has burn out

...

Skill level required about the same as repairing a rear puncture.

Wow - is this your trade? This sounds like a decent, plain English set of instructions.

But can I personalise it a bit? If I were following these instructions, I think they'd go more like this:

Checking and changing out the inlet valve on Bosch dishwashers is much easier that it would first appear a four weekends in a row job. The hot plastic smell would indicate the valve solenoid has burn out

The valve is attached to an small invisible to the naked eye, originally removable plate in the casing behind where the inlet hose connects at the bottom left of the rear of the dishwasher (when viewed from the front).  Pull , drag and wrench the dishwasher out, cutting both hands quite badly and scratching the nice flooring that's only been down for 6 months;find, lose, find again before spending 4 hours trying to disconnect the inlet hose and mains supply using all of your tools, none of which is quite right, but four eventually at the same time doing the trick. FlipSmash out the plate, noting the serial number for the replacement order.  Remove the two wires from the valve (not noting beforehand which way they were connected, nor that there seem to be seven other similar wires floating around doing a decent impression of the relevant two) and the internal hose. Unclip the valve breaking the clip in the process. Note serial number for replacement order because, really, you know that the electrical tape + jubilee clip "repair" you are considering won't work. Replace and reassemble over the course of the next 2 weeks..

Sometimes (always)the internal hose can be very stiff to remove.  In which case remove the top of the dishwasher (by sliding it backwards following a smart blow with the hand to the front of the top) and the left hand side panel (when viewed from the front) by removing the two screws in the casing revealed when the door is opened and some at the rear.  You will then see the other end of the internal hose from the inlet valve attached to a flat plastic bottle type gizmo with other associated hoses.  The plastic bottle can be lifted out as the mounting hose connectors are o ring seals which the bottle sits in.  You and the remove the short inlet hose to remove the inlet valve from the machine to wrangle the hose off it phone someone and pay them almost as much as a new machine would cost to repair this one.

Skill level required about the same as repairing a rear puncture on a martian landing vehicle. On Mars. From Earth.
What's so funny about peace, love and understanding?

Re: Dishwasher woe - is it the end?
« Reply #7 on: 28 August, 2012, 12:37:50 pm »
No, not my trade but the call out man to family and friends.  The familiarity with Bosch dishwashers results from having to sort ours.  Leaking inlet valves are quite common apparently when the bottom of the tub fills up slowly if the machine isn't used for a few days.

Also, the internet is the most useful time and money saving tool in the box, on a par with gaffer tape  and cable ties.

What really bugs me is when controllers pack up and as you say cost  60% of the price of a new machine! (Kitchen appliances, disability scooters, combi boilers, electric power steering etc)

Re: Dishwasher woe - is it the end?
« Reply #8 on: 28 August, 2012, 12:56:22 pm »
Hey FF, not sure if this will help, but here's a thread about our built-in d/w fault... which I managed to fix in the end.
https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=54603.msg1111738#msg1111738
Basically it was stuck on the drain cycle, because water was overflowing into the base of the unit and causing the flood sensor to activate (I think).  I fixed it poking a large cable tie up the drain outlet, which presumably dislodged some built-up gunk...  I had previously taken the sides off the machine - and seen that the water gushed out of one of the plastic fixings.  To get the d/w to work (prior to unblocking and solving the issue) I had to manually drain water from the base of the d/w by tipping the unit etc...
Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

Re: Dishwasher woe - is it the end?
« Reply #9 on: 29 August, 2012, 10:15:32 am »
Checking and changing out the inlet valve on Bosch dishwashers is much easier that it would first appear. The hot plastic smell would indicate the valve solenoid has burn out

The valve is attached to a small removable plate in the casing behind where the inlet hose connects at the bottom left of the rear of the dishwasher (when viewed from the front).  Pull the dishwasher out, disconnect the inlet hose and mains supply. Flip out the plate.  Remove the two wires from the valve and the internal hose. Unclip the valve. Replace and reassemble.

Sometimes the internal hose can be very stiff to remove.  In which case remove the top of the dishwasher (by sliding it backwards following a smart blow with the hand to the front of the top) and the left hand side panel (when viewed from the front) by removing the two screws in the casing revealed when the door is opened and some at the rear.  You will then see the other end of the internal hose from the inlet valve attached to a flat plastic bottle type gizmo with other associated hoses.  The plastic bottle can be lifted out as the mounting hose connectors are o ring seals which the bottle sits in.  You and the remove the short inlet hose to remove the inlet valve from the machine to wrangle the hose off it.

The best web source I have found for spare inlet valves is http://www.tdspares.co.uk/default.asp where a valve is about £20 plus post with very fast despatch.  Check your model number which is usually stamped on the top edge of the st steel door liner and visible as the door is opened.

Skill level required about the same as repairing a rear puncture.

Thanks all.

Tod28
Thanks, I noticed the inlet valve seemed to be relatively easy to remove, so when I'm home I'll see if I can flip it out and follow your instructions. I'd much rather repair than bin and it's worth a few hours of grunting first.
btw, I'm crap at p*nctures ....

Re: Dishwasher woe - is it the end?
« Reply #10 on: 29 August, 2012, 03:58:35 pm »
Sorry, I over estimated the skill level required as the is no surface or rubber solution chemistry (magic) involved.  So the same as replacing an inner tube in a rear wheel tyre!!  Most of the grunting is from removing the dishwasher and then replacing it without kinking the hoses.

Basil

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Re: Dishwasher woe - is it the end?
« Reply #11 on: 01 September, 2012, 09:08:50 pm »
My dishwasher hasn't worked for a couple of months now.  I've had a go at fixing it myself, to no avail.  Then I sort of gave up.  Mainly, I suppose, because a large dishwasher is not really that necessary for a bloke living alone.  It takes about a week for there to be enough washing up to fill it properly. 
Anyway, I've just noticed this thread, and in particular, this:
We have occasional trouble with out Bosch - usually a bit of broken glass is stuck somewhere.

A weird online tip fixed it last time:

"Tip dishwasher forwards 45 degrees, shake it about a bit, put it back."

Honestly - that worked for us.


Mine's a Hotpoint, not a Bosch, but

OMG

it worked!
Admission.  I'm actually not that fussed about cake.

Kim

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Re: Dishwasher woe - is it the end?
« Reply #12 on: 01 September, 2012, 09:24:29 pm »
The etch-a-sketch universal problem-solving solution is surprisingly effective on all manner of diverse technologies...

Re: Dishwasher woe - is it the end?
« Reply #13 on: 01 September, 2012, 09:42:03 pm »
just a word of warning, last year our dishwasher went up in flames, we had finished tea and cleared up put the machine on to do it's thang and went to watch TV, half hour later I heard some strange noises the OH thought it was the dogs, but I went to check anyway  and knock me down with a feather the kitchen was full of really gagging horrible black smoke, luckily we had the lorry fire extinguisher in the house ( don't ask )
and we put the machine out, claimed on the insurance they had to send an engineer out to sign the death certificate, He reckons that they are one of the worse things for spontaneously catching fire and (some)insurance companies are not paying out if you leave them running unattended.
Since then we do not leave ours running unless we are there. Just thought I'd pass that on, oh we had an Hotpoint

Basil

  • Um....err......oh bugger!
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Re: Dishwasher woe - is it the end?
« Reply #14 on: 01 September, 2012, 09:48:38 pm »
Oh dear.  The times I most often set it off are:
On going to bed.
On leaving for work.
 
I will revise that.
Admission.  I'm actually not that fussed about cake.

Re: Dishwasher woe - is it the end?
« Reply #15 on: 01 September, 2012, 11:08:15 pm »
In a previous life I sold kitchen appliances and a dishwasher folding door was a (very minimal) bit of a fire risk due to the loom being flexed every time the door was used, must be very much better by now and to be even less likely - although they are now more popular so perhaps the absolute numbers are higher  ;)

Re: Dishwasher woe - is it the end?
« Reply #16 on: 02 September, 2012, 01:13:26 pm »
I've been trying unsuccessfully to find the picture's we had to take for the insurance people, apparently the problem is in the control panel, all push buttons and gimickrey, all you need is an on off switch :)

Re: Dishwasher woe - is it the end?
« Reply #17 on: 02 September, 2012, 09:22:04 pm »
I've been trying unsuccessfully to find the picture's we had to take for the insurance people, apparently the problem is in the control panel, all push buttons and gimickrey, all you need is an on off switch :)

You need something to decide when to add water, when to heat it,  when to add powder / tablet, when to add rinse aid, when to run the wash motor and the drain motor. The push buttons and gimickrey don't add significantly to the complication.
Quote from: Kim
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Kim

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Re: Dishwasher woe - is it the end?
« Reply #18 on: 02 September, 2012, 09:40:31 pm »
Indeed, push buttons and gimmickry strongly suggest an absence of RICH CHUNKY AMPS through a wiring loom that flexes when the door is opened...

Re: Dishwasher woe - is it the end?
« Reply #19 on: 03 September, 2012, 12:28:02 am »
Sorry, I over estimated the skill level required as the is no surface or rubber solution chemistry (magic) involved.  So the same as replacing an inner tube in a rear wheel tyre!!  Most of the grunting is from removing the dishwasher and then replacing it without kinking the hoses.
Valve duly removed, new part ordered!

Paul

  • L'enfer, c'est les autos.
Re: Dishwasher woe - is it the end?
« Reply #20 on: 01 October, 2012, 02:03:36 pm »
Ha! So it turns out that making a facetious post on a thread invokes the god of appropriate vengeance.

Yup, last Thursday the dishwasher packed up.

Or rather, it ran, but wouldn't fill with water.

I'm delighted to report that the etch-a-sketch fix (aka chez me as the hokey-cokey repair, because the 45 degree thing didn't work, and I had to 'shake it all about') does work, though I used it in tandem with the cable-tie (actually brake cable outer) fix (the pokey-pokey repair?).

But I will be much more circumspect* about my posts for a while.

(*From the latin, apparently circumspectus 'having looked around'. Isn't that lovely?)
What's so funny about peace, love and understanding?

Wowbagger

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Re: Dishwasher woe - is it the end?
« Reply #21 on: 06 September, 2021, 09:46:58 pm »
Today I ordered our third dishwasher. The Bosch I mentioned above packed up in 2010 and I bought a Miele, thinking it would be reparable if it went wrong in the future. I suppose an average of 10 years per dishwasher isn't too bad. If this new one lasts longer than the old, I will be getting on for 80 by the time it packs up.

Well, it went wrong over the weekend in a way it never has before. Bloke came today to look at it and diagnosed a dead computery bit that would cost almost £300 to replace. Given that the motor has also had 11 years' use, he suggested it wasn't worth repairing. So today I ordered once of these:

https://markselectrical.co.uk/SMS2HKW66G_Bosch-Dishwasher.html?referrer=GoogleShopping&gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-NaJBhDsARIsAAja6dPi4B8ojpRazIX35xkhVv-z3xnk-JtHlFdJaqe837XI0skAghA32kIaAs4gEALw_wcB

Repair bloke advised to take care when buying because apparently it's currently popular to make the tubs half plastic and half steel and they have a tendency to leak along the join.

I just realised that this thing has wi-fi. I can't understand why a dishwasher would need wifi.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Re: Dishwasher woe - is it the end?
« Reply #22 on: 07 September, 2021, 06:03:48 pm »
I just realised that this thing has wi-fi. I can't understand why a dishwasher would need wifi.
To alert you in ways other than a beeper that it has finished?
To allow it to run when electricity is cheap more easily? If so, it could be a long-overdue feature.
Maybe the wifi will allow more comprehensive error reports when something goes wrong.
Quote from: Kim
Paging Diver300.  Diver300 to the GSM Trimphone, please...

Kim

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Re: Dishwasher woe - is it the end?
« Reply #23 on: 07 September, 2021, 06:21:43 pm »
Or maybe it'll just brick the dishwasher when it can't reach the manufacturer's server...

Re: Dishwasher woe - is it the end?
« Reply #24 on: 07 September, 2021, 07:07:04 pm »
Marks electrical customer care is pants. (LG American fridge freezer of rants past.)
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