New-ish dishwasher not cleaning lower rack well

[soupcxan]

We have a 1-year old Kenmore Elite dishwasher that until this week worked great. Dishes on the bottom rack just started coming out with food particles left on them. The cycle seems to run fine, the soap gets used up, the stuff on the top rack seems clean. But if you put a bowl in the bottom that has some food particles on it, it comes out with them intact.

The filter is clean, the bottom spray arm rotates freely. I disassembled what I could and didn't see any clogs. Our detergent is the same as it was. I don't even see any screws to remove the gray plastic cover to check inside, not sure if that can be done without removing the dishwasher from the cabinet.

Before I call for a repair guy (ugh) is there anything else I should check?

Kenmore.com

[omni550]

Research your specific model on repairclinic.com. They have schematics and drawings for most appliances that may show you how to further disassemble that gray portion.

omni

[soupcxan]

Upon further inspection, it looks like there is food trapped in a lot of the sprayer arm jets. That could be the culprit.


I've cleaned the orifices and am running it now.

[Ian S]

The lower arm may move freely but still not be rotating. When you start the dishwasher, note the orientation of the lower arm. After the cycle, see if it's actually moved. My old dishwasher had that problem. Yours may be having that issue if there is food particle buildup in the jets. If that doesn't work, it may need a service call which might still be covered if you used a credit card to buy the unit - that can extend the warranty to double the mfg warranty. In my case, I lived with the problem for awhile and made sure to place dishes over the immobile arm. Eventually bought a new unit.

[Dogman]

Didn't you wife ever warn, tell, rewash the dishes you put in to always rinse the dishes almost clean. I have been fighting with the wife for 30 years over this. I just load and continue watching her pull them back out and prewash. Our washer is only used to rewash the dishes after she does them.

[Sarah in SC]

It is a wise man who loads the dishwasher to his wife's specifications. It is an even smarter man who empties it and puts the dishes back in the right places!

[pb4uski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarah in SC It is a wise man who loads the dishwasher to his wife's specifications. It is an even smarter man who empties it and puts the dishes back in the right places!

Consider the source.

Actually, when I empty the dishwasher I do put everything away... when DW empty's the dishwasher the easy things get put away, sometime even in the right places, but the rest gets put on the counter.

[MichaelB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by soupcxan Upon further inspection, it looks like there is food trapped in a lot of the sprayer arm jets. That could be the culprit. I've cleaned the orifices and am running it now.

Yes, things do run smoother when the orifices are clean.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarah in SC It is a wise man who loads the dishwasher to his wife's specifications. It is an even smarter man who empties it and puts the dishes back in the right places!

I don't know about wise, but I take care of all kitchen cleaning activities (except the floor) and have been doing so since the kids finally moved out. After lunch I pick up and clean the dishes, after dinner I clean the kitchen. DW has occasional feedback which I carefully listen to. It's funny, when DW and I first met I was working washing dishes in a kitchen (university) and now almost 50 years later I'm doing the same thing.

Only a few things go into the dishwasher after lunch, most are cleaned by hand, as once food dries and hardens the dishes often come out with small bits still stuck. After dinner I rinse off most food before loading the dishwasher. No real issues to report.

[Sarah in SC]

I do love a good thread hijack!
Actually, I do nearly all the kitchen cleanup at this point, since our roommate does the cooking. DH basically sits around like lord of the manor waiting for his dinner to arrive on the table. I'm letting him get away with this for a little while, but there will be a day of reckoning at some point when roommate moves out and I start cooking again.

[freebird5825]

A very wise man (my appliance repair guy to be exact) told me that the food is best rinsed off before putting it into the dishwasher so that any small insoluble objects and grease don't end up in the dishwasher. No soap is involved in the prewash, just soak for a few minutes and rinse off. Better that the mesh debris catcher in the sink drain gets these gremlins out of the equation than the dishwasher.

His opinion of the commercials that show dishes caked with food being put into the dishwasher are simply an advertising gimmick to effectively shorten the service life of the appliance.

Makes sense to me. I'm a dedicated pre-rinser.