What would you do? - broken dishwasher

[Moemg]

Is anyone else outraged that appliances only last 5 years (or less) these days?

.

Me , I had a LG refrigerator die at 4 1/2 years .The GE side by side it replaced is still going strong at 18 years !

 

[Moemg]

I had a Maytag dishwasher that had the same problem luckily the dishwasher was still under warranty at that time . I vote replace .

 

[rodi]

I'm with gardenfun on the outrage over the short lifespan of appliances these days. But a lot of the failures seem to be with the electronics - not the actual appliance's main functions.
When we remodeled our kitchen a few years ago we chose an oven/range that has NO electronic controls. It's got an electric pilot - but it still works in a power outage. Our thermostat is an old school hanging one. We selected this oven after a friend had hers for over 8 years... so we're pretty sure it will last.

The old mechanical controls are more reliable, IMO, than the electronic controls.

 

[Walt34]

Given that you're going to sell the house soon I'd replace the dishwasher rather than repair it and then have the thing break down again.

 

[bizlady]

We just replaced ours.. But lesson learned-- take your plates to the store and be sure they fit! Many of the newer quieter models have smaller insides!

 

[45th Birthday]

We just replaced ours.. But lesson learned-- take your plates to the store and be sure they fit! Many of the newer quieter models have smaller insides!

And also glasses you use frequently. We bought a place with a nice German dishwasher and the dinner plates and wine glasses we bought do not fit. We bought different wine glasses, but the plates will have to be hand washed...

The thing is, this is the same brand as a dishwasher we have in another house so we didn't think twice about space. Turns out this is not the American market version but the German version that is just not as tall inside, so there is much less room.

 

[Payin-the-Toll]

Can't offer any advice because 40 years ago we were advised since we were on a septic system not to have a garbage disposal or dishwasher. City sewer got installed last year. Dishes still get done by hand and sink debris goes in the trash can. Have never had to have any of the main lines cleaned & before the sewer install, septic tank went 12 years without being pumped (but it was really full when they installed the sewer lines). Gosh...think of all the money we've saved over the years.....LBYM FTW!

 

[Moemg]

My Maytag dishwasher broke Friday . So today we are off to buy a new one . I'm not having a good appliance year .

 

[ivinsfan]

Can't offer any advice because 40 years ago we were advised since we were on a septic system not to have a garbage disposal or dishwasher. City sewer got installed last year. Dishes still get done by hand and sink debris goes in the trash can. Have never had to have any of the main lines cleaned & before the sewer install, septic tank went 12 years without being pumped (but it was really full when they installed the sewer lines). Gosh...think of all the money we've saved over the years.....LBYM FTW!

We are septic too, and I get the garbage disposal...but dishwasher..it's not really any different then a washing machine. If you live in a cold climate as we do, you need to get your tank pumped regularly anyway. Don't want a few days of low water use or being away from home during sub-zero weather to cause a freeze up in the tank....I know this because we bought a farm one January, left the house winterized but empty while we did some remodeling.
Moved into the house in March and the tank was frozen. We ended up putting in an upgraded system which we probably needed anyway. No damage to the house except what we put down the septic tank came back up thru the drains, if you get my meaning!

 

[imoldernu]

Low price replacemet.Shop Frigidaire 62-Decibel Built-In Dishwasher with Hard Food Disposer (White) (Common: 24-in; Actual: 24-in) at Lowes.com
And if not that, many more under $400.

I replaced my own, but see no need for a plumber... a handyman should be able to do the connections easily, as most are standardized, especially if installed in the past 15 or so years. A one hour job.

As for the non-draining dishwasher... check under the sink with a flashlight. If the black rubber drain tube has slipped down below where it goes into the sink drain, it may need propping or tying up a little higher. (one of the cures for "growling dishwasher"). More fixes by searching that term.

 

[davemartin88]

If you decide to replace, I'd add to the Bosch recommendation. We've had experience with these for a number of years and have had great success- nice and quiet at a reasonable price point. First one we owned was in England around 2000 and we've not used any other brand since then. Good luck!

 

[NW-Bound]

The dishwashers in our homes will last forever, as we only use them as drying racks.

We wash by hand the few things we use after each meal, instead of letting it build up to a dishwasher load.

PS. I remind my wife to run them once every few months to "exercise" them.

 

[gauss]

My dishwasher is probably 30 years old. No digital displays etc.

As such I would probably repair it if a problem were to develop. I would probably look to a place like repairclinic.com for parts and information. I would also look to ebay for parts. Any time spent the first time repairing the unit will pay dividends on future repairs (ie learning how to take it apart, theory of operation, etc).

This strategy has worked well for me with various devices from the same era (ie furnace, oven) as well as some newer appliances (washer, dryer).

All this being said, the strategy will likely not be appropriate for Amethyst. For others with less constraints, this may be quite viable however.

-gauss

 

[gauss]

Just earlier this week, I paid 2x that to have the freaking pool pump replaced. It hurt like crazy, but if algae starts turning the pool into a pond, it hurts even more.

Sorry! Couldn't resist the urge.

-gauss

 

[pb4uski]

....we were advised since we were on a septic system not to have a garbage disposal or dishwasher. ...

We are septic too, and I get the garbage disposal...but dishwasher..it's not really any different then a washing machine. ....

+1 we have a septic and were advised not to have a garbage disposal but we have a dishwasher and no problems. FWIW, I think we could have a garbage disposal as long as we were careful and tried to minimize the grease, fats and oils getting into the system. DW wants one, but I have been resistant since they told us that we shouldn't but my Mom just down the road from us has septic and a garbage disposal and has never had a problem.

 

[REWahoo]

We're on a septic (aerobic system), have a garbage disposal and haven't had any problems in the 16 years since we built the house. However, we are very cautious about what we put in it and never use it to dispose of grease or oils.

 

[Amethyst]

If we were planning to live here forever, I would definitely try to talk a plumber into installing a garbage disposal. It is the only way to really be sure you've gotten all the scraps out of the sink drain! I would never put oils and fats down a garbage disposal, even if we were on public sewer.

Amethyst

+1 we have a septic and were advised not to have a garbage disposal but we have a dishwasher and no problems. FWIW, I think we could have a garbage disposal as long as we were careful and tried to minimize the grease, fats and oils getting into the system. DW wants one, but I have been resistant since they told us that we shouldn't but my Mom just down the road from us has septic and a garbage disposal and has never had a problem.

 

[Texas Proud]

Missed this thread earlier...

I had the same problem at my old house... bought the board myself online and it was an easy install....


If I know what is wrong, and it is easy to put in myself I will do that most of the time...

 

[Telly]

I've installed and replaced dishwashers before, and it seemed relatively simple... Until! Until I installed a "tall-tub" dishwasher, a Whirlpool. It seemed all were going to "tall tub" design. Tall tub just means the inner tub extends down lower, leaving almost no room for the motor underneath the tub, and no room to connect it all up!

I had a devil of a time with it. Both water and drain were coming in from the right rear from the sink cabinet, and the D/W wanted them in left front. There was no way I could use copper tubing with a flare fitting like I usually do. I had to use the flexible metal braid-covered plastic line the whole way. And the drain line was a real pain to run too. Trying to lay them out and walk the machine in without running over the lines with the motor or D/W frame or something else was real tough. There just wasn't enough room for the lines under there. The motor comes within a fraction of an inch to the floor.

Wasn't comfortable with those plastic lines laying on the concrete floor, or going through sink cabinet wall cutout unprotected. Concerned that the water pulses with flow could over time chafe the lines. So I slit pieces of auto heater hose, and slid them over all contact areas. Still don't like the idea of a flexible plastic water supply line under there that is always pressurized, metal braid overlay or not. But no way could I get copper tubing to fit, route, and move back into place when sliding the D/W back.

And "tall tub" also means us tall folks now have to bend over FURTHER to reach the bottom rack