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Dishwasher woes...
jps - 4/4/20 at 12:54 PM

I’ve got a built in AEG dishwasher that has stopped behaving. In locost spirit I’d like to repair it, but running out of ideas, so thought I’d try on here...

The model is a few years old and pretty basic (it came ‘free’ with a Wickes kitchen) with just 3 different heat options and a rinse cycle. It stopped working a few months ago, which I diagnosed as overfilling and triggering the ‘flood’ switch. I found out there is what I assume is a sort of float switch piped off from the sump that was all clogged with fat. I cleaned it out and all was sorted. I assume the fat was stopping the float switch getting enough pressure unless it had a greater head of water above it - and that switch was the one that cut the water supply (hence the overfilling and subsequent flooding).

With hindsight I realised that the machine was very full with water when running, prior to this first fix. After I fixed it it ran with hardly any water visible in the bottom of the machine.

Now the machine is stopping, seemingly because it is not pumping out fully, fairly early on in a cycle. I’ve checked the previous issue, all is clear. The machine doesn’t seem to be overfilling, water level in operation looks ok, and the flood switch isn't getting tripped.

I’ve checked the pipe that drains the dirty water from the sump, totally clear where it exits. And if I stick a load of water in the machine by hand it pumps it all out (I’ve run several kettle fulls of hot water through).

Last time it was faulty we tried 4 different repair men, no one turned up. So keen to try and fix it myself again!


Mr Whippy - 4/4/20 at 03:18 PM

May sound a bit mad but I pour a cup of bleach in ours empty and run it at full temp then 2 times with just the tablet to clean out any trace of bleach. I also do this with the washing machine, certainly seems to sort them out.


bi22le - 4/4/20 at 09:45 PM

So it's not throwing up a fault which is stopping it from working? It thinks it's doing the job but not?


Angel Acevedo - 5/4/20 at 02:16 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Mr Whippy
May sound a bit mad but I pour a cup of bleach in ours empty and run it at full temp then 2 times with just the tablet to clean out any trace of bleach. I also do this with the washing machine, certainly seems to sort them out.



For grease deposits, I´d think drain cleaner or other caustic cleaner would be etter suited to this job?


David Jenkins - 5/4/20 at 04:02 PM

Don't use bleach if your machine has stainless steel parts inside - it will cause corrosion, usually appearing as etching on the surface.

If you don't believe me, just Google "bleach and stainless steel".

Oh - and if your machine has aluminium parts inside, don't use caustic solutions.

[Edited on 5/4/20 by David Jenkins]


jps - 5/4/20 at 08:28 PM

quote:
Originally posted by bi22le
So it's not throwing up a fault which is stopping it from working? It thinks it's doing the job but not?


Sorry for the slow reply, been enjoying the sun! The error (which is indicated by a pattern of beeping, this thing has no lcd display!) seems to indicate it’s a water supply problem, so tomorrow I’ll be checking the inlet valve and the mesh filter that sits between the valve and the inlet solenoid...


craig1410 - 5/4/20 at 11:58 PM

Hi,

Something you might want to check is if the “sump” is actually flooded. I had this problem with an Ikea dishwasher where it actually has a float sensor in the panel BENEATH the dishwasher which is designed to catch any overflow before it floods your kitchen. It’s literally a panel underneath the dishwasher which is designed to catch any overspill and on my machine was indeed flooded. I fixed the blockage inside the machine which was causing the spillage and then drained and mopped up the water in the sump and all was well!

Your owner’s manual might describe the sump as mine did, but like you, I thought the sump was the bit inside the washer where the filter sits.

HTH,
Craig.


Mr Whippy - 6/4/20 at 08:25 AM

quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
Don't use bleach if your machine has stainless steel parts inside - it will cause corrosion, usually appearing as etching on the surface.

If you don't believe me, just Google "bleach and stainless steel".

Oh - and if your machine has aluminium parts inside, don't use caustic solutions.

[Edited on 5/4/20 by David Jenkins]


Possibly, I haven't seen any staining inside, but it is well diluted once the waters filled up. I must be doing something right as the machines over 10 years old and still working perfectly despite daily use.


jps - 6/4/20 at 08:52 AM

quote:
Originally posted by craig1410
a float sensor in the panel BENEATH the dishwasher which is designed to catch any overflow before it floods your kitchen. It’s literally a panel underneath the dishwasher which is designed to catch any overspill


Thanks - yes this is what I found out about with the first problem a few months ago. A good design feature I thought, but sadly not the problem this time....


jps - 7/4/20 at 03:00 PM

quote:
Originally posted by bi22le
So it's not throwing up a fault which is stopping it from working? It thinks it's doing the job but not?


Bi22le - thanks for asking this question, it prompted me to go back to basics and check the error codes! I checked the inlet valve and - despite there being no apparent blockage - I must have disturbed whatever was restricting the water feed. I don't want to count my chickens, but it's done 3 cycles now with no more errors!