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what Filliam, Acer and BernDog are saying.
YMMD, but under the bottom arm inside the cover is the grinder.
If that becomes fouled or busted.
Check your model at https://www.appliancepartspros.com/ for exploded parts view as well as further trouble shooting tips.
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Music is how we decorate time.”
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FYI, it's also known as a "one-bunned" job.
FYI#2, you can buy your own powdered citric acid for super cheap, as compared to pre-made DW cleaner products that are basically just flavored citric acid.
FYI#3, after running citric acid thru the DW, you can run some baking soda thru it to take the acidic edge off.
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Buzz wrote:
FYI, it's also known as a "one-bunned" job.
FYI#2, you can buy your own powdered citric acid for super cheap, as compared to pre-made DW cleaner products that are basically just flavored citric acid.
FYI#3, after running citric acid thru the DW, you can run some baking soda thru it to take the acidic edge off.
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Lemishine is $4 at my local Publix....Not sure how much cheaper you can get than that.
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I second checking the holes in the spray arm. Our have gotten clogged before by a piece of broken glass, vegetable parts and labels from jars. On our whirlpool, you can easily unscrew a big plastic nut that holds the spray arm to the bottom of the top basket, then completely pop the spray arm open to clean it out.
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One thing to add - if your drain line has an "air gap" make sure it's not plugged.
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"Lemishine is $4 at my local Publix....Not sure how much cheaper you can get than that."
You can get a pound of citric acid for that, and most of those DW cleaners only have about 3 - 4oz of citric acid in 'em. Way cheaper still if you buy in bulk. You're right, DW cleaners aren't terribly expensive if you only look at the $4 price tag. When you compare 7 of those with the ~50 uses you get for the same price by RYO'ing, then maybe it seems kinda pricey....
We flush ours about every 3 ~ 4 weeks, and for whatever reason (we cook a lot), we run the DW ~5x weekly.
10lb bag is good for 3 years.
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Buzz wrote:
"Lemishine is $4 at my local Publix....Not sure how much cheaper you can get than that."
You can get a pound of citric acid for that, and most of those DW cleaners only have about 3 - 4oz of citric acid in 'em. Way cheaper still if you buy in bulk. You're right, DW cleaners aren't terribly expensive if you only look at the $4 price tag. When you compare 7 of those with the ~50 uses you get for the same price by RYO'ing, then maybe it seems kinda pricey....
We flush ours about every 3 ~ 4 weeks, and for whatever reason (we cook a lot), we run the DW ~5x weekly.
10lb bag is good for 3 years.
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Honestly, if a four dollar bottle doesn’t work, probably time to re-invest some money into a new dishwasher, anyway.
Might also want to check the inlet valve. It may not be letting in enough water to wash the dishes. I had one fell on one of my dishwashers and replacing it made a world of difference.
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Markintosh wrote:
I second checking the holes in the spray arm. Our have gotten clogged before by a piece of broken glass, vegetable parts and labels from jars. On our whirlpool, you can easily unscrew a big plastic nut that holds the spray arm to the bottom of the top basket, then completely pop the spray arm open to clean it out.
With us, its grains of cooked rice. They go in straight, but end up sideways.
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If anyone has poured any quantity of grease down the sink drain, that is a sure-fire way to cause this kind of problem.
If this problem SUDDENLY occurred, something changed. It is probably caused by some blockage in the drain hose, and that is probably where the hose connects to the sink/garbage disposal. Disconnect the hose at the disposal and run it into a large pail. DO NOT RE-ROUTE THE HOSE TO DO THIS. The hose has to have that high hoop location to prevent backflow from the sink drain into the dishwasher. Run the dishwasher on a RINSE cycle to test the drain system. Make sure the dishwasher drains fully before doing the following steps.
1. Test the spray arm by putting a glass upright in a corner of the top rack. It should be full or nearly full at the end of the cycle. If not:
2. Clean the holes in the spray arms and test again. If still not nearly full:
3. Clean the drain filter, because the plugged filter is stopping the pump from getting enough water to spray properly. Test again.
4. Use the products suggested by others to do additional cleaning of the spray bars and the drain filter of hard water buildup. I don't care if you have a Softner. You will still get some mineral build up after 25 years.
Check the link given for how to get the spray bar off for cleaning and how to get to the drain filter.
It doesn't hurt to add some vinegar to the wash cycle once a month or so. It all gets removed with the rinse cycle.
Mr Downtown wrote:
I've never had any issues with my dishwasher (a 25-year-old Maytag) until this month. Suddenly it's leaving food on things, especially in the top rack. I've opened it at various points in the cycle and things look normal, though one thing I can't think how to check is the central "spray wand" that would extend upward (by water pressure, AFAIK) through the top rack and spray water all around. Nothing seems to be blocking that, but I can't think how to test its functioning, since it would drops back to the resting position as soon as I open the door.
Anything sound obvious that I could check?
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