Common Dishwasher Questions

"Given the fact that a dishwasher can effect savings in energy consumption, not to mention time and water consumption, the convenience of using a dishwasher can be marred by technical problems and hiccups in functioning"

Common dishwasher problems occur on account of wrongful handling of the appliance or lapses in maintenance that can cause malfunctioning or less than efficient performance, resulting in food or detergent residue left on the cleaned dishes, a problem which could result from a variety of factors.

And while dishwasher reliability is a function of the quality of the components like motors, spray arms, heating elements etc., the appliance’s failure to effectively clean the dishes can result either due to inferior technical design of the dishwasher or due to factors that can be controlled by the user.

The latter category can be avoided by adhering to certain general principles when using a dishwasher, which varies with the kind of features built into the appliance. Assuming that the dishwasher, at hand, is a basic model, most problems can be avoided by using prescribed dishwasher detergents as opposed to ordinary cleaning detergents, avoiding overloading of dishes, while taking care to ensure that similarly shaped dishes or vessels are not closely stacked so as to allow sufficient exposure to the water spray, besides ensuring that the water pressure in the supply pipes is sufficiently high.

While sophisticated dishwashers come with built in water softeners and water cleanliness sensors and self cleaning features that eliminate most problems, ordinary dishwashers will requiring regular cleaning of filters, while ensuring that the water is sufficiently softened using necessary additives to avoid instances of mineral build up which can cause the appliance to malfunction. Likewise using prescribed detergents will avoid formation of suds, otherwise known as soapy water.

Improper cleaning can also result from inadequate drainage of used water, a factor which is dependant on the type of motor being used and the appliance design itself. In trying to figure out how to fix slow dish water drains, before setting off to blame the pump and or the motor, it would be advisable to check for clogs or any form of mineral buildup, factors which are easily resolved.