InspectAPedia®   -   Search InspectApedia

Mark Klug Amy Church Dishwashwer, Surprise AZ (C) Daniel Friedman Dishwasher Installation Mistakes
Examples of causes of dishwasher leaks or failure

Dishwasher installation inspection, troubleshooting & repair suggestions.

This article describes several quick inspection points and tips that can head off dishwasher troubles with leaks, drain siphoning, electric shock, and mice infestations.

We include a description of bailing out a flooded dishwasher, disassembling its impeller and pump assembly to clean it, and how we decided that the dishwasher needed replacement.

We link to additional articles on residential dishwashers including the impact of dishwashers on the septic system or soakaway bed.

InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.

Some Dishwasher SNAFUs to Avoid

Article Contents

Horrible Dishwasher Drain Hook-Ups

Daniel & Jennifer's Dishwasher Poughkeepsie (C) Daniel Friedman

The dishwasher shown above was installed atop a concrete slab and drains out through the adjacent sink trap. That installation, completed in 1998 was replaced with a new dishwasher in 2023. The dishwasher replacement procedure is described in detail

at DISHWASHER INSTALLATION STEP BY STEP

Watch out: But just below we illustrate a different and horrible dishwasher drain arrangement: the installer just dumps the dishwasher into the crawl space beneath the home: an invitation to rot, mold, insect damage. Don't do that.

Daniel & Jennifer's Dishwasher Poughkeepsie (C) Daniel Friedman

...

Mouse Hotel Under the Dishwasher

Not just smells, it's a health hazard.

Mouse doo doo below the dishwasher (C) Daniel Friedman

When inspecting dishwasher drains and drain connections keep an eye open for mouse poop (above).

Nice big openings left between and beneath kitchen cabinets make it easier for the plumber to route dishwasher drain lines but they may also create a winter resort hotel for local mice.

Mouse droppings are not the cleanest environment for your dishes and eating utensils.

Mouse doo doo below the dishwasher (C) Daniel Friedman

Dishwasher installation instructions require the high-routing for the dishwasher flexible drain line connection shown at above right.

Dishwashwer supply & wiring hookup passage (C) Daniel Friedman Eric Galow

This high routing avoids an accidental drain siphon problem (back-draining from a sink into the dishwasher drain line) and it also combines a high location in the cabinet wall with a small penetration opening that make mouse passage more difficult in either direction.

Our photo at left shows a typical dishwasher installation in a new home: while the drain connection (not shown) was routed high and to a sink trap appliance drain tee, the electrical wiring and water supply line were routed through a conveniently big hole in the cabinet side near the bottom.

We like to caulk or seal this opening using spray fire caulk or equivalent as a draft and mouse barrier.

Photo above illustrates connections to an older dishwasher installation in Poughkeepsie, New York.

This dishwasher was connected to a hot water supply using flexible copper tubing and flare fittings: neat, but a lot more labor than using the flexible water supply line currently supplied in a dishwasher installation kit.

 

...

Electric Shock Hazards at Dishwashers

Note indicating the dishwasher is not working (C) Daniel Friedman

Watch out: while the owner (me) served honest notice to potential home buyers that the dishwasher was not in working condition - leaving a note in and on the appliance, I got a nasty shock while rummaging around beneath the dishwasher trying to get it working.

The original installer had "hard-wired" the dishwasher by using a metal junction box left loose on the floor under the unit. All it took was improper grounding and a loose hot wire to create a potentially fatal shock hazard.

Don't go reaching into a wet area containing live wires and plumbing and pipes connected to an electrical ground. Especially if the floor beneath the dishwasher is wet.

Reaching under a dishwasher whose wiring details are not known risks fatal electric shock (C) Daniel Friedman

...

Dishwasher Won't Drain

Debris Clogging at the Dishwasher Strainer Leads to Pump Failure & Washing Dishes in Nasty Water

Nasty water in bottom of dishwasher that won't drain - repair steps (C) Daniel Friedman at Inspectapedia.com

It's remarkable how long a dishwasher may keep working without following the manufacturer's recommendation for cleaning its strainer.

Food and debris collect in the strainer, usually a removable screen in the dishwasher bottom that screens dishwasher drain water before it enters the dishwasher pump.

OPINION: But eventually you're washing your dishes with some pretty nasty water (photo above), even if they look clean at the end of a cycle.

This dishwasher was in continued use but on closer inspection we saw that it was not draining - it was simply using the same dirty water to wash each load of dishes.

Details of how we diagnosed this "dishwasher won't drain" problem and why we decided that the appliance needed to be replaced are found

at DISHWASHER DRAIN CLOG DIAGNOSIS


...

Continue reading at DISHWASHER INSTALLATION & REPAIR or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

Suggested citation for this web page

DISHWASHER SNAFUS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.


Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to APPLIANCE REPAIR

Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Try the search box just below, or if you prefer, post a question or comment in the Comments box below and we will respond promptly.

Search the InspectApedia website

Note: appearance of your Comment below may be delayed: if your comment contains an image, photograph, web link, or text that looks to the software as if it might be a web link, your posting will appear after it has been approved by a moderator. Apologies for the delay.

Only one image can be added per comment but you can post as many comments, and therefore images, as you like.
You will not receive a notification
when a response to your question has been posted.
Please bookmark this page to make it easy for you to check back for our response.
Our Comment Box is provided by Countable Web Productions countable.ca

Comment Form is loading comments...

Citations & References

In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.



ADVERTISEMENT