Dishwasher problems

[sygyzy]

Hi,

I live in a fairly modern apartment (probably built 5-6 years ago). It has a dishwasher which I've used all four years I've been here. We treat it like any other household. We clear off major bits of food (pre-rinse), we use spot remover liquid and a good dishwashing liquid.

Starting about 6 months ago, we noticed all our glases had a film, like calcium. I think this is from hard water. That's not so bad, but we also are noticing lots of little bits of grit (like sand) gather on top of surfaces, especially where they can collect like on the bottoms/tops of bowls and drinking glasses which we place face down.

The inside or the dishwasher also has all sorts of black moldy looking stuff that's extremely hard to clean because it's in this matrix of vents (large grid of 1/2 inch square openings).

I've tried running it empty with vinegar. Even bleach. And nothing seems to help.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[theknight571]

IIRC when this happened to ours (a few years ago now) the screen by the drain/grinder (ours has a built in grinder) was clogged, so all that "ick" stayed in the washer.

We ended up having someone come out to fix it, although based on what he did, it seems simple enough, if you know where all the screws etc are.

 

[OCGuy]

When my dishwashers give me trouble, I just threaten to fire/deport them. Works every time.

 

[sygyzy]

Originally posted by: theknight571
IIRC when this happened to ours (a few years ago now) the screen by the drain/grinder (ours has a built in grinder) was clogged, so all that "ick" stayed in the washer.

We ended up having someone come out to fix it, although based on what he did, it seems simple enough, if you know where all the screws etc are.

Hi,

What do you mean the screen by the drain/grinder? You mean the sink and garbage disposal? How are the two related? I know they are linked because during a certain part of the dishwashing cycle, dirty water will bubble up into the sink. But I am not sure what the actual connection is.

 

[spidey07]

At the bottom of the dishwasher there is a grinder. If this is clogged in anyway you're just throwing ground up stuff onto the dishes. Open the washer up and make sure it's draining properly. You should be able to remove the cover and inspect it.

 

[biggestmuff]

Have you tried buying her some scrubby sponges? Just tell her to use more pressure and force.

 

[imported_Baloo]

Rinse aid FTW.

 

[sygyzy]

Originally posted by: spidey07
At the bottom of the dishwasher there is a grinder. If this is clogged in anyway you're just throwing ground up stuff onto the dishes. Open the washer up and make sure it's draining properly. You should be able to remove the cover and inspect it.

It's called a grinder? Is this the same thing as the garbage disposal. At the botom of my dishwasher, the largest component this this raised grid/matrix of squares. Like a mesh but not nearly as fine. Is it under that?

 

[BoomerD]

Originally posted by: sygyzy

Originally posted by: spidey07
At the bottom of the dishwasher there is a grinder. If this is clogged in anyway you're just throwing ground up stuff onto the dishes. Open the washer up and make sure it's draining properly. You should be able to remove the cover and inspect it.

It's called a grinder? Is this the same thing as the garbage disposal. At the botom of my dishwasher, the largest component this this raised grid/matrix of squares. Like a mesh but not nearly as fine. Is it under that?

What he is saying, is that some dishwashers, like his, have sort of a built in garbage disposal in them, NOT the one under your sink. There should be some kind of screne under that raised grid/matrix of squares that prevents large pieces of food from getting sucked into your pump and trashing it.
As for the hard water film...http://www.finishdishwashing.c...finish-rinse-agent.php

Post your exact make and model and we can give more/accurate information.

 

[nanette1985]

In addition to clearing out a clogged drain - get dishwasher cleaner at the supermarket and run it thru the dishwasher. Then, use Cascade Complete. And the jet-dry, if you want.

Cascade Complete has phosphates in it. It works really, really well with hard water. It gets rid of the hard water deposits on the dishes and also on the plumbing links.

For ten bucks you can get the cleaner and the Cascade Complete, and give it a try. Cheap enough to see if it fixes your problem.

Don't use bleach on mold. Bleach feeds mold. Text

 

[Bryophyte]

I went through this awhile back, cleaned all the screens and everything, and someone here (ATOT) recommended to me to open up the air vent that's located at the back of the sink next to the faucet and look inside. Lo and behold, a huge glob of unholy black glarp was plugging it up. Dug it out, put it back together, and happy dishwasher. Ran like a champ again.

 

[sygyzy]

Hi,

Thanks everyone for your help. Someone recommended Chlorox Dishwasher Cleaner. I couldn't find it at K-Mart but I did find the Jet Dry version. I guess someone just invented it and everyone else ripped it off. Basically it's this small bottle with a sticker on top. You peel it off and put it upside down in the utensil tray of your EMPTY dishwasher. Then you run it at the hottest temp. When the water gets hot enough, this piece of wax covering the hole melts off and it cleans your dishwahser.

Result - Absolutely no change. So ...

I was unable to locate the grinder (not sure if my model even has one) but my roommate and I removed both grates at the bottom and there was SO much gunk under them. It was disgusting. The thick chunks of calcium broke off easily but the thick brown ooze has to be scrubbed off. Now we are running it empty a full cycle to see if that helps.

I also learned that using liquid or gel detergent is supposed to be a no no. Who knew? So we will switch to powder ASAP. Also, we will try the Cascade Complete recommended.

The Jet Dry never seemed to do anything for us, ever. It's strange because we keep dumping the orange liquid into the hole and it never seems to fill up. I could probably put a whole bottle in there. A bubble also forms so it's hard to tell when it's to the top. It's like throwing money away.

Bryophyte brings up a good point about the air vent. I checked ours and it was a little gunky but not too bad, and it's draining fine.

I hope this is the end of it. If not, the next steps to fixing it may be really involved like ordering and replacing parts.

 

[Jschmuck2]

Originally posted by: sygyzy
Hi,

Thanks everyone for your help. Someone recommended Chlorox Dishwasher Cleaner. I couldn't find it at K-Mart but I did find the Jet Dry version. I guess someone just invented it and everyone else ripped it off. Basically it's this small bottle with a sticker on top. You peel it off and put it upside down in the utensil tray of your EMPTY dishwasher. Then you run it at the hottest temp. When the water gets hot enough, this piece of wax covering the hole melts off and it cleans your dishwahser.

Result - Absolutely no change. So ...

I was unable to locate the grinder (not sure if my model even has one) but my roommate and I removed both grates at the bottom and there was SO much gunk under them. It was disgusting. The thick chunks of calcium broke off easily but the thick brown ooze has to be scrubbed off. Now we are running it empty a full cycle to see if that helps.

I also learned that using liquid or gel detergent is supposed to be a no no. Who knew? So we will switch to powder ASAP. Also, we will try the Cascade Complete recommended.

The Jet Dry never seemed to do anything for us, ever. It's strange because we keep dumping the orange liquid into the hole and it never seems to fill up. I could probably put a whole bottle in there. A bubble also forms so it's hard to tell when it's to the top. It's like throwing money away.

Bryophyte brings up a good point about the air vent. I checked ours and it was a little gunky but not too bad, and it's draining fine.

I hope this is the end of it. If not, the next steps to fixing it may be really involved like ordering and replacing parts.

Orly? Go on...

 

[CPA]

sygyzy, the only cure to this is to get a water softener. Believe me, I had the same issue. I installed a water softener and the problem went away. And for the naysayers, when my water softener has run out of salt, the grime and filming come back - especially on the bottom of glasses.