You open the dishwasher’s door and instead of the clean and shiny plates, there are still dirty dishes with food leftovers and soapy stains. Do you know this feeling? The spectacle, of course, is way too unpleasant and sad. But do not rush to look for signs of a malfunction in your “helper”. It is likely that the problem is caused by commonplace reasons that you can eliminate yourself!
Problems caused by an improper use of dishwashers:
- The remains of food and dried up bits. If you do not remove all these parts from the dishes before, then the quality of washing will not be perfect. This rule is warned by all manufacturers, and it is recommended to comply with it.
- Wrong mode selection. Economical and short programs are intended only for low-level contamination, and fatty utensils require the longest cycle with maximum temperature.
- Overloading of the appliance. If the dishwasher does not wash the dishes properly, it’s possible that you load too many plates and other utensils into it. The next time, try to put fewer dishes. Most likely, your problem will be solved.
- Improper use of detergents. The wrong choice of cleaning chemistry and/or its quantity is a common cause of the dishwasher’s poor-quality operating. Try to reduce or increase the amount of rinse aid, or even completely change its brand.
If all these manipulations did not lead to a positive result, and your dishwasher still badly washes the dishes, you’ll have to get to know the device better. Or rather get acquaintance with its internal equipment. Some problems arise as a result of regular use of the dishwasher and can be completely solved without involving specialists.
Problems related to the active use of dishwashers:
- Perhaps, this is one of the most insidious enemies of dishwashers. Scale appearance is caused by hard water (even despite the use of special softeners). It is not visible on the plastic parts of the machinery, but inside, where the parts are metal, the scale is slowly damaging your device. Settling on sprinklers, the scale prevents the spraying of water, and as a consequence, the dishwasher does not wash dishes. To eliminate this problem, you need to use citric acid instead of a detergent and run the appliance in an idle mode with the maximum temperature.
- The cause of blockages are the remains of food, particles of napkins and other debris that gets on the dishes inside the equipment. Typically, coarse and fine filters, as well as sprinklers are under the risk. Therefore, if suddenly your dishwasher began to wash dishes badly after long months of good work, first of all, it is worth checking the filters. And continue to clean them after each use of dishwashers, as recommended by manufacturers.
So, the filters are cleaned, the amount of detergent is checked by milliliters, the correct mode is selected, and you scraped the dried dirt from the dishes – but the dishwasher does not wash the dishes, as before! It seems that you face with a really serious malfunction. Well, look for its signs in the table below.
6 breakages that obstruct the dishwasher’s quality operating
| Malfunction | Reasons, signs, and ways of eliminating |
| The heating element is out of order | Dishwashers are equipped with a device for heating water. This element is more prone to scale formation than other parts and burns out during long-term operation. When the heater fails, the water is not heat up, so the dishwasher does not wash the dishes properly, as most impurities cannot be washed with cold water. The heating element replacement is required. |
| Malfunction in the circulation pump | A pump gains water into the dishwasher. If it fails, the water does not flow to the dishes, respectively, the washing process does not start.
Replacement of the circulation pump is required. |
| The impeller of the sprinkler is out of order | The impeller is a special mechanism, which rotates the rocker with sprinklers. If the impeller fails, the sprinklers do not rotate (one or two sprinklers may break), and the water does not wash the dishes properly. Replacement of the impeller is required. |
| Thermal sensor malfunction (thermal relay) | The temperature sensor measures the temperature of the water and sends this information to the program module, which gives the heating element the command to heat. If the information does not come from the temperature sensor, the water does not heat up, and the dishwasher badly washes the dishes with cold water. Replacement of the temperature sensor is required. |
| Failure or malfunction of the software module | The program module sends commands to all technical units of the dishwasher, for example, “heat water”, “drain the water”, “collect water”. If the program module fails, the dishwasher starts to work incorrectly or completely stops working. It is necessary to flash the module or replace it. |
| Malfunction in the turbidity sensor (only in expensive models of dishwashers) | Expensive models of dishwashers are equipped with a turbidity sensor. Due to it, the program module receives information about the state of the water. If it is turbid, the dishes are still dirty, and you should continue the washing cycle. When the sensor fails, the software module does not understand the current contamination of the dishes, and the dishwasher can not correctly complete the washing cycle. The turbidity sensor needs replacing. |
Other dishwashing problems in the Electrolux devices
Brown scale in the dishwasher
The reason for this problem is the washing of terracotta objects in the dishwasher.
- To remove the plaque, you can use a special detergent for dishwashers.
Cracks and scratches on glassware
The cause of cracks and scratches on glassware is the effect of high temperatures and detergent, as well as the appearance of an unremoved plaque on the glass.
For washing brittle glassware, use a special program for washing glassware.
- Follow the instructions supplied with the detergent for dishwashers.
Change the color of silver or aluminum items
Aluminum and silver objects can darken as a result of reaction with air, sulfur, and water. When it is washed, a black coating remains on the other dishes, baskets, and internal surfaces of the appliance. Some silver objects are covered with a thin layer of silver. They are not recommended for washing in a dishwasher.
- Do not wash silver or aluminum objects in the dishwasher.
White coating on dishes and cutlery
The reason for this problem is the accumulation of salt and scale. If it is easily removed, so that’s salt. If not, but the plaque can be removed with a small amount of vinegar, this is scum.
- Ensure that the seal is properly seated on the salt dispenser cap.
- Make sure that the dispenser is filled with salt.
- Check that the water softener setting is correct, depending on its hardness.
If hard water is used, it may be necessary to add salt and rinse aid to tableted detergents (3-in-1) in order to achieve good cleaning results.
- Limescale on the internal surfaces of the device can be removed with a special detergent or descaling agent in dishwashers.
- Special detergents and descaling agents can be purchased at an authorized service center.
White stripes or blue film on glass and faience ware
The reason for this problem is too much rinse aid or detergent.
- Set the rinse aid selection button to the down position.
- Useless cleaning agent for the washing program.