Just so you know I haven’t been slacking (I've got a couple of fun little projects to share, I really do!), here is what I did today: I took apart our dishwasher. Of course. Why wouldn’t I?
It all started when I thought I’d clean the dishwasher by putting a cup of vinegar in the bottom rack and squirted some liquid Bar Keeper’s Friend into the detergent dispenser (spoiler: it was a bad idea!). I went downstairs to work on a fun little project, and came up to find a leaking dishwasher.
I found the leak right away. It’s underneath the dishwasher; it looks like it’s coming from near the motor/pump. Before I got Brian to help me take the dishwasher out from under the cabinets, I thought I’d see what I could take apart and clean out on the inside, in case that’s all it was. Thanks, Google, for giving me various parts lists and manuals!
I did find all sorts of junk down there: what looked like a whole napkin or paper jar label, what looked like the little plastic thing that comes in steak, and something that looked like chipped porcelain. I am clearly going to be a lot more careful of what goes in the dishwasher from now on!
And after, I got everything back together, there’s still a leak. It could just be a coincidence, but one thread online definitely alluded to the abrasives in Bar Keeper’s Friend getting into the seals of the pumps and motor, so that might have been what happened. Womp womp. :( I guess my beloved Bar Keeper’s Friend really isn’t good for everything.
Tomorrow, I think Brian and I will take it out and see if we can figure out what’s going on. I have a feeling it’s either a $20 seal that has to be special ordered, or a whole new motor pump assembly that’s in stock and $120. I’ll let you know what we end up doing!
PS – I don’t really recommend that you take apart your dishwasher :) but maybe you’re like me and you just want to see what you can do yourself. :) So, have you taken apart your dishwasher?
I was just thinking of you and your dishwasher and wondering what happened :) Hope you found a fix!
ReplyDeleteWe are bad and I've run it twice already with a rag underneath to catch the drips, and then otherwise just washed dishes by hand. I think we'll actually get around to looking at it this weekend. I have a feeling we're going to have to replace the whole motor. It's probably just seals that are leaking, but some internet research has told me that it might be better to replace the motor than to attempt taking it apart to replace the seals. Ugh. It's going to be work, but it will be less expensive than buying a new dishwasher. (Though depending on the amount of work it is, we'll see!)
DeleteYou are my hero. Oh how I wish you lived closer so that you could help me disassemble and reassemble appliances in my house. Alas, I will just be calling a plumber. :(
ReplyDeleteDon't worry...next time we might be calling a plumber as well! Although we did *finally* get it fixed :)
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