Beatusduo Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 I woke up this morning to a refrigerator that quit. It came with the house. We have lived here at least 6 years, so who knows how old it was. I immediately emptied, moved several freezer items to my parents, and brought up coolers. DH was out doing Boy scout stuff. He came home, I gave him the update, and we went out and found new refrig. It will be brought in on Monday. O.K. no problem. Later in the late afternoon, open up dishwasher, only to find a pool of water sitting in bottom. DH left an hour earlier for a BS campout, on the outskirt of town, reachable but... I the meantime. I was waiting for construction guy, he has a local home improvement business and has done several jobs for us in the past; to come and measure our kitchen windows for new ones. He shows up, asks me how my day is going and well I gave him the quick rundown. Prior to him coming I started taking my dishwasher apart. He comes in, says he will take a look at it.... 1 1/2 hours later we are still working on it. He would have stayed longer, but knowing he worked all day, was not there for my dishwasher, I said I would keep at it. He measured the windows, left me some of his tools, and said call if you need help. My question is.. Has anyone removed the lower spray bar in their dishwasher to get to the bottom piece. The next section should come out, but I cannot remove it so I can remove any debri clogging it up. NO manual. Came with house. Logged on to the "Blue Crew" (Sears) only to have the technician say "sorry, I don't know what your problem is but I suggest you make an appointment with a repairman" Ugh!!! Anyone ever have pooling in dishwasher? If you repaired it yourself, how did you do it? Appreciate any advise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 Can you find any advice on line? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in VA Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 We always go to the manufacturer's website and see if they have any advice. Also, have you checked youtube for dishwasher repair videos? It seems you can find just about anything you need on youtube. Also wanted to say, as encouragement, that of all the appliances to break on you, the dishwasher is the easiest to manage without for a few days or weeks or months. At least you can wash dishes by hand. Now when the washing machine dies, that's a much bigger deal, kwim? I'm sorry your appliances are giving you so much trouble, though.:grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beatusduo Posted July 23, 2011 Author Share Posted July 23, 2011 I have been searching the internet for help and an online manual. The manual I brought up was as useful and the one that comes with your car. Since it is a Kenmore I went to the Sears help website. They were sorry I was having trouble and suggested I make an appointment with their repairman. I agree with you that a dishwasher is not a vital appliance. However, it irratates me that I cannot figure out the problem. I am still working on it. Thanks for the advise.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beatusduo Posted July 23, 2011 Author Share Posted July 23, 2011 No, we do not have a garbage disposal in the sink. I think the filter is clogged. I have pulled out small pieces of food and possible napkin debri from the bottom, but the holes are small and I cannot get what went through them. I want to remove, what I think is the filter, and clean that. After removing the lower spray bar, I cannot remove anything further. It has a bolt, which I believe is reverse threaded, but I cannot hold and turn it without it turning. Still working on it. Thanks for your suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 In times like these, I simply google "brand model <what the issue is>". somebody, somewhere, has had the issue, fixed it and, usually, photographed the process. My motto is: you can't break it more than broken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beatusduo Posted July 23, 2011 Author Share Posted July 23, 2011 My motto is: you can't break it more than broken. I totally agree. However, all of the information I google doesn't quite fit. One site said they can help and then asked for a deposit. If it comes down to paying someone I want it to be local and watch them fix it. I just want to know why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 Oh, yeah. That would be annoying. I wouldn't pay a deposit for someone to tell me how to fix my own stuff. I suspect the whole bolt turns with the arm. Can you grab the top of it with a vice grips and hold it still to move the nut with a wrench? Or jam something in it, if it's hollow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beatusduo Posted July 23, 2011 Author Share Posted July 23, 2011 The spray arm is removable. Did that. The bolt is where I am stuck. I did try to jam it while trying to turn. Actually there were two of us, head in the dishwasher, me jamming and him trying to turn it. I lucked out with having a local handyman/construction guy stop buy to measure our kitchen windows for replacement while I was fighting with the dishwasher. He gave it a shot, but admitted that dishwashers were not his thing. I still will not relent. I will fix it or at least watch and learn while someone else does!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 (edited) Does this look anything like what you've got? http://m.managemylife.com/mmh/questions/134936-how-do-i-accessclean-the-filter-on-my-kenmore-dishwasher Or this? Ironically, it looks an awful lot like mine which is quite a bit newer than 1998. I don't think they change things much. Edited July 23, 2011 by MyCrazyHouse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 When mine did this, it was because my seven year old turned it off mid-cycle. I had opened it to remove something and for some reason did not shut the door so the cycle could continue and he saw it was still on sometime later and shut it off without telling me. I spent some time that day cleaning the filter, grumbling and thinking it was clogged or broken (which, thankfully, it was not). Oh well. The filter needed cleaning anyway. :tongue_smilie: All my kids now know to not shut off the dishwasher unless the timer reads "0". It really looked like it had completed the cycle and was full of dirty water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beatusduo Posted July 23, 2011 Author Share Posted July 23, 2011 Thanks Angela. The diagrams are very similiar. I also posted on managemylife.com with a question. I printed them off and will give it another shot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plink Posted July 23, 2011 Share Posted July 23, 2011 This may sound insulting, but have you checked your circuit breaker box? Loosing two appliances in the same room is unusual. In some homes the appliances run on a different curcuit than the lights. Good luck!:grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.