Holly in FL Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 We bought a new dishwasher right before Christmas. Our THREE-year-old washer was not getting the dishes clean anymore. I spend $150 for a repair guy to come out and take a look at the "old" one...and, he said it was most likely the motor...that too many suds had gotten in there. He cleaned it all out, but said it might be a quick fix. Well, 5 weeks later the same thing started happening...lots of dirty dishes left after running the "Pots and Pans" plus "High Temperature" cycles. So, instead of spending $350 on the repair...we bought a new one. Now, we didn't spend $1500 on one...but, we didn't spend $179 either. We bought one that was around $400. A week ago (now, remember...this one has only been in our house for 3 weeks) the same thing started happening. Grrr... I'm wondering if we have a plumbing problem. What could it be? Anyone? Thanks! ~Holly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBH Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 The salesman at Sears told me most ladies use way too much soap. I agree. The most I use is 1 tsp per cycle. Also, Cascade Crystal Clear Rinse Agent (spot and film protection) has helped in getting clear instead of foggy glasses. Even though I bought a top-of-the-line dishwasher (promises that my dishes would come out spic and span with food left on them), I always rinse dishes before washing them in the dishwasher. Also, I clean the dishwasher of any residue once per year (probably not often enough). In addition to the above, they say a cycle with apple cider vinegar helps to clean the dishwasher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly in FL Posted January 12, 2009 Author Share Posted January 12, 2009 Yes...the "too much soap" was the problem with my old dishwasher. I ruined it! So, I've been using about a T of soap...I guess too much, still. Thanks for the reply. My hubby keeps telling me I'm asking too much to have EVERYTHING clean. Smiles! ~Holly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Make sure to run the garbage disposal first too, you could getting back flow. Watch for problem foods. Ours is mashed potatoes. We have to rinse potatoes, not just scrape the plates or we get grit. Make sure to find the right balance of soap. Do you have hard/soft water? That can affect the cleaning power of certain soaps. Don't put large bowls, pans in the machine, the block a lot of water spray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBH Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Do you have hard/soft water? That can affect the cleaning power of certain soaps. The above was the major reason why my dishes were dirty. We did not have enough salt in our water softner. Thanks for bringing that up. I forgot to mention it in my previous post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly in FL Posted January 12, 2009 Author Share Posted January 12, 2009 We have hard water. I think the bowls and pans my be a part of the problem. I do put them in. Handwashing the bigger stuff will have to be my new routine. Thanks! ~Holly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBH Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 We have hard water. I think the bowls and pans my be a part of the problem. I do put them in. Handwashing the bigger stuff will have to be my new routine. Thanks! ~Holly Oh Yes! I always wash the pots and pans with my hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KS_ Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Well, dh's best friend is an appliance repair guy and he says the newer dishwashers just don't use enough water to get stuff really clean. He had found us a model that he and his wife had and was, in his opinion, one of the best cleaning ones, but I was still having problems with it. We finally figured out that there was something wrong with the valve on the water supply line to the dishwasher that wasn't allowing enough water to get into it before it shut the water off - not enough water, not enough pressure to spin the sprayers, and things weren't getting very clean. Since you're having the same issue with a new dishwasher, I'd have someone check the water lines and make sure the water is coming out of them fast enough to fill the dishwasher properly before it shuts the water off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly in FL Posted January 13, 2009 Author Share Posted January 13, 2009 Thanks so much! I'll do that. ~Holly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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