QUESTION FROM Brad

QUESTION from Brad on 8/7/2009
My Maytag Accusense dishwasher will not drain all the way. It usually leaves about 2 inches of dirty water at the bottom when finished. I have to have it manually drain afterwards in order to try to solve this problem. It will always drain some, but it usually takes 2 to 3 times of hitting the Cancel/Drain button for it to drain all of the water out. Any suggestions?

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD

Dear Brad:

Some of the most common reasons that could be causing your dishwasher to leave several inches of dirty water at the bottom include:

o the drain hose could have become partially blocked;

o if you have a garbage disposal, then there could be a problem with either your garbage disposal or the lines leading to them; or

o the dishwasher's sump pump has gotten partially blocked or is not working correctly.

Regarding the drain hose, try removing the cover from the air gap and cleaning out anything that could be blocking the line. You can also examine the drain hose and check for debris that could be causing a pressure drop that could be hindering the water from draining completely.

Sometimes when the dishwasher doesn't drain all the way, the problem is in the garbage disposal. UNPLUG THE DISPOSAL and check the little hole where the dishwasher drains into the garbage disposal. It is about 1/2 way down and about 1/2" in diameter. Try cleaning it out with a metal hanger. Also, make sure your garbage disposal is working right and the water is draining quickly. Remember, even when a garbage disposal is unplugged, the blades of a garbage disposal are VERY SHARP, and you need to be VERY CAREFUL not to cut your fingers.

And if neither the drain hose or garbage disposal or related lines are the source of the problem, then you can also check your dishwasher's sump pump. Take off the lower spray arm ( lift up and turn counter clockwise), then start the dishwasher and let it fill, and when done filling push reset/cancel and see if it drains all the way. Now you need to take off the white nut that is above the fine filter, remove the fine filter. Next look at the hub that has the spray tube attached to it, then turn it to the right a bit and pull off that tube that runs up the back wall. Pull off the plastic screen and there is your sump. There is an insert in the sump that has a screen clipped to it. Squeeze this clip and pull up, and then clean the screen. The check down into the sump, and pull out whatever maybe clogging the drain hole.

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com

QUESTION FROM Roger

QUESTION from Roger on 8/21/2008
I replaced my garbage disposal an now my dishwasher will not drain…

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD

Dear Roger:

When you replaced your garbage disposal, did you knock-out the drain hole in it? When new disposals are installed, and the dishwasher suddenly stops draining, then this is usually the culprit.

If the drain hole in your garbage disposal was knocked out, then let us know and we will offer some other things to check. But again, it sounds like this is likely your problem.

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com