OT Dishwasher not draining

[472 R/T SE]

Our dishwasher didn't drain completely yesterday.  I took the drain cover off and dug as much gunk out as I could a couple weeks ago.  It still didn't completely drain but hasn't flooded our floor since.  Now yesterday there's water standing at the bottom of it.

Could I use Drain-O like what's used for toilets to clear it out?  Of course we wouldn't put ware in it until it ran a time or two.  My wife wants to just buy a new one but why if all it's doing is not draining.  If the thing can be fixed no sense throwing away money.

Thanks!

[BrianShaughnessy]

Dishwasher's don't drain necessarily as much as they are pumped out by the motor.

There's other forums out there.   I bought a part for a microwave from www.appliancepartspros.com  the other week.   They have a repair forum... and they have diagrams and parts available online.

For what it's worth my last dishwasher lasted about 15 years and still ran OK.   But the baskets and racks were losing tines and the inside was starting to rust.   
The new stuff is so much quieter and works so much better. 

[BigRed66]

Here's mine:

I'd just go buy a new one. You can get a real nice one nowadays for $400 or so, give or take a couple hundred bucks, depending on what you want. Start dicking around with it, you're gonna have to pull it out anyhow to get at the pump (sounds like the problem)...just yank it, take the door off, and put the pieces-parts to the curb, and install the new one. I recommend Whirlpool. It's what I have, it's quiet, and it does an awesome job. Again, that's my 

[Old Moparz]

Plan on a can of worms if you start messing with it, but it's probably still worth at least trying to fix it yourself. I just had a small leak from the hose coming from my dishwasher. It was dried out & had cracks in it right at the nipple on the side of the disposal. Looked easy enough to fix, or so I thought. I took off the hose at the disposal & saw a lot of sludge packed up on the inside of the fitting on the disposal as well as the inside of the hose & started to clean it out. As I poked & scraped the inside of the nipple on the disposal, the plastic nipple snapped off. 

The nipple was cast into the entire disposal housing, & now made the disposal worthless & unrepairable even though it still worked. So replacing the $6 hose that should have been less than a 30 minute repair, cost me over $145 for a hose, a new disposal, & most of the day visiting Home Depot, Lowes, & Sears to get a replacement. The dishwasher I have is at least 20 years old & probably on borrowed time, so if mine starts acting up I'm planning on a new one. You could just get plastic forks, knives, spoons, & use paper plates, cups, & forget the whole damn thing.   

[Winged 1]

 
Just went thru the same thing. Pump is going by by.
Spent bucks and time putting in a new one just to have the spinner gizmo die a month later.
Get a whole new washer.
Eric

[472 R/T SE]

Well sounds like we'll be spending part of that stimulus check. 

Thanks all for the help.  Brian, I went to that forum and like a half dozen or so threads on the first page were dishwashers' not draining.  The dudes' helping diagnose said to make sure the "air gap" is not plugged.  I checked ours and it was filled with crud.  Don't know what that has to do with draining so I'll try running it one more time before we pick up a new one.

Any suggestions besides Whirlpool?  Do they still have the reputation of old?  I guess I could ask my newfound appliance forum. 

[BigRed66]

Any suggestions besides Whirlpool?  Do they still have the reputation of old?  I guess I could ask my newfound appliance forum. 

I had a Maytag at my last house that I bought new in 2000, and I loved it. Honestly, the reason I bought it was because of the whole Maytag Repairman deal...you know, lonely? Because Maytags never need fixed? But, it was a great appliance. When we sold the house in 2006, they didn't have my Maytag model at Lowe's or Home Depot, but the Maytags they did have were not made in Ames, Iowa like I thought. Mexico. The Whirlpool was made in USA. Sold. Knock on wood, but for two years, it's been flawless.

[BrianShaughnessy]

Any suggestions besides Whirlpool?  Do they still have the reputation of old?  I guess I could ask my newfound appliance forum. 

I bought a stainless in/out KitchenAid ...   which is basically a glorified Whirlpool.   Then I had to change the other appliances to match.   

FWIW I believe Whirlpool bought out Maytag awhile back.   

Spend a few more bucks to get a quiet one...    the difference between the old and new stuff is amazing.

[konigcharger]

 

sounds like the pump has gone bad. time to get a new one.

i sold appliances for 3 years... Until about a year ago.
Bosch is the best (quiet, energy efficient, cleans great)
they are pricey but IMO well worth the investment long term.
they come standard with a lot of good features like stainless internals/ tubs and are pretty much overkill in the quality dept. i never had a Bosch returned for any reason in three years 

next i would say would be the better/ best Whirlpool/KiA and some of the top end GE
things to look for:
stainless tub(for quiet), hard food disposer, adjustable racks, and an internal heating element(important for maintaining water temp)(all standard features on even the entry level Bosch )

then would be the rest of the Whirlpool/KiA, Maytag, GE
high volume sellers, decient bang for the buck.

lastly i would say Roper, admrial... etc (there are so many names in this catagory)
these are for rental propertys, the ghetto, and somalians. these are actually rebadged whirlpool/GE/maytags from the 80's and early 90's cheap, loud, unreliable. is how i would describe them, (fyi of them roper is the best)

then there is Frigidaire, i'm sure there are some people that have wonderful things to say about their frigidaire dishwashers. but they are in the vast minority, for every three frigidaire dw's i have sold two came back due to shoddy craftmanship, or the underpowered motor. i would strongly suggest you stay away from them. my father in law against my advice(he knows everything) bought a frigidare dw last year, and has had to fix it twice already.

hope that helps 

take it FWIW
Brian 

[73-charger-383]

You said you had a wife?? What's the problem then, no sink??
j/k  (kinda)

[472 R/T SE]

Seeings how she does 90% of the yardwork, laundry, cooks, works full time in turn carrying full benefits & goes to school, I figure I need to make things easy for her. 

[derailed]

Seeings how she does 90% of the yardwork, laundry, cooks, works full time in turn carrying full benefits & goes to school, I figure I need to make things easy for her. 

She have a sister?

[Khyron]

You said you had a wife?? What's the problem then, no sink??
j/k  (kinda)

OHHH NO YOU DIDN'T!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Todd Wilson]

Plan on a can of worms if you start messing with it,

I had the same problem a few years ago. Gonna fix it myself. By the time I got the thing apart some of the plastic pieces had broke. Stuff was dried and cracked here and there. It is easier to just go buy a new unit. Maytag is not the appliance it once was. We bought a new frigidaire dishwasher and its been good so far.


Todd

[472 R/T SE]

Well cleaning out the "air gap" solved the draining issue.  The better half has run a couple loads now with no drainage issues.

So thanks again Brian and everyone else.

Bit strange though trying to figure out what the air gap has to do with it.  Maybe it's like draining a radiator, you need to take the cap off for better flow.