Dishwasher woes..won't drain

[Mister Brenton]

Any plumber-ish here? GE Profile dishwasher won't drain the tub. According to GE's own instructions, the culprit is either the air gap or the disposal, neither of which I have. Drain tube is direct to the sink drain. Is a 1/2" rubber hose going up from the bottom of the unit, through a cabinet, up to a plastic tie (forming the trap), and then right into the main sink drain a few inches below. Upon the sage advice of others, Vinegar soak failed. Shopvac blow failed. Repeated hot cycles failed. What else is there?

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[Arya]

plunge the hole

[Mister Brenton]

Originally Posted by Arya

plunge the hole

Hmmmm, good idea.

[Arya]

keep in mind i am not a plumber or the maytag repair man.

[revstriker]

I'm assuming that the pump is working, but the waste water just isn't flowing? I would remove the tube to make sure it isn't clogged up. You can try to remove the part from under the sink first, and if that doesn't help, get under the dishwasher and remove the other end. Some models come with a check valve as part of the hose, and some have the check valve as part of the unit.

If you do get it fixed, you might want to think about installing an air gap. It is code down here. At the very least, you should run the hose up as high as you can and then down to the drain. That will prevent a sink back up from flowing back to your dishwasher.

[S55inPA]

my first thought was the pump but what rev said sounds right as well.
might be time to start rinsing off the leftover spaghetti before washing

[Mister Brenton]

Get under it?? It's built in! I'd have to cut an access panel from the basement.

[amdeutsch]

Pull it out, disconnect and then get under it. There should be no need to cut into anything.

[rockjock]

Based on your prev threads Brenton, I say sell the house and buy a new one with a washer that works
+1 on AM's post-there should be two threaded bolts that keep it from tilting forward-remove those, and (carefully) begin to inch out from the build in (careful not to tweak the water supply hose if copper, ect)-my guess is the pump failed-I just went shopping last night at Warner for a new set up myself...Magic Chef just isnt going it for me anymore
GL-let us know what happens!

[tuscanraider]

Originally Posted by amdeutsch

Pull it out, disconnect and then get under it. There should be no need to cut into anything.

Exactly. There should be 2 screws on the top that tack it into the bottom of the counter, and then just some spacer material on the sides between it and the cabinets on the side. Once you take the bottom panel off you may want to turn the feet screws a few turns to lower it. It will be easier to slide out....then pull it out slow, make sure the is enough play in the electrical connections.

[Glocker]

Yupp, sounds like you have a clogged drain hose.

[Mister Brenton]

How can you tell if the pump failed? I was thinking that each new cycle brought in fresh new water, therefore some amount of water is being drained off, else the residual water in the tub would be more and more. Am I wrong?

[Bollywood]

We had this problem as well a few months back, the culprit was the disposal, but you dont have that, so i am not sure.

[vraa]

Dude I thought you were married?

[Glasgow Gold]

Originally Posted by vraa

Dude I thought you were married?

Are you suggesting that he forget the dishwasher and have wifey do the dishes by hand or that wifey intentionally broke the dishwasher so she could get a new $2,000 Bosch?!

[rockjock]

Originally Posted by Glasgow Gold

Are you suggesting that he forget the dishwasher and have wifey do the dishes by hand or that wifey intentionally broke the dishwasher so she could get a new $2,000 Bosch?!

You're giving women WAY too much credit with that statement.

[LRM1]

Here are step by step instructions-

1. Get in your car
2. Go to your local/favorite appliance dealer
3. Select your favorite model
4. Stick your hand in your back pocket and retrieve wallet
5. Pay the clerk
6. Wait for delivery

and (optional)

If you spend an additional $400 to get a "green" model dishwasher, fill out the application so that Obama can send you $12.50 (some of which is our money anyway) for turning in your inefficient old model.

I'd be careful leaving it like it is. Someone here might report you to the Green Czar and you might be arrested for wasting water.

[Mister Brenton]

Originally Posted by LRM1

I'd be careful leaving it like it is. Someone here might report you to the Green Czar and you might be arrested for wasting water.

Well I offset our water consumption by urinating off the side of the deck.

[Glasgow Gold]

Originally Posted by LRM1

Here are step by step instructions-

1. Get in your car
2. Go to your local/favorite appliance dealer
3. Select your favorite model
4. Stick your hand in your back pocket and retrieve wallet
5. Pay the clerk
6. Wait for delivery

and (optional)

If you spend an additional $400 to get a "green" model dishwasher, fill out the application so that Obama can send you $12.50 (some of which is our money anyway) for turning in your inefficient old model.

I'd be careful leaving it like it is. Someone here might report you to the Green Czar and you might be arrested for wasting water.

I enjoy your posts, my friend. Don't be a stranger.

[revstriker]

Originally Posted by Mister Brenton

Get under it?? It's built in! I'd have to cut an access panel from the basement.

Some dishwashers (most actually) have an access panel at the bottom (under the door) that you can remove to access the bottom side of the dishwasher. You can normally service the water connection and the drain connection through here. You can also normally adjust the front two legs this way. There should be no need to even have to remove the dishwasher from it's cubby.

[Mister Brenton]

Originally Posted by revstriker

Some dishwashers (most actually) have an access panel at the bottom (under the door) that you can remove to access the bottom side of the dishwasher. You can normally service the water connection and the drain connection through here. You can also normally adjust the front two legs this way. There should be no need to even have to remove the dishwasher from it's cubby.

Hmm, sounds encouraging. Thx.

[revstriker]

Originally Posted by Mister Brenton

How can you tell if the pump failed? I was thinking that each new cycle brought in fresh new water, therefore some amount of water is being drained off, else the residual water in the tub would be more and more. Am I wrong?

Depending on the dishwasher, if you know when in the cycle that the dishwasher is supposed to drain, you might be able to hear the pump turn on. Of course, running the pump with a clog for very long will not be too good for the pump. If you can't hear it, then all you can really do is check the hose for a clog. If there is no clog, then you have a bigger problem.

[revstriker]

Originally Posted by Mister Brenton

Hmm, sounds encouraging. Thx.

There may be a couple of screws you have to remove to open the panel.

[Arya]

so you are asking "what do you do when the dishwasher doesnt work?"

i say smack her.

[TREZ63]

While we're on this topic. You know why wedding dresses are white right? ..... Cause the dishwasher should match the refrigerator.