According to How Stuff Works, when you start to diagnose dishwasher problems, it’s smart to begin with the power circuits. If your appliance isn’t receiving the electricity it needs, it will act like a broken dishwasher, but there’s no need to pay for expensive dishwasher repairs when the solution to your dishwasher maintenance problem may be as simple as flicking a switch, replacing an outlet, or spotting a blown fuse.
1. A Broken Dishwasher That Plugs Into The Wall
If you have a plug-in dishwasher, do a visual check of the cord, the plug, and the wall outlet, to make sure everything is securely connecting, and hasn’t become dislodged. If everything looks good, plug a working lamp into your outlet to see if the outlet is fully functional. If the lamp doesn’t work, you’ve found your problem, and it’s time to find out the source of the issue with your wall outlet, which could be the switch (see #2 below) or the power circuits (see #4 below.) The good news is that your dishwasher doesn’t need repair, and you were able to find out without wasting time and money by calling in an expensive dishwasher maintenance professional!
2. A Broken Dishwasher With Wall Outlet Controlled By A Switch
If your wall outlet is controlled by a switch, pick up a voltage tester from your toolbox or from a hardware store, remove the switch’s cover place with a screwdriver, and check the switch by placing one of the voltage tester’s probes on each of the switch’s terminals. If the bulb on your voltage tester starts to glow, the switch is functioning, the power source isn’t the source of your dishwasher problems, and you may need dishwasher repair. If the bulb on your voltage tester stays dark, your problem isn’t a broken dishwasher, just a broken switch. Replace the broken switch with one of the same type, and bask in the knowledge that you’ve saved yourself the cost of an unnecessary visit from an expensive dishwasher repair professional.
3. A Broken Dishwasher That’s A Built-in Model
If you have a built-in dishwasher, it may be wired directly into your home’s electric circuit. That means your best first step is to head to your home’s circuit breaker to check for a blown fuse or other signs of trouble.
4. Checking Your Home’s Circuit Panel
Check the main entrance panel of your home’s electric circuit and look for a tripped circuit breaker or a blown fuse; if you see one, restoring the circuit will “fix” your broken dishwasher, restoring it to full functionality. (Of course, if you have an older home, your built-in dishwasher may not be wired to the main entrance panel. Look for a separate entrance panel nearby, and see if there’s trouble in that circuit that could be causing the symptoms of your broken dishwasher.) For more on circuit breakers and how to solve circuit breaker issues, check out this guide to circuit breakers by Arlene Mason.
