Tag Archives: dishwasher professional

How Long Do Dishwashers Last?

Are you wondering how long do dishwashers last? According to appliance repair professionals, they last an average of 9.5 years.

The appliance’s lifespan is hugely dependent on how frequently you use the unit.

An average household runs its dishwasher five times a week. This means that if you run yours more than this, it’s bound to have a much shorter lifespan and vice versa.

For example, if you run your unit more than five cycles a week, it will last for seven years, and if you run it fewer than five cycles a week, it will last for even 15 years.

How do you extend the life of your dishwasher?

Would you love your dishwasher to last for as long as possible? There are several things you can do. These things include:

Always load your dishwasher correctly

How you load your unit goes a long way towards determining how long it lasts. As a rule of thumb, you should never overload the unit, as you will inhibit its ability to clean the dishes properly. Overloading the dishwasher also creates unnecessary strain, which prevents the dishes from cleaning properly and makes the dishwasher overwork, which drives it to an early grave.

To be safe, learn how to load the dishwasher properly. This calls for you to place the different items in the right places.

Throw away the bones and food scraps before loading the dishwasher

While some powerful modern dishwashers in the market can handle food scraps, it’s still not safe to throw filthy food scraps and bones in the dishwasher as they prevent the dishes from cleaning as well as they should, so you should always remove dirty dishes.

There is also the risk of food getting stuck in the filters and causing significant damage over time.

Clean dishwasher safe items

Dishwasher companies will advertise that you can clean anything on the dishwasher, but this isn’t the case. There are some items that are hand wash only, and it’s for a good reason. This is because some of these items can damage your dishwasher.

To protect your unit from damage, take your time to analyze anything you put in the dishwasher. As a rule of thumb, don’t put anything there that doesn’t belong.

Keep the dishwasher clean.

The dishwasher is always clean as there is water flowing through it, right? Wrong. Like the other units in your home, you need to clean the dishwasher.

One of the parts you should ensure that is clean is the food trap. All dishwashers have a rubber trap at the bottom of the drain that prevents the drain from clogging. Every few months, remove the trap and clean it to keep it in top working condition.

You also should clean the dishwasher filters and door seals.

When doing the cleaning, always use vinegar as it not only removes the built-up gunk, but also gets rid of awful odors. To clean using vinegar, pour a cup of white distilled vinegar in the bottom of the dishwasher, then run an empty cycle. The vinegar will clean out any debris stuck in the crevices and throughout the machine’s interior.

Wash the dishes with hot water

When it comes to the water you use when washing the dishes, always use hot water. Hot water cleans the dishes and kills bacteria, so you have clean and safe-to-eat dishes. Hot water also prevents debris and residues from building up in the dishwasher, so you have an easy time cleaning it.

Use the right detergents.

Besides using hot water, you also should use the right dishwashing detergent. Dishwasher repair Alexandria professionals recommend you only use detergent meant for the dishwasher. And when using the detergent, don’t use a detergent that is more than the manufacturer recommended amount.

As much as a detergent might appear harmless, note that using the wrong one can lead to pipe, filter, and even drainage damage.

If you aren’t sure about the right detergent to use, get the input of a professional.

Dishwasher Repair: Tips On How To Properly Load The Dishwasher

For you to properly clean the dishes, you have to load them properly in the dishwasher. Here are tips on how to go about it as given by dishwasher repair professionals:

Loading the top rack

The top rack is designed for glasses, cups, saucers, and smaller items. Place the items at an angle with the dirtiest surface facing downward. To prevent the dishes from chipping or getting damaged, ensure similar items don’t touch.

Place lightweight and dishwasher-safe plastic items such as storage containers on the top rack. If including any household items you can clean in the dishwasher, keep them on the top rack. Place them away from high temperatures of the drying element in the bottom of the appliance.

Ensure the plastic items you place in the dishwasher rack aren’t too small to fit through gaps. This is because items that can fall through the gaps can block one of the washer arms or land on the dishwasher’s heating element and get burnt.

Does your appliance have a fold-down shelf with stemware holders? Secure the stems of wine glasses and champagne flutes in the holders for extra protection during washing.

Some dishwasher models have flexible spray nozzles on the upper rack where you can place tall glasses and water bottles.

Got long utensils such as ladles and spatulas? Lay them flat on the upper dishwasher rack. Ensure the utensils can slip through the rack and block the spray arms.

Loading the bottom rack

The bottom rack is the ideal spot for plates, pans, bakeware, instant pot inner pots, and casserole dishes. Place dinner and lunch plates between the tines on the bottom rack and angle the dirty sides towards the washer jets.

Watch you don’t stack the dishes on top of each other as this will cause nesting and prevent the dishes from getting clean evenly. You can avoid nesting by alternating larger and smaller plates.

Position large bowls between tines or along the side, back, or front of the bottom rack. Face the inside of each bowl towards the center of the dishwasher and angle them downwards.

If you have larger cookware items such as pans, pots, and baking dishes, place them along the sides or back of the lower rack. Angle them down to ensure better cleaning and drainage.

Place flat pans and platters on the side or back of the lower rack away from the dishwasher door. Avoid placing them in the front door as you can block detergents from reaching the dishes.

Loading the silverware

The key to ensuring the silverware get clean is to ensure the water reaches the entire surface area. Don’t place forks or spoons in one section unless you alternate the direction. Load the silverware into the silverware basket while taking care to avoid nesting when loading, as this can cause some of the utensils to clean inefficiently.

To protect your fingers and hands when loading, place knives with the handles facing up. For the spoons and forks, place them with the handles facing down.

If your silverware baskets have lids, take care as they might flip up if the handles don’t fit into the slots in the lids.

Once everything is in place, fill the detergent dispense to the necessary level based on how hard the water is in your area.

Tips for getting excellent results from your dishwasher

For clean dishes all the time, clean the dishwasher regularly.

Use the correct amount of dishwasher detergent. As mentioned above, this will depend on how hard the water is. If the water contains a lot of minerals, use more detergent for every load.

Ensure that the detergent is fresh and not clumping. Give the liquids a good shake before you use them. This will break any lumps in powdered formulas leaving you with easy to use detergent.

Watch what you place in the dishwasher. Some items, such as cast iron and ceramic-coated cookware, should never see the insides of the dishwasher. This is because they will get damaged, and you can’t restore them.

At least once a year, hire an appliance repair Springfield professional to inspect your appliance and ensure all the parts are functioning optimally. If they have a problem, the professional should fix it immediately before it gets worse.

Dishwasher Repair: Common Dishwasher Problems And How To Fix Them

Just like any other appliance, the dishwasher develops problems that you should fix as fast as possible. Here are some of the most common dishwasher problems as given by dishwasher repair professionals:

Failure of the dishwasher to clean properly

A dishwasher is meant to clean the dishes; therefore, when it’s not doing it, you can’t call it a dishwasher anymore, can you? The unit will fail to clean the dishes when it’s dirty. You should check the strain screen, sprayer arms, and door gaskets for any food particles, grease, and other forms of debris that might be there.

If there is any form of dirt, get rid of it as soon as possible.

You also should consider running a cleaning cycle using a dishwasher cleaner to see whether it will work.

The unit might be failing to clean the dishes properly due to low pressure spray arms. Work with your contractor who will inspect the arms and fix them if having any issues. The arms should move freely without any obstruction. If the arms are worn out, you have no way out, other than to replace them.

Appliance repair experts report that the problems could be as a result of problems with the upper discharge housing gasket. You need to inspect it and find out whether it needs tightening or replacement.

In some cases, the problem is due to the use of a poor quality detergent and for you to fix the problem you only need to use a high quality detergent.

Noisy dishwasher

While the unit should make some noise when working, it shouldn’t be making noises that you are uncomfortable with. When the unit is making a lot of noise, you might be having a defective pump, wash arm seal, or bearing ring. All of these parts are difficult to diagnose and fix if you don’t have the necessary skills; therefore, you should hire a professional to help you out.

In some cases, the problem is due to spray arms that aren’t turning properly and they may be hitting the racks and dishes. In such a case, you need to replace them.

Failure of the dishwasher to drain

A properly functioning dishwasher shouldn’t have any water remaining after you have cleaned the dishes; therefore, when the unit isn’t draining, you have a problem that you should address. A dishwasher that isn’t draining tends to hold your dishes hostage and cause flooding in the kitchen.

You should inspect the assembly and check valve in the drain sump. If it’s not moving properly, replace it. You also should consider updating the drain pump and motor. If there are any obstructions for solenoid and drain flapper, get rid of them.

Leaking dishwasher

There is nothing as disgusting as this and it’s one of the problems that many people dread. This is because it tends to cause serious damage to the house.

When you are having this problem you need to check the drainage hose for any cracks and other forms of damage that might be there. You also should pay attention to the defective pump seal or pump. If necessary, change the seal and replace the pump.

A faulty door gasket will also cause the problem. You should find out whether it has become brittle or isn’t sealing the door as well as it’s supposed to. If you notice issues with it, replace it so that you can have a better fit.

Failure of the dishwasher to start

You will put the dishes in the unit for cleaning, but the unit will simply fail to start. when you are having this problem you should take a look at the fuses and circuit breakers to ensure that they haven’t blown or tripped.

You also should confirm that the unit is properly plugged in. In some cases, dishwashers fail due to a faulty door latch or door latch switch. If the door isn’t properly closed, it’s bound to prevent the dishwasher from starting; therefore, you should confirm that its properly closed.

If the latch is working well, commercial appliance repair Northern VA professionals recommend that you check the electronic control or timer and confirm that it is in good condition.