How many years to expect from dishwasher ?


 
Lynn Dollar

Lynn Dollar

TVWBB Emerald Member
We've got a Whirlpool. Its five years old. Keeping with my philosophy of no bells and whistles, it's bottom of the line. And we're starting to have some troubles.
I've had a rule that if a repair costs more than half the price of new, then just buy new. Cause after investing a good sum of money into a repair, ya still got an old appliance that may last a long time, and may not.

And I don't want to pay a repairman $100 just for a diagnosis, when I could sink that money into a new dishwasher.

I'm told not to expect as long a life from newer appliances.
 
What's happening with it? Sometimes it can be something pretty cheap. Sometimes it's something like a filter that's clogged..
 
Not dispensing soap.

Not rinsing soap off dishes, and its more than just a soap film.

And I think its starting to leak. I've yet to check that out completely. That may be my final straw.
 
I would expect 10 years life. Most of the trouble I’ve had has been clear plastic film causing clogs.

YouTube is great for fixit videos if you want to try to fix it.
 
YIKES

Lynn, I haven't checked out dishwashers for quite some time now. So, after reading your post, I went on Amazon. When did they come out with a countertop dishwasher? Oh my goodness. And the prices for regular dishwashers. :eek:

Yes, it is a crime how short of a lifespan ANYTHING has these days. Remember when refrigerators got handed down to next of kin? lol

Sorry I can't help you. Just wanted to vent. lol

GOOD LUCK - Keep us posted, ok?
 
Mechanically, we have had good luck. My problem has been the racks. Cheap models' have plastic coated wire racks that wear through and then rust. Replacement cost is nearly half the cost of a new unit. Better models have graphite racks that do not wear out. Bosch was my best ever.
 
All the problems could be the water inlet valve. If it gets clogged or worn out, it could cause both the lack of rinsing and the leak. I've replaced one before. Its not hard to do. The problem is ya gotta do it laying on the floor working with hands under the dishwasher. And last time I did this, I was a younger man. At 70 yo, I can hardly get down on the floor and can't get back up with out some kind of help.

But I'm headed to Home Depot to get one of these, it will protect the flooring and also help my indentify where the leak is coming from

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-24-5-in-x-20-5-in-Black-Dishwasher-Pan-98262/307638983?
 
Lynn Dollar said:
But I'm headed to Home Depot to get one of these, it will protect the flooring and also help my indentify where the leak is coming from
Click to expand...
Standard DW opening is 24"
The specs say either 24.5" or 24 .25"
You might want to verify your opening and the actual size, seems a few reviews say it's too wide.
 
JSaus said:
Mechanically, we have had good luck. My problem has been the racks. Cheap models' have plastic coated wire racks that wear through and then rust. Replacement cost is nearly half the cost of a new unit. Better models have graphite racks that do not wear out. Bosch was my best ever.
Click to expand...
We have a Bosch that’s been great. It runs silent.
 
Bosch, last 12-15 years service free. There was a thread on this a few months ago with lots of feedback and input. If I have time later I can try to re-find it and share the link.
 
Lynn, you might want to try running it with some white vinegar, lime away, or CLR in it. You might have hard water mineral deposits built up inside the dishwasher. It's cheap and easy to do and may help with your problem, maybe not a leak though.
 
LMichaels said:
If you have hard water and don't use a softener your appliances lives will be cut in half easily
Click to expand...
I know that first hand. I had a tenant in a house who stopped putting salt in the water softener. In a short amount of time it destroyed a nearly new dishwasher.
 
Its a leak. And its under the pump and motor assembly. Could be a simple seal. Could be the entire assembly.

The water pan did not fit, there's some type of electrical box keeping me from sliding it in place. I think its too wide anyway and I can't find anything smaller. I will take it back.

I'm on the verge of just buying a new dishwasher and going on down the road. But really, this is not a good time to be buying anything. Inventories are limited.
 
Steve Hoch said:
Lynn, you might want to try running it with some white vinegar, lime away, or CLR in it. You might have hard water mineral deposits built up inside the dishwasher. It's cheap and easy to do and may help with your problem, maybe not a leak though.
Click to expand...

OKC does not have hard water.
 
Lynn Dollar said:
All the problems could be the water inlet valve. If it gets clogged or worn out, it could cause both the lack of rinsing and the leak. I've replaced one before. Its not hard to do. The problem is ya gotta do it laying on the floor working with hands under the dishwasher. And last time I did this, I was a younger man. At 70 yo, I can hardly get down on the floor and can't get back up with out some kind of help.

But I'm headed to Home Depot to get one of these, it will protect the flooring and also help my indentify where the leak is coming from

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-24-5-in-x-20-5-in-Black-Dishwasher-Pan-98262/307638983?
Click to expand...
We've had this problem with ours. I bought some stuff at the hardware store that is made by Plasticoat that will touch up those spots to get a little more time.
 
Lynn Dollar said:
OKC does not have hard water.
Click to expand...
Where do they source it from? If it's from wells I guarantee it's "hard". Chicago is not hard to speak of due to getting it from Lake Michigan. But any time you pull water from the ground it's hard. Here for instance it's like liquid gravel. Our water comes from aquifers. Good water to be sure but hard with a capital H.
BTW we thought we had things "under control" with our POS Electrolux but this AM we woke up to water on the floor again. Gasket is fine so I am unsure where it's coming from. I think though I will definitely be Bosch shopping VERY soon here
 
OKC water comes from reservoirs .

As to repair what I have now, it was gonna be some trial and error till I found what exactly was leaking. IDK what cost involved. But in the end, I'd be doubling down on a purchase I was never happy with in the beginning.

I bought a Bosch from Home Depot last night. It was the top recommendation of Consumer Reports. Its Bosch's " entry level " washer, but when compared with another Bosch model that cost $300 more. I could not see $300 in improvement. The one I bought has stainless steel and plastic interior , the one for $300 total stainless. But Consumer Reports said they found no diff between the two.

Both at Home Depot site and CR, I was able to do side by side comparison. I feel good with what I bought.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Bosch-A...ainless-Steel-Tub-50-dBA-SHE3AR75UC/304625842
 
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