Fisher Paykel Dishwasher Hell, Drain Hose Edition
November 7, 2013 1:29 PM Subscribe
It should be a simple thing, but it isn't: How do I clean out the drain hose and drain flap on my Fisher & Paykel dishwasher?
Details:
* Model DD605, the double drawer version.
* Top drawer runs entire cycle but will not drain (a few inches of water left, rather than the small pool that should be left in the kidney-shaped removable filter, which leads to an occasional flooding error (usually corrected by baling/drying/air-drying drawer).
* Dishwasher was probably incorrectly installed five years ago. The hoses run from the back of the dishwasher to the air gap Y-shaped rubber connector (hoses are stacked vertically because of space issues; I'll need to drill another hole to make them side by side; there was no high loop until I made one between the back of the dishwasher and the Y, which helped for a while. Last year, it was the bottom drawer misbehaving in the same way, so I switched rotors. No dice.)
* I clean all the removable parts, down to the rotor, regularly and often. The cruft that accumulates under the round metal plate is MUCH stinkier and yuckier than it should be, given that most of what goes into the dishwasher is pre-rinsed.
* Which makes me suspect backflow problems. I have hard water. When I separated the drain hose from the plumbing just now, I was horrified by the calcium particulate that fell out of the hose. I tried cleaning out the hose, at least a few feet of it, with a skinny plastic strip intended to relieve clogs. EWWWWW.
So.
I am reduced to figuring out how to disconnect the drain hose from the *dishwasher* -- that is, at the other end. But I cannot for the life of me find instructions on doing that (and no, the owner's manual doesn't help. Nor does the sheet of installation instructions for the plumber).
Send me a link. Tell me how you did it. Point me to instructions written for a non-mechanically-inclined DIY'er. Explain this "high loop" and where it needs to go. I beg you. I would really, really like to avoid an expensive service call, especially if the tech just runs water through the hose and recommends a plumber visit. Besides, if I have to wash dishes by hand again, it will not be pretty.
Help? Please?
Details:
* Model DD605, the double drawer version.
* Top drawer runs entire cycle but will not drain (a few inches of water left, rather than the small pool that should be left in the kidney-shaped removable filter, which leads to an occasional flooding error (usually corrected by baling/drying/air-drying drawer).
* Dishwasher was probably incorrectly installed five years ago. The hoses run from the back of the dishwasher to the air gap Y-shaped rubber connector (hoses are stacked vertically because of space issues; I'll need to drill another hole to make them side by side; there was no high loop until I made one between the back of the dishwasher and the Y, which helped for a while. Last year, it was the bottom drawer misbehaving in the same way, so I switched rotors. No dice.)
* I clean all the removable parts, down to the rotor, regularly and often. The cruft that accumulates under the round metal plate is MUCH stinkier and yuckier than it should be, given that most of what goes into the dishwasher is pre-rinsed.
* Which makes me suspect backflow problems. I have hard water. When I separated the drain hose from the plumbing just now, I was horrified by the calcium particulate that fell out of the hose. I tried cleaning out the hose, at least a few feet of it, with a skinny plastic strip intended to relieve clogs. EWWWWW.
So.
I am reduced to figuring out how to disconnect the drain hose from the *dishwasher* -- that is, at the other end. But I cannot for the life of me find instructions on doing that (and no, the owner's manual doesn't help. Nor does the sheet of installation instructions for the plumber).
Send me a link. Tell me how you did it. Point me to instructions written for a non-mechanically-inclined DIY'er. Explain this "high loop" and where it needs to go. I beg you. I would really, really like to avoid an expensive service call, especially if the tech just runs water through the hose and recommends a plumber visit. Besides, if I have to wash dishes by hand again, it will not be pretty.
Help? Please?
Dishwasher was probably incorrectly installed five years ago. The hoses run from the back of the dishwasher to the air gap Y-shaped rubber connector... there was no high loop until I made one between the back of the dishwasher and the Y... The cruft that accumulates under the round metal plate is MUCH stinkier and yuckier than it should be... Which makes me suspect backflow problems.
I've never lived anyplace where the code required an air gap so I'm not totally up to speed on them, but my understanding (such as it is) is that an air gap makes backflow problems impossible, and that the high loop is an alternate way of preventing backflow i.e. it's either/or, not both.
posted by jon1270 at 1:53 PM on November 7, 2013
I've never lived anyplace where the code required an air gap so I'm not totally up to speed on them, but my understanding (such as it is) is that an air gap makes backflow problems impossible, and that the high loop is an alternate way of preventing backflow i.e. it's either/or, not both.
posted by jon1270 at 1:53 PM on November 7, 2013
Response by poster: I may be misusing "air gap"; upon checking, the installation instructions call this piece the drain hose joiner.
The service manual uses the phrase "the outlet pipe has a non return flap valve to prevent soiled water returning to the tub." Helpful terminology, but I still need to know how to get to the darn thing to have a look at it. It seems that this flap often fails because of debris/degradation. Because of the calcium deposits I found, I strongly suspect that they're causing a problem at the other, much less accessible end of the hose.
posted by MonkeyToes at 2:00 PM on November 7, 2013
The service manual uses the phrase "the outlet pipe has a non return flap valve to prevent soiled water returning to the tub." Helpful terminology, but I still need to know how to get to the darn thing to have a look at it. It seems that this flap often fails because of debris/degradation. Because of the calcium deposits I found, I strongly suspect that they're causing a problem at the other, much less accessible end of the hose.
posted by MonkeyToes at 2:00 PM on November 7, 2013
Response by poster: Update: accessed and drained hose. Now can't get damn front panel to slide back on!
posted by MonkeyToes at 4:47 PM on November 7, 2013
posted by MonkeyToes at 4:47 PM on November 7, 2013
Response by poster: And for future reference, these instructions helped a LOT:
1. Unplug machine.
2. Slide drawer open, remove two pegs that secure front panel to drawer (one on each side of drawer)
3. Slide front panel down and out, remove green ground wire.
4. Depress tabs that hold bottom plastic cover on bottom of drawer and remove entire cover, being careful not to break the tabs.
5. Disconnect tan water fill hose from rinse dispenser.
6. Disconnect two wire harnessess at control board.
7. DIsconnect drain hose from pump base. (might want to put a pan underneath to catch water)
8. Depress tabs on hose/harness coupler at bottom rear of drawer and dis-engage the coupler.
9. Lift drawer off slides.
Getting the cover back on was a PITA, and the tabs were all a bit fidgety, but draining the hose itself was simple. Lots of calcium grit came out. I also took the opportunity to clean around the flap. Running an empty load as a test gave me more water than I wanted to see at the bottom, but FAR, FAR less than before.
posted by MonkeyToes at 5:26 PM on November 7, 2013
1. Unplug machine.
2. Slide drawer open, remove two pegs that secure front panel to drawer (one on each side of drawer)
3. Slide front panel down and out, remove green ground wire.
4. Depress tabs that hold bottom plastic cover on bottom of drawer and remove entire cover, being careful not to break the tabs.
5. Disconnect tan water fill hose from rinse dispenser.
6. Disconnect two wire harnessess at control board.
7. DIsconnect drain hose from pump base. (might want to put a pan underneath to catch water)
8. Depress tabs on hose/harness coupler at bottom rear of drawer and dis-engage the coupler.
9. Lift drawer off slides.
Getting the cover back on was a PITA, and the tabs were all a bit fidgety, but draining the hose itself was simple. Lots of calcium grit came out. I also took the opportunity to clean around the flap. Running an empty load as a test gave me more water than I wanted to see at the bottom, but FAR, FAR less than before.
posted by MonkeyToes at 5:26 PM on November 7, 2013
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posted by dobi at 1:49 PM on November 7, 2013