Dishwasher trouble - no water at lower spray arms
October 16, 2021 10:35 AM Subscribe
Our dishwasher does not seem to be doing anything with its lower spray arms. Diverter motor?
We have a Kitchenaid KDTE334DSS, which I think is made by Whirlpool. I have noticed recently that things aren't getting very clean. Some experimentation - opening it midcycle - suggests that the bottom spray arm is not moving or spraying at all. I have run it a few full cycles and the spray arm is in the exact same position at the start and end - I even stuck a plastic fork in the machine to "block" the path of the spray arm and nothing happened. Strangely, the rest of the dishwasher seems to be operating OK - it fills with water from the top sprayers, it runs a cycle with the usual noises, and it pumps itself out at the end. Some googling suggests that there is a little motor that changes the pathway of the waterflow at different points in the cycle - a diverter motor like this. I ordered a knock-off version for about $25 that should arrive tomorrow.
Does this seem like the right thing to try to fix it? Is there anything else I should be looking for when I pull the unit out of the counter?
We have a Kitchenaid KDTE334DSS, which I think is made by Whirlpool. I have noticed recently that things aren't getting very clean. Some experimentation - opening it midcycle - suggests that the bottom spray arm is not moving or spraying at all. I have run it a few full cycles and the spray arm is in the exact same position at the start and end - I even stuck a plastic fork in the machine to "block" the path of the spray arm and nothing happened. Strangely, the rest of the dishwasher seems to be operating OK - it fills with water from the top sprayers, it runs a cycle with the usual noises, and it pumps itself out at the end. Some googling suggests that there is a little motor that changes the pathway of the waterflow at different points in the cycle - a diverter motor like this. I ordered a knock-off version for about $25 that should arrive tomorrow.
Does this seem like the right thing to try to fix it? Is there anything else I should be looking for when I pull the unit out of the counter?
Make sure the nozzles of the lower spray arms are not blocked by mineral deposits. This happened to me (arm not turning, dishes not clean), and I had to physically clean out the blocked nozzles.
posted by jabah at 7:03 PM on October 16, 2021
posted by jabah at 7:03 PM on October 16, 2021
I recently had to replace the lower spray arm on my dishwasher because the nozzles had kind of melted, although I was having different problems than you. Anyhow, removing the spray arm was dead simple. Worth a look.
If you do wind up replacing it, spend some time hunting different vendors. Mine was expensive, and I found big price differences between vendors.
posted by adamrice at 7:12 AM on October 17, 2021
If you do wind up replacing it, spend some time hunting different vendors. Mine was expensive, and I found big price differences between vendors.
posted by adamrice at 7:12 AM on October 17, 2021
Spray arms usually get rotated by reaction forces from tilted spray jets at the ends. If those are clogged with assorted dish gunk, the arms won't rotate. Clearing out the jets with something thin and pokey is usually enough to get things moving again.
posted by flabdablet at 7:56 AM on October 17, 2021
posted by flabdablet at 7:56 AM on October 17, 2021
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posted by sjswitzer at 12:17 PM on October 16, 2021 [2 favorites]