Issues in my apartment - asking for assistance.

October 15, 2024 11:57 AM

I have two issues in my apartment that I was hoping I could ask for assistance here first, to see if those two issues are something I can resolve myself before putting in a maintenance ticket.

Maintenance installed a bidet for me and fixed quite a few issues at my new apartment (a previous Ask was about the replaced showerhead), so I'm trying to lay low and see if the two issues I'm experiencing are something I can fix myself before going to them. YANMMT (you aren't my maintenance team) but I figured it wouldn't hurt.

Issue 1:
My gas stove isn't working right. When I initially moved in, all four burners weren't operational; maintenance fixed it. When I came back from vacation, however, the two front burners aren't working (when I turn the dial, I smell gas but nothing comes out). I've tried fiddling with the dials a bit (turning from high to low, etc) but it doesn't work. The two back burners work fine, as well as the oven. I don't have matches and don't feel comfortable moving flames from the working burners to the inoperable burners with a paper towel. How would you recommend I fix this?

Issue 2:
My dishwasher is working, but I often see small white "paste" stuff stuck on dishes after a cycle, and have to do a second cycle (rinse). I tried using less soap but that doesn't seem to help. My apartment community in general seems to have low flow water (it's newish, so maybe to adhere to environmental standards?) so could that be it? However, my shower water comes down pretty strong, so I'd think the dishwasher would work right. I'm not sure if the "paste" is from the soap, because the soap is blue but after the cycle, the paste is white.

My appliances are all GE, if that makes a difference.

Thanks in advance if you can help me get down to the bottom of those issues without having to put in a ticket!

posted by dubious_dude to Home & Garden (26 answers total)

For the dishwasher, try using half as much dish soap for a week or two and see if it resolves.
posted by chocotaco at 11:59 AM on October 15 [2 favorites]

When you turn the working burners on, do you hear a clicking noise before the ignite or do they just ignite? If you don't hear a click, your burners most likely have pilot lights and the reason two of the burners aren't working is because their respective pilot lights have gone out.

Relighting a pilot light is pretty easy.

Are you able to acquire matches or a stick lighter?
posted by RonButNotStupid at 12:05 PM on October 15 [3 favorites]

I've tried fiddling with the dials a bit (turning from high to low, etc) but it doesn't work.

You may not be able to hear if the striker is trying to light and failing or if it's just not working at all. I think this should be a maintenance request for safety reasons. In the meantime, transfer the flame with a piece of uncooked spaghetti, it's safer than a paper towel.

For your dishwasher, Google your make of dishwasher + filter for instructions on how to remove the filter, then clean the filter.
posted by phunniemee at 12:05 PM on October 15 [7 favorites]

Response by poster: Sorry for the quick threadsit, but I'm Deaf so cannot hear at all.
posted by dubious_dude at 12:07 PM on October 15 [1 favorite]

Dishwashers typically have filters that need to be cleaned periodically. Here is an example of how to do it with a GE dishwasher. If you have or can find online the exact owners manual for your dishwasher model, it will have explicit instructions.

For the stove, just get a box of matches or better, a cigarette lighter, or even better, something like a utility lighter that allows you to light something from a good distance away.

If the burners light OK with such a lighter that #1. Gives you a way to use the burners in the meanwhile and #2. Helps you troubleshoot the cause of the problem.

(If they light up OK with the match/lighter as a flame source, it means the auto-lighter portion is just malfunctioning. Often you can clean the spark producer or just reassemble the burner - if it's off by just a fraction of an inch that can be enough to stop it functioning correctly - or maybe clean the burner, or some other simple fix to get the spark working again. If they don't light with a match/lighter then the gas is not coming through correctly for some reason - a different and more technical fix.)
posted by flug at 12:08 PM on October 15

Can you inspect your stovetop to see if it lifts up like the one in the video?
posted by RonButNotStupid at 12:09 PM on October 15

If it's a modern dishwasher it may require rinse aid in addition to detergent. I always recommend looking for the model number (it's usually printed on a label on the side of the door or just inside the drum where the door would cover it) and searching for the manual. The manual will also tell you if there's a filter that needs to be cleaned periodically. Start with cleaning the filter and adding rinse aid if recommended and see it they help.
posted by muddgirl at 12:17 PM on October 15 [3 favorites]

If you turn off the kitchen overhead lights you should be able to see if the igniter is sparking - it's a tiny little spark. Double-check if you have a section of the knob marked "light" or some kind of flame indicator - I deal with a lot of different stoves and some of them require quite a pause at that spot before it catches. If you put a hand on a safe part of the stove, you might also be able to feel the clicker clicking.

White residue on plastics in dishwasher. I generally deal with this by using non-pod detergent and less of it than the "fill" line in the washer dispenser, and then rinse aid or vinegar in the rinse aid dispenser. If you are somewhere with really really hard water I recommend the lemi-shine brand rinse aid.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:22 PM on October 15 [2 favorites]

I'd consider the stovetop a safety issue and have maintenance look at it, or at least call up a handy hearing friend to come help you troubleshoot it. For the dishwasher, there is dishwasher cleaner you can buy. I'd try cleaning out any filters and running a cycle of the dishwasher cleaner, and then re-assess.
posted by Stacey at 12:24 PM on October 15 [2 favorites]

I second everything muddgirl said about your dishwasher and came in to add that you might try using a liquid dishwasher detergent and in a smaller amount instead of using powdered or pellet kinds.
posted by Lynsey at 12:29 PM on October 15 [1 favorite]

For the stove, go to the store and buy a stick lighter. Just google that and you will see what they are. They're available at basically every grocery store, every dollar store, every Target, Walmart, whatever and they're cheap. They're also handy and you ought to have one lying around anyway. Now, to light the stove burner, turn the gas on and use the stick lighter. I swear to you that in the dim and distant past before the dawn of automatic electric ignition I lit many many stove burners this way and it was fine. Also, this is the only way to light your stove in the event of a power outage. Modern stoves don't have pilot lights anymore.

For the dishwasher, clean the filter and hope for the best. I often have to run mine twice.
posted by mygothlaundry at 12:32 PM on October 15 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Update:

-I agree with most that the stovetop issue is a safety issue and will put in a ticket. I'm not sure if I can lift it, I tried but I can't. I think that's something I'll have maintenance deal with. I don't feel comfortable with matches (fire in general scares me—I've almost always had an electric stove/oven until now). I do smell gas when turning the dial, so it seems like gas is getting "stuck" somewhere.

-For the dishwasher, wow! I never knew there was a removable filter you had to wash. It's possible I had one as well at my old apartment, but the dishwasher there never had an issue so I never thought about it. I was able to remove the filter easily, and I'll soak it in vinegar and try rinse aid on all cycles moving forward. Lyn Never, the link you provided definitely makes sense—it seems like the residue gets stuck on plastics only.

I do use a liquid detergent currently, actually—Cascade 3X, I believe is the name of it.

I suspect the water here is hard—not entirely sure how to tell, but that might be contributing to it.
posted by dubious_dude at 12:33 PM on October 15

Yes, the residue in your dishwasher is probably from hard water. Rinse aid helps.
posted by Jeanne at 12:41 PM on October 15 [2 favorites]

I have had similar occasional issues with my gas stove as well; our super inspected it thoroughly and determined that the area around the pilot light and the place where the flames come out just has a tendancy to get grime and stuff clogging it up, and that keeps it from lighting. I have made cleaning those bits of my stove burners a regular part of my weekly cleaning routine and that's been keeping it in check.

"Cleaning" just involves scrubbing the unlit stove with a slightly scrubby sponge; scrubbing at the part where the flames would come out.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:47 PM on October 15

If the filter was plugged up, I'd recommend giving the dishwasher a clean as well. There can also be built-up gunk inside the spray arms and the various pipes inside the machine that can prevent it from functioning well. Since it sounds like hard water is an issue, vinegar should help. Put a couple cups of vinegar in a measuring cup or something else that will sit upright in the bottom rack (so put it in such that the vinegar is contained in the vessel, it will come out over the cycle). Run the hottest, longest cycle.

You can also buy special dishwasher cleaner or use citric acid powder in place of detergent to clean it, but usually a round of vinegar or two is enough. It doesn't hurt to run another empty cycle with detergent as well afterwards if you aren't satisfied.

If you continue to have issues, you might want to try another detergent. Some are better than others.

For the stove, seconding buying a stick lighter. Yes, it's a good idea to get the igniters fixed, but using a lighter to light a gas stove is not a big deal and it's good to have one on hand. Ignitors fail over time. You can also get a rechargeable electric lighter than makes a spark if you prefer, which is basically the same thing as your stove ignitor, just portable. This is a no-flame option, though a lighter is very safe too.
posted by ssg at 12:49 PM on October 15 [1 favorite]

For your dishwasher, I’d recommend watching this video from the Technology Connections YouTube channel. It covers several ways to improve the function of your dishwasher. You can see which ones might be useful to you and implement them; they’re all cheap to free solutions.
posted by bluloo at 1:18 PM on October 15

Chalky white detergent leaves chalky white residue. Try using liquid/gel dishwashing detergent instead of powder or pods. Cascade gel is the best I've found in terms of not leaving visible residue (although, like all detergents I've tried, it does leave a fragrance that unfortunately permeates plastic and silicone).
posted by nouvelle-personne at 1:23 PM on October 15 [1 favorite]

For the stove, sometimes the burner caps get misaligned and prevents the igniter from connecting with the gas. A little bit of jiggling or turning to re-seat them on the burner might fix it. This video shows clearly how to do it, as well as a few of the other suggestions people have made upthread. These are all things I'd feel comfortable showing a young teen how to do.

If you're not comfortable with the suggestion to use a spaghetti stick to light the burners (don't use a paper towel!), using a pilot lighter is very, very common.
posted by cocoagirl at 1:31 PM on October 15

I have one gas burner on my stove that only lights if I lightly blow towards it when holding down the ignition. I think this just helps with the gas/oxygen mix at the point of ignition, but might be a simple thing to try.
posted by knapah at 1:48 PM on October 15

Mostly re-iterating what others have said:

1. I'm pretty good with fixing my own stuff. We keep a grill lighter in the drawer beside the stove for those moments when it just doesn't work. If it's the sort of gas range top with the movable burner tops (little metal things that are integral to the burner itself), sometimes those need re-seating, and sometimes the hole that lets gas escape to the igniter is clogged, and needs cleaning out with a toothpick.

But, yeah: I grew up with my grandmother lighting her gas stove with strike anywhere matches, and a grill/stick lighter is your friend and good to have in the kitchen.

2. Clean out your dishwasher filter. Every time.
posted by straw at 1:59 PM on October 15

Call maintenance about the stove. Not just for safety, but because gas stoves are not complicated and you shouldn't be bogged down with trash for appliances. Why would burners get clogged while you're on vacation? Make them come out for everything, the squeaky wheel gets the new dishwasher.
posted by rhizome at 2:03 PM on October 15

For the dishwasher, I don't know how standard this is but ours has a reservoir for 'dishwasher salt', which helps with hard water. Apparently, the machine adds this as needed without any action from my side - except refilling it when it goes empty after several months/years.

When ours ran out, our dishes started getting these spots, but refilling the reservoir fixed that easily.
posted by demi-octopus at 2:27 PM on October 15

For the dishwasher, make sure you are using the longest, hottest cycle. Don't use a cycle which is short, cold or eco.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 2:31 PM on October 15

Going forward: do you know for sure how to start a clicky gas stove that is functioning properly? I think (but not sure) you should be able to feel the clicks that most of us hear. It would be good to know for sure what kind of starter it uses and how it's supposed to work normally. The clicky ones use a piezo electric device to make a spark, and they are much more common than the pilot light system in stuff under stoves under 20 years old.
posted by SaltySalticid at 3:52 PM on October 15

When folks above mentioned citric acid for the dishwasher, be aware that Lemi-shine is the same thing (but with added scents and stuff). It's available nearly everywhere (Target, WalMart, etc.)

If your water is bonkers, or your dishwasher has been cruelly maltreated by prior tenants (as seems to be the case) note that you can use it as a pre-rinse -- many dishwashers have a little divot to hold it, so it gets released prior to the detergent arriving on-scene.

If yours doesn't have a divot, just sprinkle some in the bottom.

If you use a dishwasher cleaner (these are typically single-use items filled with a variety of caustic chemicals, with a wax cap to keep them inside) note that they want to be used ALONE in an empty dishwasher that's running at the highest temperature it can manage. They work pretty well, IME. I use one once every year or two.
posted by aramaic at 5:12 PM on October 15

[Also, if you're worried about irritating maintenance people, slide 'em a twenty or something, especially if they're unusually prompt or whatever.]
posted by aramaic at 5:15 PM on October 15