Electrical Connection Autumn 2015

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with David Herres
restore operation, it is necessary to go a
little deeper. Check the water temperature
and pressure. At the inlet there could be a
strainer, which may be cleaned by blowing
out in the reverse direction.
Check the timer to see whether one of
the functions is not operating.
The entire timer is often bad. In this
case, with power disconnected, remove
the timer and shift one wire at a time
over to the replacement timer, being
certain to hook the power supply and all
terminations correctly.
These connections are usually of the
spade push-on variety, which makes the
changeover easy. Use needle-nose pliers.
Most dishwashers are prevented from
overfilling by a float switch. If the float is
stuck in the up position, water will not flow
and everything comes to a halt. Usually,
repair consists of cleaning debris from
around the float.
Another possibility is that the float
switch has failed electrically. With power
disconnected, the switch can be checked
with an ohmmeter, working the float up
and down manually.
The heating element could be burnt out,
or it may not have voltage at the terminals.
Check it with the multimeter.
Most dishwashers have a water pump
under the sprayer arms, and the parts may
need to be cleaned. Worn O-rings and seals
are easy to replace. The sprayer arms have
holes that may be clogged by debris or
mineral deposits. They are easily cleaned
using a sharpened hardwood dowel.
Some problems are more elusive and
may be specific to an individual make
or model. It is usually possible to get a
schematic and service information from
the internet.
Appliance technicians are a talkative
lot, and online forums are fertile ground.
You should be able to type in an exact
description of the problem and find an
answer in an existing archive or when an
eager participant jumps in.
YouTube videos are excellent sources of
information for tough repairs.
If it all comes down to the circuit board,
that can be a bit of a problem. Prices vary
widely. If you replace an expensive circuit
board and the machine fails to work
because you missed something simple, it
may take some time to restore your image
– but a lesson will have been learnt.
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