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From: R Kannan on 18 Mar 2007 17:11
Hi,

I have a GE under-the-counter dishwasher (Model GSD3620). Suddenly, it
stopped working. When I turn it on, I can hear water spraying for a short
time and then it turns the water off. I believe that the water is not
getting drained in the tub (I can see when I open the dishwasher) and so
the it shuts off the water to prevent flooding.

I drained the water in the tub using a wet vacuum and cleaned up the drain
as much as I could. Then I took out the other end of the plastic drain pipe
which connects to the garbage disposal and tried snaking it through. It
does nor seem to be clogged.

Is there anything else I can try before replacing the dishwasher? Would it
make sense to get a plumber to fix it?

TIA for any help.
From: TKM on 18 Mar 2007 22:29

"R Kannan" <rkannan(a)nospam.peoplepc.com> wrote in message
news:lWhLh.8351$yW.5172(a)newssvr11.news.prodigy.net...
> Hi,
>
> I have a GE under-the-counter dishwasher (Model GSD3620). Suddenly, it
> stopped working. When I turn it on, I can hear water spraying for a short
> time and then it turns the water off. I believe that the water is not
> getting drained in the tub (I can see when I open the dishwasher) and so
> the it shuts off the water to prevent flooding.
>
> I drained the water in the tub using a wet vacuum and cleaned up the drain
> as much as I could. Then I took out the other end of the plastic drain
> pipe
> which connects to the garbage disposal and tried snaking it through. It
> does nor seem to be clogged.
>
> Is there anything else I can try before replacing the dishwasher? Would it
> make sense to get a plumber to fix it?
>
> TIA for any help.

Your information indicates that the dishwasher has power and tries to start
its cycle, but then stops. So, it could be a faulty timer/control, bad
water sensor or perhaps even a faulty motor which doesn't start after the
tub fills. There are simple electrical checks you might make; but don't
unless you are comfortable with electrical wiring and, of course, turn off
the power before opening the panel underneath the dishwasher.

How old is the dishwasher? If it's just a few years old it's probably worth
fixing since parts are still available and it is still in overall good
condition (I assume your dishwasher is no longer under warranty). For
repairs, my experience is that it's better to find a service company that
specializes in GE rather than ask a plumber who may not be familiar with the
make and likely won't stock the needed parts.

My rule with appliances is that two or three repairs/service calls after
warranty are O.K. After that, it's replacement time.

TKM


From: R Kannan on 19 Mar 2007 19:53
Thanks for taking the time to respond. See my responses to your questions
below:

TKM wrote:
>
>
> Your information indicates that the dishwasher has power and tries to
> start
> its cycle, but then stops. So, it could be a faulty timer/control, bad
> water sensor or perhaps even a faulty motor which doesn't start after the
> tub fills. There are simple electrical checks you might make; but don't
> unless you are comfortable with electrical wiring and, of course, turn
> off the power before opening the panel underneath the dishwasher.

After reading up on the subject, it looks like the problem is with a plastic
cone assembly which directs dirty water out of the dishwasher. I am not
sure where it is located.

The washer starts off spraying water on the dishes but stops in a couple of
minutes. The dial keeps turning as it goes through rinse / dry cycles
without any more water coming in. The heating element seems to work fine
and we are using the dishwasher as a 'dishdryer':-(

When I opened up the dishwasher, I found it had 1.5-2in of water in the tub.
I pumped out the water and cleaned up the sump at the right rear as much as
I could. There does not seem to be any clogging in the drain pipe. There is
a cylindrical plastic cap at the front left of the tub which may be the
plastic cone assembly that I understand can go bad and cause drainage
problems. But I am not sure if it is.
>
> How old is the dishwasher? If it's just a few years old it's probably
> worth fixing since parts are still available and it is still in overall
> good
> condition (I assume your dishwasher is no longer under warranty). For
> repairs, my experience is that it's better to find a service company that
> specializes in GE rather than ask a plumber who may not be familiar with
> the make and likely won't stock the needed parts.
>
> My rule with appliances is that two or three repairs/service calls after
> warranty are O.K. After that, it's replacement time.

The dishwasher is about 9 years old and has NOT been repaired anytime. May
be it is time to replace it.
>
> TKM

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