KitchenAid Dishwasher Repair

Gritty dishes are usually the filter or the spray arm, not the pump. Our water runs 16 to 28 grains here, which is very hard, so the little holes in the spray arms scale shut and the arm stops reaching the top rack. Standing water in the bottom is a drain problem, often the air gap (the little cap next to the faucet) or a kinked hose under the sink.

KitchenAid dishwashers are some of the best machines Whirlpool builds. They have stainless tubs, better insulation and they run really quiet. That quiet has a downside when something's wrong. A failing circulation pump (the pump that sprays the water) is much harder to hear than on a cheaper dishwasher. So the first sign is usually dirty dishes, not noise, and people blame the soap or how they loaded it. The filter and spray arms cost nothing to check and cause a lot of those complaints, so check them first. The drain pump and the door latch cover most of the rest. A bad latch explains plenty of "dead" dishwashers, because none of these will start unless they can tell the door is shut. The parts are Whirlpool parts, so they show up in days, not weeks.

• Guide · Dishwasher Cove Dishwasher Repair: What Goes Wrong and What Fixes It Cove dishwasher repair: not draining, not cleaning or won't start? What usually fails on them in Arizona, the check worth doing first, and when to call. Read the guide →
• Maintenance · Dishwasher Dishwasher maintenance schedule Monthly: Pull the bottom filter and rinse it. For most dirty-dishes and smell complaints, that's all it takes. 3 jobs worth doing in all. See the schedule →