The Dishwasher’s Age

The age of your dishwasher can tell you quite a lot. If your machine is more than ten years old, it may be time to consider upgrading. This is especially true if your dishwasher is a lower-end model.

Often, older models of dishwashers just aren’t as efficient. Upgrading to a newer machine can save you quite a lot of money in the long run, as you’ll experience a dramatic decrease in both your electric bill and your water bill. This ten-year cut-off is fairly arbitrary, however, and is also quite dependent on how well you maintain your dishwasher, as well as how well you clean it. It can be a good rule of thumb to use for assessment.

Your Dishwasher is Developing Rust

While a few small specs of rust on the dishwasher’s external parts may not mean that you need to replace it immediately, if you notice rust on any of its internal workings, you’ll want to upgrade it as soon as you can.

Rust is a clear sign that you have a water leak or another serious internal issue with the machine. It could also mean that areas of the finish have eroded, exposing the metal underneath which is now beginning to rust. It could also mean that tiny specs of rust could find their way onto your clean dishes.

However, in some cases, you could just be seeing leftover rust from a cycle where something on your dishes contaminated the surface. This is especially true if you own rusty pots and pans. To check to be sure it is your dishwasher, add a bit of citric acid to an empty cycle and then run the dishwasher, to see if the issue resolves itself. For readers in the Fleet or surrounding areas see ‘kitchen appliances in Fleet‘.

Water Stays in the Machine After a Cycle

You should never see water standing in the dishwasher after the machine has finished its cycle. It could always be possible that a small amount of water has pooled up inside a dish in your dishwasher and then overflowed, leaving your other dishes wet. This is fairly common.

However, what you don’t want to see is water pooling in the bottom of the dishwasher. This may mean that your dishwasher drain has clogged and the water is no longer exiting correctly. There may be a tiny amount of food creating a blockage in the drain. This is easy to prevent, and also easy to fix.

If there is not a small food blockage, then you may have an issue with the drain itself. This will mean that you need to call a plumber, and you may need to replace the entire unit.

The Door Will Not Lock

If your dishwasher doesn’t latch or lock, you may have to have your dishwasher repaired or replaced. This is because the machine cannot operate if the door isn’t securely latched. The latch protects you from water leaking out of the machine.

Depending on the model and brand of the dishwasher that you have, this may be a very easy fix. If it’s a fairly new machine, a broken latch might even still be under warranty. If your dishwasher is older, however, you may find that it’s tough to source the parts needed for repairs.

Before you buy another dishwasher, it’s worth checking whether you can fix your existing one. However, if your dishwasher is older, it may be a better idea to simply upgrade to a more efficient machine.