Thursday, May 16, 2019

Suds in Dishwasher

As a seasoned appliance repair engineer in Boise I see many different problems with appliances.  Some are difficult to identify because there many things need to be looked at – aside from potential faulty components.  In this appliance repair service call an intermittent water leak was the problem.  When I say intermittent I mean about 3 months ion between occurrences.
In the first visit the dishwasher was cycled numerous times and inspected fully.  No leaks were evident – not one drop.  The second “leaking dishwasher” call was three months later at the same house.  After inspecting for water leaks and cycling the dishwasher repeatedly no leaks were found.  We then looked inside dishwasher and saw detergent SUDS.  These suds were still evident inside dishwasher after numerous test cycles without adding dishwasher detergent.
Detergent suds are cause by one thing and one thing only – the addition of the wrong type of soap, liquid or handsoap, into the tub.  This can be caused by cross contamination such as soaking pots and pans in the sink with liquid soap and then putting them into the dishwasher.
Suds cause water leaks by seeping out the door and through the float switch orifice.