# the dishwasher won't drain anymore (due to broken glass?)



## wiley0714 (Dec 9, 2009)

seriously? a 26 year old dishwasher. i would buy a new one. this is crazy..


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## diy'er on LI (Jul 6, 2009)

thanks for your advice. extremely helpful.

If we had an extra grand to plunk down for a good dishwasher right now we'd obviously already have one. We're remodeling our home bit by bit and have extended ourselves as far as we can go w/o accumulating credit card debt. Ergo, we either hand wash for a few months (family of 4, not fun to clean all of those dishes), or try to fix the bad boy and use it until the spring.

And we don't want to spend $500 on a mediocre machine just to get by.... We want to buy once and that's it.

I'm just wondering if anyone thinks it's something major (motor = handwash city) or if it could be something smaller (drain clog?) that we could fix, and would bluntly make our christmas eve night much more pleasurable becuase we wouldn't have to scrub half the night away.


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## Jacques (Jul 9, 2008)

need to post model & serial #. if the unit is dead [no sound-no light, etc] you probably lost power, either at the electrical panel, under d/w,door latch, etc....if it was jammed it would still do something ie; fill with water, make humming sound,etc......if you can save this d/w you'll be better off. there's no comparison on the market today, they just look prettier.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

It may be on its own outlet or circuit? It didn't trip a breaker did it? Does the panel light up or it make any noise at all when you try to power it on? Does it have its own reset button or reset switch hiding somewhere?

You do have to clear the drain somehow and obviously be careful if dealing with broken glass. You may have glass stuck in the impellers of the pump too? You might see if a wet vac would help? 

If you have fried the pump/motor? It really is probably not worth fixing or replacing on a machine so old although I do agree you will be hard pressed to find a replacement that will last as long as yours has.

You have done well to get so many years out of a dishwasher that it sounds like you use a lot. Given its age I wouldn't sink a lot of money into fixing it though. I would bite the bullet and get a cheapie to hold you until your remodeling catches up and includes the kitchen and the dishwasher you want? Donate it to Habitat for Humanity ReStore when done with it? Of course it is not money you want to spend right now but buying parts and all for something so old is probably not justified if you can even get them?


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## wiley0714 (Dec 9, 2009)

*check*

Check to see if it drains to/thru a garbage disposal?

Use an allen wrench on the bottom of the disposer to ensure the grinder is not jammed and also hit the red reset button on the disposer. 

Other than that you can look at the hose line and see if any possible obstructions exists.


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## Han'D' (Apr 7, 2009)

A good dishwasher costs $150 if one is in a pinch. Of course with a family of four it would seem to me you have 'four' dishwashers...I'm just sayin'. We haven't used a [dishwasher] in 10 plus years. Extra storage!:laughing:


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## diy'er on LI (Jul 6, 2009)

no garbage disposal.... (actually, I suspect they're not as common here on LI as elsewhere in the US). 

we tried the wetvac thing. After a bit more tinkering, I think the motor died. So upset. 

Well, we're forced to wash dishes. We're actually 3 dishwashers (the one year old said he's striking :laughing We're going to have to invest in gloves for the short term, and for the long term, will depend upon creative financing (looking for a 0% interest offer for a few months :wink for a new one in a few months or so.

thanks for your help. I wish this messy adventure had a better outcome... sigh.


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