Whirlpool Dishwasher Repair

Under the lower spray arm of most recent Whirlpool dishwashers sit two filters the owner is expected to clean: a flat upper screen and a cylindrical lower filter that twists out. Older Whirlpools used a self-cleaning design with a hard-food grinder, so plenty of people moved from one to the other without anyone telling them the rules had changed. That single detail explains a large number of service calls.

A neglected filter shows up as grit on glasses, film on plates, a sour smell when the door opens and water sitting in the sump after the cycle. It also makes the drain pump work harder. Rinse both filters under warm water with a soft brush, wipe out the sump and clear the spray arm holes. On Tampa Bay water, mineral scale on the arms and a white film on dishes often join the list.

Behind the kick panel, the layout is straightforward. The spray arms are powered by a wash motor, draining is handled by its own small pump, an inlet valve lets water in, and an element under the lower rack heats the water and dries the load. A drain pump can jam on a sliver of glass or a bone chip. A wash motor that only hums usually has debris at the impeller or has failed outright.

Other repeat faults are electrical. If the door latch or its switch doesn't engage, the control never starts the cycle, and the dishwasher simply sits there. A failed heating element leaves loads damp and cool at the end. Before booking, look below the sink for a pinched drain hose, and if a new garbage disposer went in recently, make sure the knockout plug on its dishwasher inlet was removed.

We test the drain pump, wash motor, heater and inlet valve, check the latch and switches, and look for leaks at the pump seals and door. When we find a filter packed solid, we also check whether the pump took damage from it. Pumps, motors, latches and heaters are worth replacing. A failed control board on an older entry-level model is close to replacement cost, and we'll say so.