New Dishwasher Install - Standing Water

zrooster99

I just installed a dishwasher in my kitchen. I've used it a few times, and every time it's done there is water standing in bottom of the dishwasher... give it a couple days and it starts stinking! So... I did something wrong! At first I thought it had something to do w/the drain line not going high enough under the sink, so I moved the drain line further up the wall... no luck.

What else might I have done wrong?? Is it possible that it could be caused by the dishwasher not being perfectly level? Or, the drain line, it's probably 3 feet too long... could it just need trimmed? What else could I have screwed up to cause this?? Thanks!!!

gregzoll

Did you take the knockout out of the garbage disposal like it should before hooking up the line? How much water are we talking? A cupful, or so much that the bottom has at least a gallon or more in it?

Post a picture that is not a very close up Macro shot (taken so that the "big" picture can be gathered), so that the drain line can be seen how it runs inside the cabinet.

j dorgan

if the dishwasher drains into the disposal make sure that your disposal is empty. I have had the same problem

zrooster99

Just an update... the Whirlpool repairman came today to check it out. Said all of the plumbing is fine, but also everything seems to be working fine w/the dishwasher. He's ordering me a new pump, but doesn't seem to confident that will fix the problem.

Jacques

that's what's wrong with warranty service today; you either have a problem or you don't. if you do there's no reason the servicer shouldn't be able to figure it out after checking unit. why throw parts at it. this only aggravates consumers-multiple service trips, yadda-yadda..the factory techs are under so much pressure to complete jobs that they tend to hit and run. if it's a contract tech he's being paid a pittence so he's not got a lot of interest. hope someday these manf wise up and get back to really caring if the problems solved. that's a big reason you see blog after blog on why people are so disappointed in their appliances. back in the day;when you had all mom & pop appl' dealers they would scream to the factory if their cust weren't being satisfied. now it's just move product. put guys on the street with little training, run them all over town,and tell them they have to hit a certain # or lose their job.--that's service???

HGRB1

zrooster,

this may be a bit after the fact, but did you install your own garbage disposal unit? If so, how long after the installation did you notice your dishwasher challenges?

I'm asking this because, if this other dishwasher is recently installed, then it's not likely to have a motor problem.

I tend to go with gregzoll on that.

So, previous to your dishwasher challenges, was a garbage disposal unit installed?

zrooster99

No garbage disposal at all...

This guy actually seemed to care about what he was doing. I tend to agree w/you guys though... the odds the this is a motor problem just doesn't seem logical. That being said, he said the plumbing and everything else checked out.

zrooster99

Update... new pump was installed, and actually worked the first couple times... no water on the first couple loads. But, now it's worse

Here's how things went... when he replaced the pump and ran the dishwasher, he had the dishwasher pulled entirely out from underneath the countertop. Before he left, he shoved it underneath the counter, but didn't secure it and didn't bring it to the correct height (meaning there was about a 3/4" gap in between the bottom of the countertop and the top of the dishwasher.) At this point I ran the dishwasher, and again it came out fine, no water in the bottom. A day later, I adjusted the dishwasher to the correct height, and secured it to the neighboring cabinets... the next load through (with dishes in there, this time!) had water in the bottom... more than before!

So this sequence of events isolates two potential problem areas... the problem could have something to do with dishes being in there, or something to do with the installation. They are scheduled to come back on Monday, this time I'm going to have them install and level it (shouldn't they do that anyways?!)

drtbk4ever

I am no expert, but I wonder if the dishwasher is out of level or the drain hose might be pinched after you adjusted it.

I don't even know if these things even matter to a dishwasher, but thought I would throw it out there.

__________________
Bill

A DIY Noob that knows just enough to be dangerous.

Jacques

i agree with drtb--the drain hose must not be routed properly. pretty hard to pinch those plastic hoses but i guess anythings possible. this was a real common problem when they used rubber drain hoses and the installer routed the hose the wrong way and pinched it off when they slid unit into opening...you can easily tell-fill tub 1st cycle then hit cancel if water dribbles out instead of fast stream you've found the problem area.

zrooster99

So they sent a new dishwasher guy this time... same company, new guy. He ran his test on it four times, and said it came out dry every time (he showed me the last time, and I'm fairly confident it was dry.) I asked if he saw how full of water it was when it started, and he said he did but didn't know why it was like that. He said to call if it did it again, and left.

Before leaving for work, I put a few dishes in there and kicked it back on... when I got home, it was worse than ever! I've run another load of dishes through since, same thing, just as bad. So the repairman is coming out again Saturday. Arrrgh!!

Oh, as far as the line being pinched... I can see the entire route of the line from underneath, and it's definitely not pinched. Furthermore, I've inspected the line looking for any signs of it being pinched, and there are none. Lastly, both repairmen inspected the line and my plumbing. It just doesn't make sense!!

gmhammes

Are you blocking the drain in the dishwasher with a bowl or dish or something. Obviously it wouldn't happen when the repair man ran a "dry load". can you try running a "dry load" as well to see if that could be the issue?

Just a thought...

Any pictures of the line? The line itself could be fine but maybe once installed back pinches the line 90 degrees therfore blocking the drainage.

The situation just seems like it should be more simple than it is.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Jacques

is water clear looking.?. cancel the cycle-to remove any water-turn water supply to d/w off. you may have a valve in d/w that's allowing water to dribble in. if no water is in tub next day-that's your problem..you didn't have a torch on valve [under d/w] when you hooked everything up??

re-reading your posts i see it goes directly into gooseneck under sink[no disposal] you may have a siphon problem, although the new d/w usually come with built in check valves. you didn't post brand & model#.

Yoyizit

I thought the water is supposed to be there to prevent the seals from drying out.

Dunno' about the stink. We run ours every day.

zrooster99

The water is clear looking at first, but very cloudy and stinky after about half a day. Would that suggest that a problem with drainage instead of fresh water leaking in? It is a Whirlpool IUD9500WX2.

I really should try a dry run sometime... I've always had the impression that the issue had something to do with there being dishes in there... that being said, I'm sure there isn't a bowl or something blocking the drain.

I don't think it's a kinked line issue either, since the problem occurs whether the dishwasher is completely pulled out of it's space, or pushed back in. The line moves freely in between the sink drain and the dishwasher if I unsecure it.

Tonight I'll do a dry run, and stop it at the end of a cycle (not sure how to tell when a cycle is done?) and see what I find.

Thanks!