Frigidaire Dishwasher OrbitClean Spray Arm Issue

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Sorry to hear about your damaged floor

Luckily, it didn't result in a fire,

As an appliance professional tech I would recommend never using imitation parts unless you can't get anything else for your particular Appliance.

Amazon is not a good place to buy appliance parts. They're usually imitations

John L
 
John L

Fortunately, since I caught the dishwasher leaking at just the right time, the floor damage is VERY minor. Normally, I can't even see the warped spots unless I'm looking for them. If all that water sat on the floor overnight, well....

Anyway, since I did the switcheroo, the DW has been working great. However, it's too bad you can't buy the blue, spinning piece by itself anywhere. An OEM OrbitClean spray arm costs around $50, even on Amazon. And this is just for the arm itself. The arm support and drain filter are separate parts.

https://a.co/d/5FwXSpd
 
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Basic Frigidaire Arm

Well, 16 long days later, the basic spray arm arrived from Amazon. It was literally shipped in a plastic Electrolux bag, with a USPS label slapped on. The arm was delivered in a parcel locker.

This basic arm is colored blue, instead of silver/white like in the product photo. But the thing is, the DW has still been working great ever since the switcheroo took place. I noticed that some dishes that were run through last night (on "Power Plus") still had one or two stuck-on food stains, but they came out significantly cleaner than they did with the original OrbitClean piece.

Now, the question is, should I return the basic arm, or hold onto it in case the generic OrbitClean piece fails?

niclonnic-2025020514473907474_1.jpg
 
Frigidaire dishwasher lower wash arm

They have substituted the dark blue arm, I would just keep that one if it works well enough hopefully you'll get some more years out of the dishwasher. The main motor is the other weak point in these dishwashers. We've changed them pretty frequently although most people just opt for a different dishwasher because it's fairly expensive repair.

John L
 
Update - OEM Lower Spray Arm Ordered

I decided to come back to this thread with a status update. Even with the Frankenstein lower spray arm (OEM gray piece paired with a generic orbital blue part), our dishwasher has still been going strong after 5 months of near-nightly usage. However, these days, when I go to unload the dishes, I notice that the arm is almost always pointing east, regardless of whichever cycle I use. I'm not sure exactly what's causing this to happen. The other day, I spun the orbital piece by hand to try and correct this, but it didn't even last a day.

So, the other day, I clicked the Amazon link to the OEM spray arm, and found that it was 53% off for the low, low price of $26! That was a steal, so I went ahead and ordered it. It arrived today via FedEx in a large, but VERY well-protected box. This arm was the genuine article, arriving in an Electrolux bag.

Once I installed this new arm, the first thing I noticed was how much more stable it was compared to the last one. My original theory was correct; these OrbitClean arms do indeed become imbalanced over time, leading to inadequate cleaning. The old arm became very wobbly, even with the generic orbital piece installed. Looks like I've got this whole "pointing east after a cycle" issue sorted out.

Just like with the generic arm, I ran the DW on "rinse only" to test out the new OEM arm. I could hear a significantly more pronounced "swishing" noise compared to the generic arm. I'm satisifed thus far, so I'm going to run the DW like normal and give a status update later on.

On a side note, I checked Amazon today, and the price of the OEM arm jumped to $46. As a result, I am SO GLAD to have purchased this at such a steep discount.
 

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niclonnic said:
A closer look...

So today, I informed my dad about this issue, and I removed the spray arm so we could take a closer look at it. He found out about two things. First, the metal on the bottom of the OrbitClean end had split apart, so it's grinding against the plastic on the arm.

Second, the blue plastic has partially melted. With these two issues figured out, he deduced that the spray arm is not actually spraying out of the tips, and is instead spewing water in no particular direction, like a hose that hasn't been fully attached to a sprinkler. This is what actually contributed to the arm either turning slowly or getting stuck in one spot.

When I suggested we replace the OrbitClean arm with the traditional one, my dad rejected that idea, asking "Why change the racecar's formula?" (Apparently, this is an idiom meaning to make a substantial change to something.) So he himself ordered a new OrbitClean arm from Amazon; it'll be here in a couple days.

Who knew that a split OrbitClean end resulted in such poor washing performance? It pays to take a closer look at some things. But that's OK, we have no clue just how long the spray arm has been doing this for. Once the traditional arm arrives, I might just send it back.

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Click to expand...
To your Dad, because that race keeps blowing it's engine.
 
You can have that goofy dishwasher and its piss-poor plastic orbital spray gizmo.
I'd have tossed that stink'n thing out for garbage day pickup.

I'll stick with my reliable old Kitchenaid with metal spray arms.
 
phillymatt53 said:
You can have that goofy dishwasher and its piss-poor plastic orbital spray gizmo.
I'd have tossed that stink'n thing out for garbage day pickup.

I'll stick with my reliable old Kitchenaid with metal spray arms.
Click to expand...
When I shopped for my Dishwasher in 2021, I was dismayed they all had plastic spray arms. And I wonder how long Frigidaire Obitual arm would last and if it made a difference in cleaning since all others were simple arms excerpt for LG's which had a pivoting nozzle on one end of its four arms, Quadwash. system
 
Too many appliances made these days all seem to have goofy designs that look like some high school kid dreamed it up.
Overly complex controls, confusing cycles, weird mechanical assemblies, cheap plastic parts.
What the hell kind of junk is consumers being handed these days?
 
Status Update

The new, OEM, OrbitClean arm has been working flawlessly nearly two months later. Although I could have held onto the conventional, dark blue spray arm and used that, I ended up returning it, unopened, a week later. Since I pre-rinse all dishes, it does not matter what type of spray arm a dishwasher has. To me, a DW is more of a dish sanitizer.

Fortunately, this arm does have metal on the bottom of the orbital end. This reduces the chances of the plastic melting if it comes into contact with the heating element.

I checked online, and around late 2020, Frigidaire produced a dishwasher that features TWO OrbitClean arms. In addition to the lower one, the middle arm has an orbital end. In my mind, this translates to another part that can potentially fail, in addition to the lower arm.

Even today, Frigidaire makes ONE model that still has the orbital arm. I, too, am baffled as to why appliances have "goofy" designs which don't work that great in reality.

 
While it’s certainly not the best design, it’s easy to see why they make the orbit clean arm it cleans better, especially in the corners

Reply number 41 the fact that your pre-rinsing dishes proves you don’t know how to use a dishwasher, start putting the dishes in dirty, use the high temp wash option, add a little bit of liquid or powder detergent on the door in addition to a high-quality pod in the dispenser and this Frigidaire dishwasher will get everything spotlessly clean without pre-rinsing.

Like any piece of mechanical equipment you have to learn to use it to the best advantage so that it suits your needs.

John L
 
gelaundry4ever said:
finish ultimate

Well, I've been using Finish Ultimate since late 2023 and I've found they've done better than Cascade in my dishwasher. They're bigger than the quantum tabs. At least that's what I've noticed. They do leave a pleasant scent behind.
Click to expand...
Do you believe they are better than Quantum tabs. I been using them since last year as BJs switch from carrying Finish Powerpods to them.
 

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