1955 Kenmore DW Pressure Switch

[classiccaprice]

Hey Fellas,

Last night, I ran my D&M built 1955 Kenmore portable dishwasher and noticed a decent amount of water on the kitchen floor. Today, I discovered the source of the leak... the pressure switch... I was hoping it was from the hose going to it, but it appears to be coming from the switch itself. Any ideas on A) if I can repair it? It still works fine, but it appears to have been leaking for awhile and it's just recently picked up OR B) where on earth I can find a replacement?

I thought I'd have a part number in my manual, but it just gives the name of the part.

Thanks fellas. Pics to follow.

 

[classiccaprice]

Looks fine on this side....

 

[classiccaprice]

And not so much...

 

[customline]

Try this.......

Will, there is an adjustment screw on the switch. Go to your manual and it should tell you how many turns and how high the water level should be when you check it. In the meantime I'll check if my '57 Westinghouse has the same switch in case you need it.

 

[turquoisedude]

Will this may sound crazy, but was there ever a clamp (probably one of those wretched 'corbin' clamps) around the hose where it attaches to the pressure switch? The rust pattern seen on the switch body would suggest that a leak may be from the area where the hose attaches to the switch. A small gear clamp should solve any leaks here.

 

[kb0nes]

To me looks as if the steel housing is perforated by rust, I don't see evidence of a hose leak. And the hose show no deformation from a clamp ever being there. If the steel is rusted through you may be able to seal it with some RTV or epoxy etc to buy a little time while you try to locate a replacement.

As for clamps the Corbin style spring clamp is really the more reliable type, although the modern flat cross section design is much better then the old round wire style. With a spring clamp the clamping pressure remains constant even if the hose material cold flows out from under the clamp. Worm gear clamps don't do this so they loosen and leak, this is the major reason you don't see worm gear clamps on cars today. Of course for us DIYers the worm drive clamps are handy as you don't have to have the exact size to get it to work!

 

[classiccaprice]

Thanks fellas.

You are correct, Phil. I took it off and carefully blew a little air into it to find bubbles coming out in the middle of that rusty section. The steel housing is indeed perforated with rust. I'll try to patch it as you suggest.

Kevin, if you have a spare, I'm interested! Thank you for looking!

 

[classiccaprice]

Well the part has been patched for now and I'll replace it on the machine tonight. Hopefully, it will hold for a while. Since it's rusting from the inside out, its days are numbered.

Kevin, if you, or anyone else for that matter, have a decent spare I am interested. Thank you again for looking!

 

[turquoisedude]

Will, I may have an intact dome from a dead pressure switch... I'm out of town at the moment, but when I get back to Ogden, I'll go digging in the garage and let you know.

 

[classiccaprice]

Thanks Paul!