Bosch 800 junction box failure

[cny4]

I have a Bosch 800 series dishwasher that was installed in August of 2020, it was a last year model without the CrystalDry. It was also about half price of a current model. I noticed last night that there was water in the bottom while I was loading it. I attempted to power it on to empty the water out, but it would not power up. Long story short I opened the junction box to see if a wire was loose and discovered there had been a small fire in it and some of the wires were burned. I remember hearing about the recalls up until about 2015, but I though this was a thing of the past. Has anyone else had this happen with a newer Bosch dishwasher? The unit is still under factory warranty, and I bought the extended warranty, but the appliance store's service center appointment number is not open on the weekend so I have not arranged for them to fix it yet. Do you think I should not get another junction box and get a cord installed and then install an outlet under the sink and plug into that?

 

[combo52]

Burned Wires In The Junction Box

Normally when the DW was installed the installer connects the house wiring to the DWs wiring, so if this failed it is most likely the installers fault and may not be even covered by the DWs warranty or the service contract, Who installed the DW.

 

If you post a good picture of the burned connection it would be easier to figure out why it failed.

 

Installing a cord and plugging it into an outlet will only give you another potential problem area because the outlet and its connections may fail and burn.

 

John L.

 

[whitewhiskers]

The wires inside the box were either never fully tightened down or through thermal expansion and contraction something became loose. Aluminum wiring will do that.
I never used the box that came with my Bosch as there's an outlet under my kitchen sink. Bosch sells a direct cord for such installs. In my area it's also common to have a split switched outlet under the sink for a garbage disposal to plug into. Most people install their dishwasher with whatever the local plumbing and electrical codes require. People will argue that using an outlet allows for quick power disconnects for service. But I suspect that the only time most dishwashers get unplugged is when a new one is installed.
It does seem like the junction box approach reduces the chances of electrical connections overheating. But if things aren't tightened down or work loose all advantages are lost. I'm sorry this happened to your appliance and hope you get it resolved quickly and safely.

 

[DADoES]

 
Not a primary factor or a factor at all to 99.999% of users, but connecting with a cord and outlet allows use of a Kill-a-Watt to check power consumption, which isn't possible with a direct-wired connection.

 

[cny4]

So I decided rather than wait (and hand wash dishes} to call and then get a service appointment, that I would just fix it myself. I converted over to a plug and just plugged it into the outlet for the garbage disposal. I just need to figure out if I can get just one outlet connected to the switch to use the disposal and one left live for the dishwasher like DADoES said. Everything is already there, what needs to be done to get the switch to operate one outlet? Right now the switch turns both outlets on and off. The disposal will remain unplugged and used as needed until I figure out how to split switch the outlet or install a second live outlet with the wiring that went to the Bosch junction box.

 

[keith]

Split outlet

On the sides of the receptacle there’s metal tabs that bridge the upper and lower screw post together. Knocking out the tabs will electrically separate the top and bottom outlet and allow you to wire the switch to one, and a constant power to the other.

 

[steved]

Break tab

That will work if the power is supplied to the outlet first. Sometimes they run the power to the switch box first, which makes this option unworkable. I used the break tab method in my own dishwasher installation as my previous disposer was a batch feed model.
I would just wire an outlet to the previous Bosch junction box and be done with it. I believe code requires a GFI outlet. Just be sure to mount it on the wall or cabinet side to keep any water out of it.

 

[keith]

Unless I read his post wrong He indicated he already had constant power (wired to the DW now) so he just needs to run that feed over to the outlet.

 

[combo52]

Burned Wires In A DW Junction Box

All that is needed is to fix the burned wires, shorten and reconnect, I do this repair several times a month on DWs, electric dryers etc.

 

If done properly it is safer than a plug under the sink, many people keep their paper and plastic bag collections under the sink and if the plug and outlet start to fail and burn that is much more hazardous than a wire connection failing under a DW in a metal junction box.

 

John L.