Dishlex Dishwasher Won't Fill with water

[gnfnrs_gnr]

Hi All,

I have a 80's Dishlex dishwasher (Glendale Deluxe) based on the Smeg design. Last week it wouldn't fill with water. It would only let in a very small amount (3-4 litres). So I replaced the water inlet valve with a known working replacement from a previously parted out machine. This didn't fix the issue. I tested all modes and the only mode the inlet would open briefly was the ' rapid wash' cycle.

I prodded the pressure switch and its vacuum hose with my hands and then the machine started filling. I then replaced the pressure switch with another second hand part (thinking the pressure switch was on it's way out) and the machine functioned perfectly fine for about 8 cycles across the last four days. Dishes came out piping hot and spotless. This included putting a cleaning cycle through it with the Finish dishwasher cleaner solution.

Tonight, the machine is exhibiting the same problem as previous. Letting in a small amount of water and not filling. It's going about its full cycle with barely any water. So with no float mechanism, inlet valve working, pressure switch working, good pressure from water supply and inlet hose all fine, would could be the problem?

Thanks

 

[gizmo]

Have you checked the strainer on the inlet hose? Maybe blocked?

 

Another thought - the pressure switch hose - the rubber or plastic hose to the pressure switch - check it is clean inside and the fitting it connects to isn't blocked. A bit of greasy muck in the pressure switch hose can block it at times, preventing the pressure switch from resetting. (so the programmer thinks the water level is already full.)

 

Other than that - timer fault? mice eaten wiring?

 

[brisnat81]

Hi, I second what Chris is saying, from memory the pressure switch hose connects to a clear plastic chamber. Check that the chamber is clean and that you can blow through the hose.

Have you run water through the inlet hose while its disconnected from the fill valve, that would confirm that there are no kinks and that the strainer at the tap end is fine.

One final thought, you haven't changed the layout of the drain hose recently have you? I'm assuming its the standard Ausie hookup and connected to a drain nipple on the sink trap, but if it goes through the floor, or has been re-arranged recently try and put it back the way it was. In some circumstances water can syphon out.

 

[gnfnrs_gnr]

Thanks for the responses.

It is currently working fine again.

I checked the inlet hose strainer from the wall - all good
I checked the water flow from the wall without the hose - all good
Orientation of the inlet hose hasn't changed for about a year, since I replaced it for preventative measure. So kink free. Waste water goes to the sink from the top side. This is positioned higher than the machine, however I haven't had any issues with back flow in the seven years I've had it.

It began working again (just like the first time it wouldn't completely fill with water) once I disconnected the pressure switch grey small plastic hose from the (in my case) white plastic chamber (I think it can be referred to as a 'sump') and checked for debris and also debris on the pressure switch side. Pretty clean with no debris in or around the tube. I then reconnected back to the pressure switch after checking the eight or so connectors were okay, then I blew air through the tube with my mouth. The pressure switch audibly clicked and then clicked once air pressure subsided. Then reconnected grey pressure switch tube back to the chamber, engaged the timer and she ran at full water pressure again.

Question. I feel I should clean out that white chamber/sump in which the two large hoses are connected to along with the pressure switch tube. It looks like the machine needs to be put on it's back to do that. Should I do that?
Secondly, possible noob question. If that chamber/sump is filled with water, how does water not get into the pressure hose, rather air?

 

[brisnat81]

The air gets trapped in the pipe that runs to the pressure switch, its that trapped air trips the switch.

Its been about 15 years since I've dug into one of these, so I'd need to see a picture of the hoses to remember what I'm looking at. If you shine a light on the white housing and it looks clean, then its probably ok. If you wanted to check it is clear, put a bowl under it, remove the tube to the pressure switch and then put just enough water into the sum of the machine with a cup until water starts running out. It could flush out any small particles that could be blocking the hose.

You just need to make sure the pressure switch is empty before you put the hose back on though.

 

[gnfnrs_gnr]

Ok so all was going well until the other day. The machine was slightly leaking from underneath. Opened up the bottom panel and thought the bottom door seal was leaking. I took the door apart and replaced the seal from a 500E I had parted out a couple of years ago. Put it back together and still leaked. I prodded the big rubber hose that takes the water from the bottom and into the motor. Split apart on me upon contact. Spent another 60 minutes taking that off and lucky I had a spare from that 500E. All is well.

Then the problem from above occurred upon its first load back in operation. It wasn't filling with enough water again. I stop the cycle with the water still in the tub. Front panel comes off, I take the pressure switch rubber hose off that white part it's connected to. I blow through the tube, I hear the click of the pressure switch and it switching again once pressure subsided. I fit the small pressure tube hose back onto each end. Put it back together and now the machine completely overfilled with water, house's power trips, and I'm calling out to wife for some towels at 1am. I reset the breaker and go to bed.

I leave it until this morning. I engage the last setting of the drying function to engage the pump to pump the water out. I do this three times to get all of the water out of the machine. I hoped because I didn't let the machine run its full cycle, and just piggybacking a new cycle on top of an existing one with water still in the machine, it simply doubled it.

Not the case. The next test run, the inlet valve ran continuously until water started seeping out of the bottom. I switch cycles to drain the water ( 3 times) I take the pictures and that is where I am currently at. Any thoughts on the old girl. I have sentimental attachment to it and want to persist with it, even though it's trying it's best to fail me.

 

[gizmo]

Photo 1 shows a golden colour capacitor on the pressure switch - labelled RIFA. It is absolutely stuffed. Just remove it - they are only for interference suppression (stops it making speckles on the screen of analogue TV, or odd sounds on radio), and they are prone to doing what yours has done.

 

Just remove it and test the dishwasher. If the capacitor has shorted inside, it might be causing the fill problems, providing a current pathway through a short that bypasses the pressure switch. Not sure how likely that is, but it is certainly easy to test.

 

It's a weird place for a capacitor, too. Never seen one on a pressure switch before.

 

[gnfnrs_gnr]

[No message]

 

[gnfnrs_gnr]

Yes I noticed that capacitor looked ordinary. Interestingly, when I replaced the original pressure switch with one from the 500E a few months back, the original one didn't have that capacitor on it. Ok ill cut it off and test it again.

Edit: Wow you're the man, Gizmo. I cut off the capacitor and she is working perfectly now!

I think what happened was, the water spraying everywhere from the main hose breaking, possibly shorting the capacitor in the process. Hence why the next load caused overfilling which has never happened to me before.

Was that cap added by a tech or done in the factory? Like I said earlier, the original pressure switch, which is the same for the next 500E model, did not have it. Looking online, it appears to be a top quality capacitor.

I took a quick video of it in operation. Interestingly that loud bang (which scared me) came from the machine. No idea what that was but didn't seem to effect it.

 

[gnfnrs_gnr]

Yes I noticed that capacitor looked ordinary. Interestingly, when I replaced the original pressure switch with one from the 500E a few months back, the original one didn't have that capacitor on it. Ok ill cut it off and test it again.

Edit: Wow you're the man, Gizmo. I cut off the capacitor and she is working perfectly now!

I think what happened was, the water spraying everywhere from the main hose breaking, possibly shorting the capacitor in the process. Hence why the next load caused overfilling which has never happened to me before.

Was that cap added by a tech or done in the factory? Like I said earlier, the original pressure switch, which is the same for the next 500E model, did not have it. Looking online, it appears to be a top quality capacitor.

I took a quick video of it in operation. Interestingly that loud bang (which scared me) came from the machine. No idea what that was but didn't seem to effect it.

 

[brisnat81]

Those capacitors have a limited lifespan, any product that has them inside and is more than about 20 years old will at some stage release the magic smoke.

I too have never seen one on a pressure switch, they must've been a late in the design addition to help manage RF interference.

 

[gnfnrs_gnr]

Unfortunately the success was short lived. Today after two successful loads and two test runs... it overfilled again - and then undefilled.

Should I change the pressure switch with one on eBay or does the problem lie with that clear chamber the pressure hose is attached to (circled in the pic). If so how does that chamber come off? Would one have to lay it on its back and work on it that way?

 

[gizmo]

Pressure switch tubing

This reminds me of a problem with my Mum's dishwasher way back in the 1990s. It used to trap water in the pressure switch hose, the blob of water trapped in the hose would prevent air passing from the lower air dome to the pressure switch. That made the pressure switch operation unreliable. From vague memory it was fixed with a new pressure switch and pressure switch hose, and cleaning out the plastic air dome. Hers was a different brand of machine to yours.

 

The pressure switch hose must NOT be run in a way that makes it likely for water to get trapped in it. It MUST be run from that white air dome, to as high a point as possible under the dishwasher floor, then down to the pressure switch. If the hose has filled  with water, possibly due to a previous flood, then you need to thoroughly dry out inside the hose. Then it needs to be routed EXACTLY correctly - I can see in your photo 1 in reply 7 that you have the hose not routed through the retaining loop next to the pressure switch. It should be threaded through there, and don't test the machine till you have that front panel back in place. It is important that water can't find its way down the air hose and to the pressure switch. The best way is to keep the pressure switch hose as high as possible, not let it run down to the metal base plate, and it should slope evenly back to the white air dome so that if any water droplets do get in, they can flow downhill back to the air dome, and not get stuck at a low point.

 

It will still need to slope "the wrong way" at the end, where it connects to the pressure switch - that is where the pressure switch is located, nothing you can do about that. From the photo it seems the hose connection on the pressure switch isn't pointing towards that plastic hose retaining loop I mentioned - if you can rotate the pressure switch until it is, that would be better. If it can't be turned then don't worry about it.

 

Also remove the air dome (probably a cow of a job and risks breaking fragile old rubber hose) and thoroughly clean it out. Muck inside might be blocking the air tube connection.

 

Failing that, I'd try another pressure switch.

 

[gnfnrs_gnr]

Thank very much for the detailed response. That makes a lot of sense.

I found water was inside the pressure switch - because I'm a noob I thought that was normal and didn't mention it the first time as the pressure switch has a lot of responsibility placed on it. I thought water pressure was another function.

So with that in mind, when the machine flooded due to the cracked hose, it sent litres water all over the switches and wiring. I think that was the fatal blow. When I posted that video, and I mentioned a loud crack.- that was actually the pressure switch shorting - or one of the many wires to shorting against themselves.

I didn't know that until I put the another pressure switch I had on - after I noticed the existing pressure switch was full of water. Once I installed that and ran it in the position I photographed it in (which I understand now is not ideal because of the water ingest risk) the other pressure switch shorted and house power tripped again.

I think the flooding stuffed it. As Christmas Day with 15 guests at my place is looming and with dishes piling up, I bit the bullet and got a Siemens iq500 for $50. I spent half the day installing it and getting the old girl out.

Fascinating concept that pressure switch - water flows into a container which increases air pressure but somehow isn't designed to send water down the tube but can easily do so - and when it does, stuffs the switch or floods your house. I think your right, and as tough a job to take off that air chamber wouldv'e been that would've fixed it - and a fresh pressure switch, but alas that hose gave way and shorted the machine at the same time.

I'll strip it for parts and maybe one day I'll get a 500E (because of the cool halogen interior light it has).
Keep an eye out for me. But christ have dishwashers evolved since the late 80's, that Siemens is brilliant, but lacks that charm of the old ones. Cheers

 

[gizmo]

Well come on, post a photo of the new one...

 

[gnfnrs_gnr]

I feel bad posting pics of the new one in front of the ol' faithful but here goes.

Unpictured is the Auto leak contraption it has on the inlet hose to the wall- incased hose in a plastic tube and I large solenoid at the end.

The interior design is more considered which allows for more capacity. The bottom mechanical section is a lot slimmer and so allows for that extra tray at the top. Upper basket is adjustable too. It was so quiet I had to check it was running. The machine doesn't do much at the beginning for about 10 minutes. Periodically taking sips of water. I assume it is heating the water up through a heat exchanger.

Another noteworthy thing is how particular it is to have rinse aid levels up. A dedicated indicator on the panel for low levels. The Dishlex absolutely smashed through the rinse aid at all 5 levels of adjustability. I guess the stringent need for efficiency (doing more with less) really pushes the need for the rinse aid in these newer machines.

The machine also waits about 1 minute or two before draining to allow all the water to drip off. While the Dishlex sounded like it was hard at work and immediate on every function, water slamming around the interior, this one is more considered in every way.

If I had the dishwasher in the kitchen, noise of the old one would've prevented me from using it in the first place, rather this Is in the laundry behind a heavy door so I didn't mind - however it reminded me of the early 2000's when my mum replaced her old Asko for a new Asko which was positioned behind your head if you were watching tv and the reduction of noise was immense between the generations.

Anyways Im still running the old Maytag and here's my dryers - the New World one I looked for for ages. It originally was installed in a caravan that travelled Australia in the 60's. The grandson sold it to me - works great. Wished it was the avocado green version it also came in!

 

[aussie-plugs]

New World indeed!

What a fascinating story this has been, although I'm sorry to hear you couldn't keep the Dishlex running.

My mother had a slightly earlier model of that dishwasher. Then Dishlex-SMEG, made in Italy, rather than AU. Bought early 1978 ... about 10 years after buying that very same dryer you're still enjoying.

It's great to see some Australian products on here from time to time (and yes, I know New World was probably an import).

Thanks for posting!

 

[ozzie908]

New world

Looks like a Creda made machine or a clone

 

[vacbear58]

New World

Its a Creda, although it started out life as the Parnall Autodry in around 1967.
Interesting to see the Hoover dryer hinged on the right, over here they were usually hinged on the left