Somebody Help Me...Stinky dishwasher

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HI <span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> <a name="startPOSTER_38869.33"></a>Tomturbomatic  I understand what you are saying...I have not given up on the dishwaher,  I gave up on the smell of dirty dishes,  I have hooked it up in the laundry room....I just can't keep having all my dishes stink....I have ran the dishes through the new dishwasher and no smell what so ever.  I hate the way it loads  esp after having the miele...it is going from the top of the line to the bottom.....I hate the plastic tub, but all the google post seem to have the trouble with stainless, I read about chemical reaction between water and chemicals and stainless.  I just need to keep focused and working on this...I hooked the Miele to both hot and cold water, same result, I have used all the rinse aid with all different setting....I keep trying and open to more things to try, the miele repair man has been here 3 times, took the entire thing apart.  I truly don't know  what to do.</span></span>
 
rinseaid

I have tried the rinse aid, I have tried the rinse aid at all levels, I have used just white vinegar in the, I have tried all the brands.  The Miele Tech did check that as well...he had mention that that is why for a month I used the white vinegar...same results....someone else mention the sewer gas, have connected it all different ways....to the airgap, to the disposal, I even let it drain in a big bucket for a week to see if it would change it....
 
It is quite possible that it was only that machine.

If it had been me, I would have requested a replacement machine from Miele. You did say that your Miele was relatively new and clearly still under warranty. In fact, after three service calls, that would have been the next step for me. Stainless steel is the least likely material to react to dishwashing chemicals and either generate or retain odors. As I've said before and based on the info you've provided, it is quite possible that something didn't go quite right during the manufacturing process of you machine. You also said that you didn't have this issue from word go, but that it occurred two to three months after you began using it. You may also have to wait a while with your replacement dishwasher before this problem manifests.
 
My midline Bosch dishwasher used to have an off smell. I found it started happening when Costco's Kirkland detergent switched from a chlorinated phosphated to a non-chlorinated enzyme type of phosphated detergent. I switched to Cascade enzyme/phosphated and the problem went away.

Occasionally when an odor happens I'll check the filter and find that it is a bit on the dirty side (usually some sort of slime).

It's possible that there is something wrong with the dishwasher - the rinse cycle should be removing all traces of detergent/soil. Sometimes objects in the dishwasher can block the spin of the wash arms that would impede washing and rinsing efficiency. It's always a good idea to check the wash arms after loading to make sure they can spin freely.
 
Do you use "Rinse & Hold"?

I don't use the cold rinse option to rinse the partial load, because I noticed that it left my Bosch machine smelly until the wash cycle was started in the evening.

Extremely dirty stuff gets rinsed under the cold tap, then placed in the machine. An AutoSuperwash cycle gets run 99.99% of the time, and everything comes out fine.
 
KUDS22

Steve I would like to talk with you more about that.  I have emailed from my [email protected] email. 

 

I didn't see another way to contact you.

 

I returned the Whirlpool, it was junk didn't clean and hated loading it.  I still have the Miele hooked up in the laudry room trying different things.  The repairman came on Friday, pulled the pump and it is spotless.  He is says in the 17 years he has been doing this...this is the first one he can't figure out....He says my machine is perfect and that it isn't the machine.  I don't know about that.  I had the Stainless KitchenAid for 2 years and it never ever smelled (just went through 3 control boards)

 

I bought a used KUDS23 from a older couple that are remodeling and it is working very well.  However I am very interested in talking with you about yours.

 

Thanks AJ

 

 

 

 
 
Might it be the rubber door seal/gasket or even the adhesive for the gasket? I have always thought Miele DW smelled a little funny when I've viewed them at the store. If it isn't water stagnating or hidden food particle buildup somewhere, then it has to be something else. Check out the door seal...
 
plumbing and door seal

I had a plumber come and it was installed correctly with high loop to the disposal.  I said is there anything else we can do to make sure this isn't the problem, he installed an "AirGap"it is a funny looking thing that I had to pay a granite guy to drill a hole in the granite that the dishwasher drains into, it drains up then down.  No Change. 

 

The door seal is clean and doesn't seem to have a smell.

 

It is never the dishwasher that has the odor, it always what I take out, you can smell it on the load of dishes as they cool inside the machine, like if you open the door when it done, grab a glass no smell, then wait 5 mins so you can handle them they begin to smell....same with dinner plates...very odd. 

 

I have not had any issues with the New (old) kitchen aid KUDS23, before the Miele I had the Stainless Kitchen never had a smell, had it for 2 years...just replaced control boards (3 of them) before that when I moved in the builder installed a plastic tub GE Profile, never smelled just didn't clean.
 
burned by heating element?

Shouldn't imagine so. I think Miele machines now use hidden "through flow" heaters.

Could the smell be caused by production processes on the plastic components? I have experienced in the distant past, an odour like mothballs (naphthalene) from some UK manufactured vacuum cleaners.
 
I think it has been discovered....

I have left the machine hooked in the laundry room to the cold water and have been bring the dishes to it.  I notice the smell in the new (old ) KitchenAid......I damn near had a stroke.  It is the hot water heater, it is 6 years old and something called anode is going.  I had a plumber here today.  He said yes that is what causing the "fishy" smell....I explained that it is only in the dishwasher, he said that is common just one area.  I am so glad to have figured it out and I am very happy that all of you helped me.  Thanks for all the ideas....
 
Great news!

I was confident that it couldn't be the dishwasher. Most dishwashers in Australia are hooked up to cold water and the machine heats it to the selected temperature. Saying that I have mine connected to hot water, but I have a high efficiency gas flow through heater, therefore there is no tank. I have never experienced any smell whether connected to cold or hot.
I think the problem too is that now because of being more environmentally friendly, hot water systems are set below 140 degrees which could lead to these problems as the water is not hot enough to prevent bacterial growth in the tank.
 
That's interesting to learn that the odor was caused by the hot water heater. I can't say we've ever noticed that problem with any of our hot water heaters. I know the anode was completely gone in our old one when it began to leak out the bottom. We keep our water heater running fairly hot, so perhaps that makes a difference.

In any event, it must be a relief to finally know the reason why.
 
I should have known

This is an all too common problem with water heaters under many water conditions. This smell is caused by a chemical reaction between the water and the sacrificial anode rod. This happens to prevent the chemical reaction from degrading the lining of the tank or it's metal fittings. The most common result is water that smell like sewer gas, rotten eggs, or sour fish. The remedy is to have an anode installed that is made of an alternate material.
 
If it is the hot water causing the odour then why can you not smell it when the water is running at a faucet or when taking a shower - why is it only affecting the dishwasher? I get my water from a well and it sometimes has a sulphur odour which I can detect at every faucet.

Gary
 
Wow, so I was looking around the site and came across this old thread.. I've had this problem with my old Bosch and my current Miele LaPerla. I'm going to check out my water heater - I would be ecstatic if this fixed this particular issue with my machine - dishes coming out smelling like fish!

I've tried everything else up to this point.. I know that the machine is clean, I know it's not a drain issue, I've tried different detergents, different rinse aids, even a phosphate detergent that I found online.
 
Before you have the plumber come out, read my reply #28 above. If your heater uses a magnesium anode, see if you can have the plumber substitute an aluminum one. That often solves the problem. Also make sure that the water heater is set to 140F because of the bacteria mentioned in the article I posted. Best of luck.
 
Wow!

I just read through this entire post. I'm exhausted.........

I knew it was a long one and as I paged down and it kept getting more mysterious only to find out it was the hot water heater......

WOW.........that's kind of freaky & odd that it only smells in the dishwasher.........I keep mine set at 140
 

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