Dishwasher tripped RCD and not draining

Adam anto · 31-01-2016 08:28PM #1

Hi all,

Can I borrow somebodies brain?
Yesterday the dishwasher tripped the RCD (not the MCB before it). I reset it and tried the dishwasher again but it tripped again.
I read up about it and resulting from that I tried it again to see if I could spot at what stage in the wash cycle the trip went. When I tried it, it made similar to the usual noises but not changing. After a couple of minutes I opened it to have a look and there was no water running through the washer. I checked the salt container and it was full of water.
Does this mean the drain pump is stuck? I read somewhere that I can disconnect the drain hose and inspect the pump for a blockage. Would this be the way to go. If I do disconnect this will all the remaining water in the dishwasher spill out?

Any advice very welcome..

Thanks
AA

31-01-2016 08:44PM

What make & model is it? The salt container full of water is normal so not the problem.
As there was no water running through, was the inside dry? (as in there was no pool of water in the bottom) it could be the water inlet that is blocked.

Adam anto · 31-01-2016 10:53PM

Hi dolanbaker,

Thanks for the reply. Sorry for my late reply..
It's an Electrolux ESL6225.
Yes, you are spot on in what you are saying. There was water in the salt container but the bottom of the washer was completely dry. I took out the thing for catching the food and stuck my hand in the hole and there was no water there either.

Did I read somewhere that the inlet valve can be fixed and has to be replaced?

Thanks again..

Adam anto · 01-02-2016 01:39PM

Thought I would add what I found out today...
I took out the washer and took off the front and rear lower panels to see inside the bottom of the washer. There was quiet a lot of water gathered at the bottom which had activated the flood switch (years ago I disabled the audible sound for some reason that I can't recall now). I turn on the audible alarm and sure enough I heard 3 beeps (flood alarm warning).. Progress, I think...

I drained what I could from the bottom by tilting it and putting cloths on the ground to catch any water. This freed the flood switch..
I then ran a wash to see what would happen. I knew by the sound of the washer that all was not right and sure enough it still wasn't getting any water.
I disconnected the water mains and check that..OK..
I measured the resistance of the inlet coil.. 3.6k ??????
I put on a cycle and measured the voltage at the coil terminals.. 0v
(To measure the voltage I just pulled the terminals off enough to get a meter probe in there without disconnecting the supply to the coil)

Could I be right in saying that if the original problem was the RCD tripping that there might be an electrical problem? Are there any internal fuses on these?
Thanks again..

Off to the day job for a while, going to continue this this evening hopefully..

The Red Ace · 01-02-2016 08:48PM

check the top back right hand side to see if a hose has pulled loose that's causing the leak

Adam anto · 01-02-2016 09:15PM

The Red Ace wrote: »

check the top back right hand side to see if a hose has pulled loose that's causing the leak

Hi,
Thanks for the reply. I check that hose and it's connected to a roundish white thing. It all seems to be connected correctly..

Thanks

Adam anto · 01-02-2016 11:22PM

OK, still not working but found out that..

The drain pump is working.. Before things went wrong the drain seemed to work for about 10 seconds and then switches to the wash.
What's happening now is the drain pump keeps going for about 30 seconds then it stops for a few second and then starts again.. I put water into the bottom of the washer to make sure the drain was working, and it was..
So, the washer is not switching to the wash cycle at any point. I didn't want to leave it on too long cos I was worried about the drain pump working with no water running through it..
I had a meter on the inlet valve and it never showed any voltage. I checked the float switch and that was not engaged. (I did a continuity check between points either side of the float switch.)
When I unplugged the inlet valve 'live wire' and started the washer it gave me the flood warning beeps, not sure if that makes any difference at all...

That's it.. I'm stuck now. Any ideas or should I be looking at a new one. This one is about 8 year old now..

Thanks again..
AA

The Red Ace · 02-02-2016 02:30PM

the aeroboard float is still activated causing the pump to run on , when you have this dried out and refill the machine you need to trace the leak and stop it

Adam anto · 03-02-2016 01:30PM

The Red Ace wrote: »

the aeroboard float is still activated causing the pump to run on , when you have this dried out and refill the machine you need to trace the leak and stop it

Thanks Re Ace for the suggestion. I did as you suggested. No water at the float switch and you can hear it click when you lift it a bit so I presume that's ok.
I filled the washer with water manually and could not see any leaking at all. When I ran it it drained the water it had in it and kept on draining, stops for a few seconds then drains (or tries to) again for another while and then give the 2 beep warning for Siphon blocked or daring hose not correctly laid. Took off the drain hoes and checked it.. OK... I held the drain hose in the exact position it;s meant to be in but still no change.
What makes a dishwasher switch for drain to inlet pump?

Thanks
AA

The Red Ace · 03-02-2016 10:17PM

if its overfilling due to a faulty flow meter it will also pump out if the volume/level is too much

Adam anto · 06-02-2016 09:25AM

The Red Ace wrote: »

if its overfilling due to a faulty flow meter it will also pump out if the volume/level is too much

Thanks for the reply.
It's not filling at all but still pumping out, even when empty.. Hugely confused..

The Red Ace · 07-02-2016 08:19PM

two bleeps according to their manual indicates blockage/syphoning, is the end of the waste hose higher than the normal water the machine fills to? the fact that the machine originally tripped due to a leak it may be picking up a false neutral causing the pump to run on, give the pumps a dry out with a hairdryer to eliminate any dampness remaining and reset the programme by holding the start button for 4/5 secs, otherwise you will probably need a tech to get it sorted

thebeeb · 07-02-2016 09:02PM

Whats the PNC and serial number of this dishwasher please? How old is the dishwasher

Adam anto · 11-02-2016 01:05AM

Hi,

Thanks for the advice. Had to get a new one as the novelty of doing dishes wore thin very quickly.. The old one was actually 10 years old, not 8 as I mentioned before so it was probably going to be going soon anyway..

Thanks again

bmm · 11-02-2016 05:26PM

My Bosch is still going after 16 years. Never replaced a part or had a service. Used every second day. Just good luck i s'pose .

Dishwasher tripped RCD and not draining

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