My dishwasher turns on, and the main wash dispenser opens up. But, the detergent (electrasol 3in1 tab) does not dissolve. The dishes are not even wet, or clean when the cycle is complete.

QUESTION: I just moved into a new apartment. The dishwasher is running normal but when it completes the wash cycle, my dishes are not clean and the detergent tablet is still there. The dishwasher is not dissolving the tablet. Maybe a little bit but about 80% of it is still there. I believe it gets hot water and runs normally. The apartment management said to use dishwasher cleaning tablets and not the powder soap. What can I do to try and get the tablet to dissolve? Any help you can provide would be great!

ANSWER: If your dishwasher hot water temperature is below 110F/115F, then it may not be hot enough to dissolve certain brands of detergent tablets. Be sure the water is HOT before you run the dishwasher. Run the hot water in the sink until it is very hot, then immediately run the dishwasher. Run the dishwasher on the longest, hottest cycle it has.
Also check that the spring opening action of the detergent dispenser door is working properly. If the detergent dispenser is too small a big detergent tablet may not be letting it open correctly. It may be jamming up the door. Try using a liquid or gel dish washing detergent if this is the case. There are many high quality liquid and gel dishwasher detergents on the market today. Liquid Cascade seems to be the best so give that a try. A powdered detergent will work too. Use a rinsing aid also as this will help remove spots even when the tablet may not be dissolving properly.
KEEP THE DISHWASHER DETERGENT DISPENSER CLEAN

If you are in an apartment, then most likely you do not have a high quality dishwasher. Knowing this, the dishwasher needs all the assistance it can get with the hottest water possible. You also need to be sure your dishwasher is clean at the bottom (removable strainer filter) where the pump and bottom washer arm is located. Be sure that it is clean and has hot water and this will be the best method to dissolve tablets. If you must use tablets, you can break them in half in the sink first. Place them in the dispenser and the hot water should make it easier to dissolve since the tablet is not as large.
You also need to be sure there is enough water for the pump to actually pump the water. To check this, start the dishwasher. Once you hear it running, open the dishwasher and be sure there is hot water and enough of it. If there is not much water in the dishwasher it may not be getting much water to the pump. When you open the door while it is running, check the water level at the bottom of the washer. If there is not much water at the bottom, then it may not be getting enough water to clean dishes and dissolve the tablet. Clean the filter at the bottom of the dishwasher to help the pump get the water more efficiently.
DISHWASHER PARTS IDENTIFICATION
If all else fails, you may have an old worn out dishwasher. The pump may be bad. Possibly your water heater is set to low. Your water heater should be set right around 120F. This will ensure that your dishwasher is getting the correct water temperature to effectively clean dishes and dissolve the tablet. If in an apartment, let the management know you are having this issue and they SHOULD resolve it.
Do you know of another way to assist a dishwasher to dissolve a detergent tablet? Please leave a comment below.

could be a few things, could be the spray arms aren't turning and washing the soap out more likely tho is it isn't heating properly as this is the main thing that dissolves the soap and washes the dishes, are the dishes hot when you open the dishwasher?

If your sprayer arms are clear, you will want to check these things.
The upper arm attaches to a tube in the back of the dishwasher. If the support clamps come loose, the upper spray tube will not be flush with the tube and can't carry water to the sprayer arms.
Also, make sure your water temperature is hot enough to dissolve your detergent. It should be 140 degrees.
Finally, make sure your detergent is fresh. If it is several months old, it might have become affected by humidity and will not dissolve.
I hope this helps. If it does, please come back to Fixya and rate my answer

assuming you are using the correct dishwasher detergent type and quantity recommended for the dishwasher, the likely cause for detergent not dissolving is that the water is not circulating well enough through the wash arm. Check the wash arms are clean. Do dishes come out clean? Run the dishwasher with a cup correct side up on the top rack. If it is empty at end of wash then there is no water in the top arm.

Is the detergent dispenser door open during wash cycle?
Also lack of adequate wash water template can cause detergent to remain undesolved. Hope this helps.

First of all, don't pre-rinse the dishes. Check the water temperature, it should be between 120 and 140 degrees. Be sure you are not partially blocking the dispenser door so that it isn't opening.

Do this test:
-Upgrade to a name brand detergent like Cascade or Electrosol.
-Do not over fill the dispenser cup
-Do not place large items near the door/near the dispenser cup.
-Make certain that both spray arms can spin freely after you load the dishwasher but before you close the door to begin the wash.
Please report back what you find, OK?

Make certain that there are no apparent obstructions between water and detergent. If no obstructions and the detergent dispenser and spray arms are operable, then the detergent should dissolve during wash. Otherwise, try using a different kind and amount of detergent (e.g.: powder vs. gel or gel vs. powder, and less detergent). If still clumping, contact an appliance service company.

I believe that the instructions for using these 3-in-1 tablets is to place it in the open dish detergent cup, rather than in the closable compartment, since the tablet needs to get doused by a lot of water in oder to fully dissolve and be effective in getting the dishes clean.

Since the tablets are designed to dissolve more slowly, they are able to be used for the entire range of washing cycles. If it's a constant problem and you don's have an open detergent cup below or next to your closed detergent dispenser, just toss it into the bottom of the dishwasher instead.

The reason that the tablet isn't getting dissolved fully is because the door is preventing the tablet from dropping all the way out and the door is shielding the tablet from quite a bit of water spray.

Another option is to take a look at your owners manual for the dishwasher and see if they recommend these all-in-one tablets versus regular powered detergent and liquid rinse aid.

Hope that helps and best regards!

Either your dishwasher is not getting the water hot enough to dissolve the powder, or you need to switch brands. Try a liquid/gel type of dishwasher detergent.
Try stopping the washer a few minutes after you start a wash cycle. Open the door -- if there is a lot of steam coming out at you, it's not the water temperature. If there is no steam, your dishwasher is not getting hot water and/or the heating coil is not working.

that sounds crazy but hears some suggestions you must have real hard water for that tab- not to dissolve hear is a crazy question is the water coming in to the d/w hot enough or even hot at all i had cases where i found that the d/w was hooked up to cold water