KitchenAid Dishwasher Rinse Aid Clogged w/ Detergent

Problem Possible Cause What to do Dishwasher will not start. No power. Ensure the dishwasher is plugged in and the power supply is turned on at the wall. The door is not properly closed. Close the door. Start/Pause button has not been pressed. Press the Start/Pause button . Water tap not turned on. Ensure water is connected and turned on. Blocked strainer in water inlet hose. Check the strainer and clean if necessary-it is located where the water inlet hose screws into the tap. Keylock is activated. Cancel Keylock by pressing and holding until the keylock indicator goes out. Lower spray arm rotates with difficulty. Spray arm holes are blocked by small items or food particles. Clean the spray arm. See 'Care and cleaning' for instructions. Cover of detergent dispenser cannot be closed. Detergent compartment has been overfilled. Remove detergent until the cover can be closed. Detergent dispenser is clogged with remnants of detergent. Wipe dispenser out with a damp cloth. Dry the dispenser before adding detergent. Remnants of detergent stuck inside dispenser. Compartment was damp when filled with detergent. Wipe dispenser out with a damp cloth. Dry the dispenser before adding detergent. Buttons beep and do not respond. Keylock is activated. Cancel Keylock by pressing and holding until the keylock indicator goes out. Water remains inside dishwasher after wash has ended. Drain hose is crimped, bent, or blocked. Check the drain hose and straighten if needed. Pump is jammed. Call your Fisher & Paykel Authorised Service Centre or Customer Care. Filter(s) blocked. Clean the filter(s). See 'Care and cleaning' for instructions. Foaming. Incorrect amount or type of detergent used. See section 'Adding detergent' or consult the detergent manufacturer's instructions. Too much egg in the wash load. Increase the amount of detergent. Rinse aid dosage level too high. Decrease the rinse aid dosage. Rinse aid spills not wiped up. Ensure that all rinse aid spills are wiped up when they occur. Water tap not turned on. Ensure water is connected and turned on. The dishwasher stops suddenly during the wash. Power or water supply has been interrupted. Check the power and water supplies. Knocking or rattling sound during wash. Spray arm knocking against dishes. Pause the wash and rearrange dishes. See sections 'CH and CHP models - Controls and starting a wash' or 'CK models - Controls and starting a wash', and 'Loading'. Dishes have been stacked incorrectly. Unclean dishes. Wash programme unsuitable for load. See section 'Wash programmes and detergent quantities' and select a suitable programme. Soils were too heavily baked on. Dishes may need soaking. Spray arm(s) unable to rotate. Ensure no items are obstructing the spray arm path. Dishwasher overloaded or incorrectly loaded. See the 'Loading' section. The filters are incorrectly inserted. See section 'Care and cleaning'. Detergent put in the wrong compartment. See sections 'Wash programmes and detergent quantities' and 'Adding detergent'. Excessive food not removed from dishes before loading. Scrape all food scraps off dishes before loading. Unsuitable detergent. Only use powdered or tablet detergent designed for domestic dishwashers. Not enough detergent. See 'Wash programmes and detergent quantities' for recommended quantities. You may need to adjust these to suit your particular load and the hardness of your water supply. Spray arm holes are blocked. Clean the spray arm(s). See 'Care and cleaning' for instructions. The filters are blocked. Clean the filters. See 'Care and cleaning' for instructions. Plastic items are discoloured (e.g. stain left by tomato sauce). Not enough detergent, not pre-rinsed. Pre-rinse plastic dishes before placing in the dishwasher and/or add more detergent. Alternatively, using the Rinse programme after adding dishes may minimise staining. Display flashing while Keylock is on. This is normal. The display remains on although the buttons are disabled. No action required. White stains are left on dishes; glasses have a milky appearance. Not enough detergent. See section 'Wash programmes and detergent quantities' for recommended quantities. You may need to adjust these to suit the hardness of your water supply. Rinse aid dosage too low. Increase rinse aid dosage. See 'Using rinse aid'. Dishes, cutlery have not dried. Rinse aid dosage too low. Increase rinse aid dosage. See 'Using rinse aid'. Items removed too soon. After the end of the wash programme, leave the door ajar and wait for several minutes to help drying. Rinse aid dispenser empty. (The rinse aid indicators are lit.) Add rinse aid. See section 'Using rinse aid' for instructions. Glasses have dull appearance. Rinse aid dosage too low. Increase rinse aid dosage. See 'Using rinse aid'. Tea stains or traces of lipstick have not been completely removed. Not enough detergent. See section 'Wash programmes and detergent quantities' for recommended quantities. You may need to adjust these to suit your particular load. Wash temperature too low. Select a wash programme with a higher temperature (see section 'Wash programme data' for information). Traces of rust on cutlery. Cutlery is not sufficiently rustproof. Wash by hand. Glasses clouded and discoloured; milky coating Hard water situation. Increase detergent quantities. Glasses are not dishwasher proof. Wash by hand. Water marks left on glasses and cutlery. Rinse aid level or dosage setting is too low. Ensure there is rinse aid in dispenser. If necessary, increase the rinse aid setting or try using a wash programme with a higher temperature. See sections 'Using rinse aid' and 'Wash programme data'.

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The top light is apparently to indicate that the salt (!) has run out.

The bottom light is apparently to indicate that rinse aid has run out.

For the record, that seems to be a Zanussi DE-6854 dishwasher, and I found the manual here: (link)


"Special salt can be added in one of two ways: 1) If you are using dishwasher detergent that already contains salt, the detergent including the salt is placed in the detergent compartment. - In this case the water softener must manually be set to 1 and electronically to 1 to ensure that the special salt is taken from the detergent container only. 2) If you are using dishwasher detergent and salt separately, the special salt is to be put into the salt container. - In this case the water softener must manually be set to 1 or 2 and electronically between 1 and 5 (depending on the water hardness in your area) to ensure that the special salt is taken from the salt container only. Only use salt specifically designed for use in dishwashers. All other types of salt not specifically designed for use in a dishwasher, especially table salt, will damage the water softener. Only fill with salt just before starting one of the washing programmes. This will prevent any grains of salt or salty water, which may have been spilt, remaining on the bottom of the machine for any period of time, which may cause corrosion." (Page 6)

"Only use branded rinse aid for dishwashers. Never fill the rinse aid dispenser with any other substances (e.g. dishwasher cleaning agent, liquid detergent). This would damage the appliance." (Page 7)

The manual also explains how to turn the Rinse Aid light off permanently if you do not wish to use rinse aid.



Good luck!

The top light is apparently to indicate that the salt (!) has run out.

The bottom light is apparently to indicate that rinse aid has run out.

For the record, that seems to be a Zanussi DE-6854 dishwasher, and I found the manual here: (link)


"Special salt can be added in one of two ways: 1) If you are using dishwasher detergent that already contains salt, the detergent including the salt is placed in the detergent compartment. - In this case the water softener must manually be set to 1 and electronically to 1 to ensure that the special salt is taken from the detergent container only. 2) If you are using dishwasher detergent and salt separately, the special salt is to be put into the salt container. - In this case the water softener must manually be set to 1 or 2 and electronically between 1 and 5 (depending on the water hardness in your area) to ensure that the special salt is taken from the salt container only. Only use salt specifically designed for use in
dishwashers. All other types of salt not specifically designed for use in a dishwasher, especially table salt, will damage the water
softener. Only fill with salt just before starting one of the washing
programmes. This will prevent any grains of salt or salty water, which
may have been spilt, remaining on the bottom of the machine for any period of time, which may cause corrosion." (Page 6)

"Only use branded rinse aid for dishwashers. Never fill the rinse
aid dispenser with any other substances (e.g. dishwasher
cleaning agent, liquid detergent). This would damage the
appliance." (Page 7)

The manual also explains how to turn the Rinse Aid light off permanently if you do not wish to use rinse aid.



Good luck!

Do a very hot water clean up with detergent.

The packets usually have detergent and rinse aid together, built in. If you also have liquid rinse aid in the automatic dispenser, you are getting a double dose, and that is causing the film. Use standard dishwasher detergent until the automatic rinse aid dispenser is empty, or at least turn the pointer indicator (located by the rinse agent filler) to the lowest setting possible to help somewhat.

Instructions Things You'll Need:

• Vinegar or lemon juice
• Gel dishwasher detergent

1. dishwashers have a rinse aid dispenser. If your dishwasher has this dispenser, fill it up periodically and it will release the appropriate amount of rinse aid automatically at the right time during the wash cycle. This will help your dishes rinse more cleanly.
2. Rinse aid in solid form
   Some older dishwashers or basic models do not have an automatic rinse aid dispenser. In this case, you can buy rinse aid in solid form that attaches to your dishwasher rack. Solid rinse aid can be hard to find in stores because it is not commonly used, but it can be purchased online.
   
3. Vinegar or lemon juice
   Appliance repairmen will tell you that one of the common problems they see with dishwashers is the buildup of excess detergent. If there is too much detergent in your dishwasher, your dishes will not rinse cleanly, no matter how good the dishwasher is or how much rinse aid you use. To clean the excess detergent that has built up inside your dishwasher, put 3 tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice (concentrate is fine) in the empty dishwasher and run the dishwasher through a complete cycle with no dishes. Do this twice, for two complete cycles of the empty dishwasher with only vinegar or lemon juice added. The acid in the vinegar or lemon juice will break up the detergent that has built up in your dishwasher's interior.
   
   After you have cleaned the detergent buildup from the inside of your dishwasher, follow the steps below to keep the buildup from happening again and to help your dishes rinse cleanly and prevent residue from accumulating on the dishes.
   
4. Gel dishwasher detergent
   Switch to a liquid or gel dishwasher detergent. Any brand will do.
   
5. Fill one compartment half full Dishwashers will effectively clean dishes with much less detergent than manufacturers often recommend. The bleach in the detergent, combined with the extremely hot water used in the dishwasher wash cycle, will clean and sanitize your dishes completely, even in small amounts, and using less detergent helps prevent buildup and residue from accumulating on your clean dishes.
   
   Fill only one detergent compartment(the one that snaps closed) half full with gel detergent. Snap the opening closed and run your dishwasher as you normally would. Your dishes will come out sparkling clean with no buildup or residue, plus you'll save money by using less detergent!
   

I did the same thing with my Maytag dishwasher, several times actually, before realizing I was putting blue dish soap in the rinse aid compartment which then wouldn't empty. Then my Maytag started making ominous noises during the rinse cycle (appliance guy said it was "cavitation" noise).

Appliance guy wanted to replace the whole detergent/rinse aid compartment but since he told me the noise was probably caused by the dish soap stuck in the rinse aid compartment, I decided to try to get rid of it first. Here is the method that worked for me; it took most of a day but saved me parts & labor:

1. Get some white vinegar--I used nearly a quart.
2. Fill the rinse aid compartment to brim with the vinegar (overfill) but don't put cap on
3. Raise the dishwasher door slowly until the vinegar drains into the lower part of the chamber (at least this is how my Maytag worked)
4. Agitate the contents as best you can by rapidly shaking the dishwasher door up & down.
5. I also used a small plastic medicine dropper jammed into small openings on each side of the rinse aid compartment to agitate the vinegar by squeezing air into them.
6. Drain the compartment by closing the dishwasher door (move it to full vertical)--vinegar will drain into the bottom of the dishwasher.
7. Repeat above steps a couple times, then fill again w/vinegar, put the cap on and let it stand for awhile. Then drain and repeat the whole routine several times.
8. Blue-colored vinegar will come out which is a good sign (or whatever color your dish soap was).
9. After awhile, I started pouring generous amts of very hot tap water thru the rinse aid compartment, alternating with white vinegar. (No reason you can't use hot vinegar also.)
10. Eventually, all the blue stuff came out & the see-thru levels of the rinse aid compartment were completely clear/empty.
11. Run the dishwasher (I decided to not put any rinse aid in). I got some overfoaming (from the washed out soap) the first time I ran it which I probably could have remedied by adding more vinegar & possibly salt, but the noises were gone!
I just ran the cleaned out dishwasher a 2nd time & it was back to its quiet self with no overfoaming.

Takes some patience but hey, beats a big repair bill!!

Check the following:
1. Is the overfill protection float able to move up and down
freely? Press down to release.
2. Be sure the water supply is turned on to the dishwasher.

3. Check for suds in the dishwasher. If foam or suds are
detected by the dishwasher sensing system, the
dishwasher may not operate properly or may not fill with
water.
Suds can come from:
1. Using the incorrect type of detergent, such as
laundry detergent, hand soap, or dish detergent for
hand washing dishes.
2. Forgetting to replace the rinse aid dispenser cap
after filling (or refilling) the rinse aid, or spilling rinse aid into the tub (rinse aid causes suds to occur).
3. Using an excessive amount of dishwasher detergent.

not good there is no way to drain it out. you might be able to take the door apart and take off the rinse aid reservoir and clean it out