Model #KUDI02FRSS1, this tall tub dishwasher simply went dead during the last wash cycle leaving water in the tub and no lights on the display. The customer checked the circuit breaker making sure the unit still had power, and even verified the electrical connection inside the junction box. Not knowing where else to turn, I was given a call to get this unit washing dishes again.



Dishwashers are pretty simple in their operation and although they can vary greatly in design from one to another, most share some rather common dishwasher part placements. Because of this similarity, as we look for failed components or investigate problems in the unit, we can draw some basic conclusions along the way. The most basic of these comes when given a unit that is no longer working, as we simply need to follow the power through the wiring until it disappears. Where it stops is usually going to be the source of the failure. But even simple problems can be oversimplified, as I will point out in this post.

The dishwasher was indeed not working as indicated by a display with no lights. The symptoms provided by the customer were it was working fine, but stopped when they used it last. There was water in the tub, which should provide us a clue, but nothing else seemed wrong. I verified voltage from the outlet to the junction box, just like the customer, then moved on to the control board.

Most dishwashers will use an electronic control board, or timer to provide for cycle operation. Power enters at the electrical connection, usually near one of the front corners, then flows to the control portion of the appliance. From there, it will go to each component during the wash. With voltage at the junction box, the board was my next check. Following the wiring diagram, voltage goes to a thermal fuse, then to the board to provide operating power for the display and logic circuits. That is where I found voltage on one side of the fuse but not on the other, indicating an open circuit. Just to clarify, if you read source voltage when measuring across a fuse like in the photo above, the fuse is bad because you are reading the potential difference from one side to the other. A good fuse would measure 0 volts because there is no potential difference.

With the problem located, I replaced the thermal fuse and had the dishwasher working allowing me to drain the water and run a test cycle. A quick bit of information on thermal fuses. Most have a current and temperature rating for when they will open the circuit. Remembering, anytime we have a high current draw due to excess resistance in the circuit, heat will be generated, so these fuses may open due to actual heat from say the heating element being stuck on, or due to a high resistance connection in the circuit.

The reason I mention this is, remember the dishwasher still had water in it when it failed. This could just be a coincidence, but it is more likely that the failure occurred during a point in the cycle when current draw was high such as the motor and heating element in operation at the same time. Knowing this allows us to dig a little deeper into the failure, and ensure that we identify the reason for the failure, and not just replace the part.

Following this logic, I examined the entire heating circuit and each connection in particular for any possibility of a warn or damaged connector that could result in higher than normal resistance. This could be anywhere in the circuit, but most likely at the thermal fuse connector themselves. Any type of loose connection will add resistance during use, and make for hotter temperatures while in use.

Since the circuit checked out OK, I made sure the terminals of the new thermal fuse were clean and applied a little pressure to the terminal connectors, just to ensure they were tight. After putting it all back together and running some quick tests, I turned it back over to the customer to get going on their pile of dirty dishes.

It is possible the thermal fuse just failed while in use, but it is always good practice to investigate the reasons for a failure, or you may be changing the part again very soon.

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Water filters are used in refrigerators to remove chemicals and particulates from the water prior to use by the ice maker or the water dispenser. Because of its position in the water system, any new water filter has the potential to introduce air into the water line. This air will be pushed along by the flow of water when the dispenser paddle is pressed as it seeks to get out of the system. Once the air starts moving, it will continue to move, pushing any water along the way toward the dispenser outlet even if the dispenser paddle is not being pressed. Water will continue to flow, until the air pocket works its way out of the water line.

For this reason, if you follow the installation instructions that come with any water filter, it is advised you run about a gallon of water through the dispenser to not only remove charcoal dust, but to also purge the water lines of air. Use a large enough container because once it starts flowing, it isn't going to stop until that air bubble is out.

Model #RV46S, this rather large telescoping downdraft vent was no longer moving up and down when the control button was pressed. The customer hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary and the last time it was raised to the operating position, the blower was functioning as expected. Now with it stuck in the down position, the blower doesn't work so it's not much good as a vent.



Vents are used to draw damp, Oder ridden air from cooking surfaces and moving it outside the home. They come in many different shapes and types as they are meant to be decorative as well as functional. Most units are simple in design in that they consist of only a few vent parts. These are generally a multi speed blower motor, lights to illuminate the cooking area, and control components to, well control everything. Others, like the one in this post, will also use motors and supporting components to raise and lower the upper portion to the operating position for use. As long as these parts are functioning, there really isn't much that can really go wrong.

This vent was not raising, and since the components involved are few, I went straight to the control board to start my investigation. Most of these style vents, will use an electronic board, either mounted down under the cabinet, or in the upper portion to control the operation of the lift motor and blower motors. This board, along with one or more limit switches to determine the position of the top portion, are used to prevent the blower from operating unless it is open. It is the board and limit switches that directly control the lifting motor, so when the vent stops raising, we can limit our troubleshooting to one of these components.

Just to be safe, I raised the vent by hand (this can't be done on all brands) to make sure nothing was blocking the vent. I then went to the control board to verify voltage to the board, and checked limit switch operation while I was there. The motor can also be checked from it's board connection along with the up and down push button mounted to the top of the vent. Since each one of these components were checking out fine, this leaves the control board itself as the failed component.

With power off, a new control board was installed and each wire and connectors were put back in place. The power was turned back on, and the vent started to lift with the press of the button. Once in the upper position, the blower motor came on and started moving air. Another press of the button, turned the blower off and lowered the vent behind the cook top. The vent was fixed and working well again.

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Model #GEW9250PW0, the customers dryer recently was subjected to some adverse power conditions after a prolonged outage in their neighborhood. After the power came back on, all the electronic devices in the home seemed to be fine, with the exception of the dryer. The display and indicator lights were no longer illuminated and pressing the buttons on the panel didn't make any difference. At least the washer was still working.



Power surges and brown outs, where a temporary low voltage condition exists, can not only be annoying, but result in significant damage to not only your appliances, but any other electronic device in your home. These electronics which contain microprocessors require very specific voltages in order to properly perform their duties along with noise free connections to the electrical wiring in your home. This noise can come from anything plugged into an outlet and is the reason most semiconductor based electronics and appliances have some method to filter noise from the line, and to prevent noise from entering the line. But much of the real damage that occurs is from spikes of high voltage that simply happen to fast for these filters to block

It is possible to limit this damage through the use of surge protection devices either on each component, or the entire house, but the details of these products is well beyond the scope of this post. I will say, if it is worth protecting, such as the computer I am typing this post on, then looking into protecting your products may be something to add to your to do list.

The dryer in this home still had power going to it as demonstrated by the light inside the drum, but nothing else was working. A quick look at the wiring diagram shows each component connects to the control board, with the exception of the drum light and door switch. With everything else connected and controlled by this board, it made for a logical starting place for my search.

With the top panel removed and the control board accessible, I used by multimeter to check for voltage into the board. With 120 volts AC going to the board and no display, it looks like the board didn't fare well from the power outage. The display itself is connected to the main board through two connectors that provide for button inputs and display outputs. It is a good idea to at least verify the function of the power button located on the front of the display. I say this because the control board is a rather expensive dryer part and it is a real bummer to buy the part, only to find the power switch was really at fault. To test the button, simply follow the steps in the machine tech sheet using a multimeter and if it is working, then we can be certain the control board has failed.

After turning off the power at the circuit breaker, and removing the wiring, I installed a new control board into this dryer. Once the wires were put back in place and power turned back on, the familiar display and associated tones were again as they should be. And the best news was it even dried clothes.

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Model #GLTF2940ES3, the failure reported on this front load washer was a horrible noise and not draining water. Many different failures come to mind given those symptoms, but this call is one that demonstrates the need for good communication between the technician and the customer. And why asking opened ended questions of the customer is important to identify the machine failure so we are not spending a lot of time on the symptoms. This isn't going to be one of my typical service call posts with hows and whys of one of my service adventures, but rather a post on how a simple failure can give some unrelated symptoms.



The customers complaint of noise and not draining would usually lead me in the direction of the drain pump because if it's plugged or not working, well the water goes nowhere. This can also provide for some rather unnerving sounds in the process along with preventing the washer from completing a spin cycle. But upon my arrival, I found the actual failure to be something much simpler and thus the reason for this post.

As far as the customer was concerned, the noise and not draining was the problem to be dealt with, but after asking some open ended questions, you know the ones encouraging the customer to speak freely, I found out that the noise seemed to come and go during the cycle, while the not draining was actually noticed more on bulky clothing items. This can still indicate many things, but it does get me thinking the problem is more likely the washer not spinning then not draining. A blocked or broken pump will leave standing water in the tub, but a washer not draining will leave much more water in the clothes which the customer assumes is because it's not draining.

This conclusion lead me to the door latch which if not closed properly, will allow the washer to do everything it is supposed to do, expect spin out the clothes. Opening the door, I noticed some rubbing where the strike meets the latch itself which can definitely result in door issues. Looking further at the door and how it closes, I found it didn't seem to sit properly in the frame and would even rub on the door seal making it difficult to latch. This most certainly is now pointing toward an alignment problem and after having a look at the door hinges, the source of these symptoms came to light.

The bottom hinge on this washer had become hyper extended at one point causing the bottom of the door to push toward the latch. This along with a leaking dispenser, likely caused by not using he detergents as demonstrated by the trail of water and soap down the front, resulted in the hinge also rusting. As the rust became worse, the door become harder to close resulting in the customer needing more force to get it shut. Once closed, the door would latch, but when it was locked, the solenoid inside the latch would not be able to fully engage the strike making for a loud buzzing sound. And because it wasn't fully closed, the control board would not initiate the spin cycle at the appropriate time of the wash.

So the problems the customer was having with this washer, all came down to a simple door hinge. Once the door hinge was replaced, the door closed properly again, and some quick testing had the machine washing and spinning all without any noise. The customer was happy to have a working washer, and glad that by answering a few questions, the problem could be solved.

For the techs in the audience. The moral of this story is to always talk with your customers and ask questions. Never take your troubleshooting ques from a third party such as your dispatch or phone people. The information they provide is important, but use your own communication skills to solve problems.

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