6 replies to this topic

[mmbridges]

I have a GE dishwasher model GSD2020F01. I am suspicious that certain rinse cycles are not working properly but would like to confirm this. Here is what I see:

 

When dial is started at the "hot start" position I hear strange gurgling throughout this cycle. The users manual indicates that the "hot start" cycle sequence is defined as "Rinse - Rinse start selected cycle" which lasts approx 30min and uses 3 gals of water. When I bypass the door lock mechanism so I can peek inside while the washer is running, all I see is an anemic bit of water bubbling out the top of the wash tower which is not extended due to the apparent low water pressure. 

 

1. Is this normal?

 

2. Can someone explain what "Rinse - Rinse start selected cycle" actually means?

 

3. During the "rinse" portion of this cycle should the tower be fully extended with water spraying out the top along with the wash arm spinning?

 

4. Approximately how long should these 2 rinse "sub"-cycles be and how are they distributed within the 30min "hot start" cycle?

 

I performed the same bypass door lock experiment after turning the dial to the "heavy wash" cycle which is defined as:

 

"rinse-rinse-rinse-main wash-rinse-rinse-rinse"

 

It seems that I get the same gurgling anemic rinse cycles until the "main wash" cycle, I believe, kicks in. At this point the water is spraying at full blast, the wash tower is extended and the wash arm is spinning. And yeah I get a little wet! :)

 

In general the dishes do seem to get clean but I am basically trying to see if the washer is running sub-optimally due to the fact that the rinse cycles are not operating as they should. Any help would be greatly appreciated! 

[RegUS_PatOff]

Is there enough water ?

Water level should usually be almost up to the Heating Element

 

click on picture

[mmbridges]

Is there enough water ?

Water level should usually be almost up to the Heating Element

 

Hi RegUs

 

No there is definitely not enough water to rise up to the level of the heating element. At least not during the "hot start" rinse cycles. I never noticed the water level during the main wash cycle as when I saw the water blasting up through the tower and wash arm I assumed that meant the valves were working properly.

 

I will check the water level tonight during the other portions of the cycle and also do the part test indicated in the video link you provided. thanks!

 

Just to satisfy my curiosity can you still answer the question regarding sequence details? So would it go something like this?

 

1. at the start of the "hot start" cycle the tub is supposed to fill for t1 minutes,

2. then the dishes get sprayed for t2 minutes

3.,then stuff just sits idle while the dishes and food heat up for t3 minutes,

4. finally another rinse cycle occurs where dishes get sprayed againfor t4 minutes

5. t1+t2+t3+t4= 30minutes?

[Vets Appliance]

Actually every wash or rinse starts with a little bit of draining to ensure that the tub is clear. I wonder if this is the gurgle and small amount of water coming out the top of the tower...

 

About one minute or so after starting is more than enough time for the water valve to have engaged. Are you hearing the motor run, then a hiss after 10-40 seconds?

 

No hissing + No water = Bad water valve, bad power to the water valve or low water pressure to the unit... usually because the water was turned off as part of doing something else, like installing a disposal, and then someone forgot to turn the water back on.

 

Also any cycle with a period of water heating will never be exactly as long as predicted. This is because a dishwasher that is using any kind of heated water cycle will engage the heater and then not advance to the next stage until the water is hot enough. If your machine is getting hot water it will be faster but if you have long pipes that aren't insulated then it'll be quite a bit longer. This is why you get dishwashers that take an hour and a half or so to finish regular wash cycle.

Edited by ScottsApplianceRepar, 14 March 2013 - 12:50 PM.

[mmbridges]

OK, I am embarrassed to say that the reason why I thought the rinse cycle was anemic was because I was turning the dial too far past the cycle start indicator. So what was happening was I was passing the period where the valve was opening to let the water enter. The gurgling was the pump just trying to spray an inadequate volume of water that was left from a previous cycle I guess. I was wondering why dishes were still getting clean if the inlet water valve was faulty.

 

Here is how I discovered my error. Based on all of the advice given, I did the ohm meter check and it read OK at ~1200ohms. I then went back and while doing one of my door bypass checks I actually caught the beginning of the cycle and saw the water entering from the side of the dishwasher wall. The video was key to letting me know where to look.

 

I then did a test where I positioned the dial at the beginning of each cycle and every time, after less than a minute, I could hear the inlet valve open and water hissing in. Shortly after I could tell a full volume of water was being sprayed around. this confirmed that everything was working fine and the problem was operator error.

 

Thanks folks for all of your help and sorry for the false alarm. Hope someone will read this and learn from my mistake. 

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

Ain't no thang, mm, and domo for posting what you found!  Always good to know how these things turn out.  

[mmbridges]

Ain't no thang, mm, and domo for posting what you found!  Always good to know how these things turn out.  

 

Thanks GrandMaster. There is actually another good thing that came out of this. While checking inlet valve coil I saw that the very slow leak from the motor pump had progressed. I had noticed it a while ago and simply put a plastic tray to catch the drips. When I first found it I monitored the situation and found the drip rate and frequency of dishwasher usage was such that the water in the tray completely evaporated in between runs.

 

Well I guess I was on borrowed time, the tray was almost completely full and I could detect some spillage. I already ordered the replacement part and will let everyone know how it turns out.