The dishwasher won't turn on - we fix it ourselves

Dishwasher won't turn onAlthough a dishwasher is not the most complex household appliance in terms of its internal structure, it breaks down just like any other, and the variety of breakdowns is quite impressive. The repairman calls some breakdowns typical, since they occur in the vast majority of cases, but there are breakdowns that are relatively rare. For example, if you plug the dishwasher power cord into an outlet, press the “power” button on the control panel, but the machine does not respond. Let's figure it out what to do in such a situation.

Reasons why the dishwasher does not turn on

If a Bosch, Electrolux, Krona and other dishwasher does not turn on, no unit makes any sounds, and not a single light comes on, it is logical to assume that there are problems with the power supply. At the first stage, this is practically the only sensible assumption we can make. To clarify the cause of the breakdown, you will have to independently diagnose the “iron” assistant according to the scheme offered by specialists.

Note! If you don’t want to do the diagnostics yourself, you can invite a specialist who will charge from $3 to $9 per call, depending on the region and city.

You need to start with something simple, check if the Bosch, Electrolux, Krona and other dishwashers are not de-energized, and if there is voltage in the electrical network. At first glance, this may sound stupid, but quite a lot of people call service centers complaining about a breakdown without even bothering to plug in the dishwasher. In general, experts give the following list of reasons why the dishwasher may not turn on.

  • The power cord or outlet is faulty.
  • The "on/off" button does not work.
  • The power filter has burned out.
  • The control unit has failed.

This list cannot be considered exhaustive. In parallel with the above elements, you will have to “ring” the contacts and wiring using a multimeter. Perhaps one of the power wires located inside the dishwasher body is burnt or frayed. Due to the technical characteristics of some dishwashers, the reason that they do not turn on may be a broken heating element. Replacing heating element in a dishwasher Bosch, Electrolux, Krona can be made with your own hands, and how to do this can be found in the article of the same name on our website.

Problems with the power cord

power cordOne of the main reasons why your dishwasher may not turn on is problems with the power cord. Just recently our master described a case. He comes to a call, the client complains that a completely new dishwasher refuses to turn on after moving to a new apartment. After transportation, the owner himself took care of its connection. The problem turned out to be the following. The client, while connecting the dishwasher, accidentally placed its body on the power cord, significantly pressing it down.

Having connected the drain and inlet hoses to the communications according to all the rules, he plugged the plug into the socket and decided to start the “dishwasher”, but it did not react at all. After that, he didn’t check anything and called a technician. It turned out that the power cord was broken exactly in the place where it was pressed by the dishwasher body to the floor, and a burnt mark remained on the linoleum. It would seem that the reason is very trivial, and such a problem can be eliminated for pennies, but joking with such things is very dangerous, because a fire could happen.When installing electrical appliances, be very careful!

You can check if the wire is broken somewhere under the insulation layer using a multimeter.

  1. Set the ohmmeter mode.
  2. We connect the probes to the prongs of the plug from the power cord we are interested in.
  3. We measure the resistance and determine whether the wire is intact or not.

Important! If you find a breakdown in one of the wires of the power cord, it is better to change the entire power cable. Soldering and twisting are potentially dangerous and can also cause a fire.

Capacitor burned out

capacitorPower surges and other unfavorable operating conditions can cause the capacitor of a Bosch, Electrolux or any other dishwasher to fail, and after that, the machine, of course, does not turn on. After you check the power cord, you need to climb inside the “dishwasher” and check the capacitor. You need to do the following:

  • remove the front panel, which is located directly under the dishwasher door;
  • dismantle the side fastenings of the pallet;
  • put rags on the floor in case water comes out of the car;
  • open the door, unscrew the garbage filter and remove the impeller;
  • close the door and turn the dishwasher over, remove the tray;

Note! The pan must be disconnected carefully in parallel by disconnecting the hoses and removing the wires.

  • the capacitor is installed on the circulation pump, we find it;
  • take a multimeter and measure the resistance;
  • We disconnect the old capacitor, then buy a strictly similar new one and put it in place of the old one.

If, after disassembling a Bosch Electrolux or other dishwasher, you find that the capacitor is intact, check the wiring and contacts, this may be the problem. You need to check not only with a multimeter, but also visually; a burnt or frayed wire will definitely show itself.

There were problems with the electrical and control unit

If a Bosch Electrolux or other dishwasher does not turn on or start, the problem may be in the control unit. Experts do not recommend repairing or changing it yourself. Firstly, there is a high risk of error, and a new control unit is quite expensive. Secondly, it is unlikely that you yourself will be able to accurately determine that the problem is in the control unit, and replacing it at random is a waste of time and money and the result is not at all guaranteed. What to do?

If you want to determine exactly what the problem is in the Bosch dishwasher electrics or control unit, contact a certified service center. A specialist from this center will definitely help you determine the problem, the timing and cost of its elimination. But we warn you right away, sometimes the cost of repairs is almost equal to the cost of a new dishwasher, you also need to be mentally prepared for this.

In conclusion, we note that if a Bosch or other dishwasher does not start or turn on, you do not know what to do, refer to the information presented in this article. If a more serious breakdown occurs in the electrical or electronics of the dishwasher, contact a specialist. Do-it-yourself repairs may make the problem worse.

   

14 reader comments

  1. Gravatar Zha Zha:

    Hello! Everything is connected, but the dishwasher does not work. Tell me what to do? Added salt and added water.Now everything can corrode inside. SOS!

  2. Gravatar the Wanderer Wanderer:

    What “specialist” wrote this? Who measures the resistance on a capacitor?

    • Gravatar Albert Albert:

      Agree with you! I laughed too. I wonder why they didn’t write how many ohms there will be? 😉 Oh, yes! Resistance really depends on μF :)

      • Gravatar Alexey Alexei:

        The serviceability of the capacitors was previously checked with a conventional ohmmeter. When the wires are connected, the arrow jumps to zero, and then, as the condenser charges, it rises to infinity.

  3. Gravatar Elena Elena:

    Bosch dishwasher. When turned on, the indicators do not light up, but the dishwasher operation light comes on. When closing the door there is a click, but the program does not start. When you open the door and turn it off, the program execution time lights up for 1-2 seconds.

    • Gravatar Anna Anna:

      Similar situation

  4. Gravatar Dmitry Dmitriy:

    Gorenje dishwasher, built-in for 60. Year 2016. The washer does not start, does not start draining or collecting water, the indicators are on.
    I completely disassembled it, checked the aquastop and the water valve - everything was working. The machine simply does not start the program.
    In the end, it turned out that by some miracle the lock rose a little higher, and the button that gives the signal to close the door simply did not reach the peg... I just bent it a little by force and that’s it :) Maybe it will help someone (the button for the signal to close the door is on the door itself, and not locked).

    • Gravatar Elena Elena:

      Thank you, Dmitry, kind person! I took the advice and didn’t wash the dishes with my hands!

  5. Gravatar Swetlana Svetlana:

    I have a question. Dishwasher Continent. The panel where the on button is located does not light up.and off and program selection. The machine works and washes, but I turn on the program at random. Is it worth repairing? Or you can do it yourself, there is no longer a guarantee. Thank you.

  6. Gravatar Roman Novel:

    Hello. Machine Ariston LST53977. After plugging in, no sounds or light indication. Nothing at all! I rang the wires, everything is fine. Power is supplied to the control unit!

  7. Gravatar Galina Galina:

    Good night, I can’t turn on my Bosch dishwasher. A snowflake is burning. The time is not displayed?

  8. Gravatar Galina Galina:

    I can’t turn on the Bosch dishwasher, the snowflake is on, the time is not displayed, what should I do?

  9. Gravatar Sasha Sasha:

    The faucet is on and there is no reaction. Bosch machine.

  10. Gravatar Ekaterina Ekaterina:

    Hello, tell me, is the washing machine Bosch? Everything lights up correctly, but the wash start program does not start. They checked everything, but nothing. New, the program was turned on only 3 times. And then that's it.

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