Model #PLD4555RFC0, this dishwasher had been working so the customer thought nothing of starting a load of dishes before running off to work for the day. But when they arrived home to find standing water on the floor as a result of a waterfall from the front of the dishwasher, it didn't take much coaxing to figure out something was wrong. They were able to clean up the mess, but the water kept coming until they finally shut it off at the source. A technician had been called to have a look, but was unable to recreate the conditions that apparently had started this torrent. But when returning home the next day to the same wet floor, there was no denying, something was wrong.
Water pouring from the front of our dishwashers is nothing any of us wants to see, and although leaks can and do occur, it's the intermittent ones that cause us the most problems. Based on the customers description, I was wondering how any tech could miss something that let loose so much water, but after having a look myself, it appeared this was not going to be any ordinary dishwasher leak.
I started as I normally do, looking for the places water has been, which is usually easy to see since it disturbs any dust in the area and leaves a thin film of detergent. But water seemed to have been all over the place, and most of the trails had been wiped clean by the customer in an attempt to dry things out. Starting a wash cycle didn't show any signs of a leak as it washed, drained, and continued on without as much as a drop from anywhere around the dishwasher. I was sure the customer was not making this up, but I usually don't like replacing parts, just because and hope the problem get resolved. So instead, I kept at it hoping some clue as to the reason for the leak would show itself.
Figuring I would be here awhile, I stared a normal wash cycle to let the machine do its thing while I sat back and watched. This can be a rather boring process, but sometimes we need to do some real life testing to get some problems to show. After what seemed like hours of dishwasher filling, washing and draining, the first sign of water appeared right out the front, much like the customer described. After looking inside the tub, it was obvious by the position of the float that there was entirely to much water inside.
Excess water can come from two sources, the fill valve overfilling, or water not draining and remaining in the tub. Because most dishwashers fill and drain based on time, they really do not know how much water is in the tub at any point in the wash cycles. Cancelling the test showed the water draining properly, and there was no back flow into the sump, which left the valve as a possible problem. I was going to begin another test so I could keep an eye on the valve, when my eye caught water trickling from the inlet opening. As I watched it, the flow continued and after several minuets, there was enough to fill the bottom of the sump. Looks like this was the clue I had been waiting for.
With power off to the valve, water continued to flow, which is a sure indication that something is preventing the valve from sealing shut. The solution to this problem is to replace the fill valve with a new one. Once all the necessary plumbing was completed, I started another test cycle, but this time, the water shut off as expected. With a new valve in place, I was confident this obscure problem had been resolved one and for all.
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