My new dishwasher stinks!

11 years ago

Bought a new Whirlpool WDF530PAYM to replace a 10 year old dishwasher a few weeks ago. It runs every other day and for the first few minutes of each run, there is a terrible stink. This is something that was noticed with the older dishwasher as well. The filters are cleaned regularly and there is some standing water under the filters, but I know this is normal. I've called for warranty service and the serviceman could find nothing wrong. There is nothing in the trap and the loop is 'adequate'. He said he would have looped it higher, but doesn't feel it's causing the issue. He said that the installer should have replaced ALL of the hoses, but left the old black drainage hoses. The repair guy felt that there was probably a build up of food nasty in there and this is what was causing the smell. He also refused to replace them and said I need to contact the installer. I know that if I call the installer, I'm probably going to get push back, so I wanted to get your thoughts as to whether you think the old hoses are causing the issue -- and if they are, is this something that the installer should have replaced at the outset? Is that a required element? Is there something else that could be causing the issue?

thanks!

Featured Answer

sparky823

11 years ago

The next time you use the dishwasher, put the stopper in the sink and run a little water in the sink. Then run the dishwasher. See if you can smell anything then.

If it is DW drain you might use Dishwasher Magic and it would clean some of the gunk out or the Affresh for dishwashers. Probably be best just to change the hose.

I read where someone was having odor problems inside the DW. They changed detergent to the Method Smarty Tabs and the smell went away. It was a Bosch machine.

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Comments (6)

Cavimum
11 years ago
"It runs every other day and for the first few minutes of each run, there is a terrible stink."

Where exactly is the source of the odor? Could it be coming up from the sink drain? Or are you 100% certain it is coming from the DW's venting?

Either way, it makes me think this is more of a sewer gas venting problem than a DW problem, especially since you had this issue with your previous DW.

We had the same problem with our upstairs air-conditiong unit, many years ago. There would be a horrible odor from the vents when it cycled "on." Long story short, the condensation hose had been run to the sewer gas vent line, and over the years, mold & crud had built up in the sewer gas vent line. At that point, when the AC cycled on, a "backdraft" of sewer gas occurred that was blown back into the house. Gross . . . and toxic.
poochypunx
Original Author
11 years ago
Hmmmm.... I think the smell is coming from the sink drain, but if there is a build up in the drain hoses -- isn't that where I'd smell it?

I don't know where the vent line would be or how to check it? We're on septic, but I'm assuming there would also be a vent line for it?
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I'm inclined to agree with Weissman. The old KA may be an "energy hog" but that is a relative term. The amount of electricity you'll save with a new dishwasher may not save you very much money. It might be only $20 or $30 year, and could be even less as you are skipping the pre-wash and dry cycles. A bigger deal with old versus new dishwashers is more likely to be the amount of water used. Some of the newer DWs are very stingy with water use. As I rather vaguely recall, some of the older DWs from the 60s might use 10 gallons of water per load. I don't know where that Whirlpool sits in the water use standards, but newer DWs may use 5 gallons and some use as little as half of that, less. Depending on the water situation where you live and whether you are on a septic system, a new DW can be a benefit in that respect. A third consideration on newer dishwashers is whether you are bothered by the noise your KA makes. DWs madee in the last five or six years tend to be substantially quieter. Note that is "tend to be." Some just make different kinds of noise which you might or might not find more annoying. My recollection is that some recent WPs are kind of noisy and many are not. A fourth consideration is that many of the older DWs worked pretty quickly. For the last decade, cycle times have been getting longer and slower as energy consumption has been reduced. Another consideration is that the old KA probably has a metal or enameled tub which is pretty durable. Many of the more recent WP dishwashers have had plastic tubs. Some people think the plastic tubs are less durable. Some people do not. A final consideration is that a five year old dishwasher is going to be run from integrated circuits and microprocessors whose durability can be difficult to predict. That old KA is pretty much an electro-mechanical device and, as you've noticed, pretty darn durable. If you get the model number, you might be able to search for reports on the Whirlpool. Do you have storage space? Maybe you take the WP and store it for a couple of years as a spare in case the KA breaks down.
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Cavimum
11 years ago
I swear, there is a plumbing curse on my hubby's family. The stories I could tell,,, but I digress.

In our 25+ year old house, a few years ago we would randomly get a terrible odor in our master bath. I never could track down where it came from, but sometimes it came from the vanity sink drains upon running water, first thing in the morning, Sometimes I could track it down to the shower stall drain. Some days, I could not tell where it was coming from. It was not a daily thing, but when it happened, it was awful.

I finally had our plumbers come out, since I was 100% certain it was sewer gases. They were appalled at how that bathroom sewer lines were plumbed (under the house). They went into the attic and could not find any problems with the sewer vent pipe.

They suggested I let them re-work all the sewer lines under the house, for that bath only. I completely trust them, so I did. After that, we've had no more problems. WHY it took almost 25 years for the problem to get bad, I don't know. Those MB vanity sink drains were always a little funky, for the 20 years we've lived in the house. They're fine now.

We don't have the problem since having the pipes under the house re-designed/re-done.

I really think yours is a plumbing problem and the odor is sewer gas. I only know of our own experiences and am not in the business nor an expert.

Even on septic, you'll have sewer gas vents coming up out of your roof - usually PVC spray-painted black. Have a really good and reputable plumber come take a look at it.
MrsShayne
11 years ago
OMG!!!! I just bought a brand new Frigidaire gallery ss dishwasher and mine smells too! It stunk right away. After I wash my dishes the smell isn't there but a couple of days later when I open it back up, it smells terrible on the inside (and there are NOdirty dishes). WTH???
jwvideo
11 years ago
Have you seen this thread on the chowhound forum?

Here is a link that might be useful: Dishwasher smells like a wet swampy bird

My new dishwasher stinks!

sparky823

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Cavimum

poochypunx
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My new dishwasher stinks!

sparky823

Comments (6)

Cavimum

poochypunxOriginal Author

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Cavimum

MrsShayne

jwvideo

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poochypunx
Original Author