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Fisher Paykel dishdrawer problem

9 years ago

I've been having problems for months. The repair guy was out here twice, and says there is nothing wrong with them. There are tons of deposits on the plates and flatware despite using jet dry. The filters get a heavy foamy grease.
I tried switching detergents. I got my water softener repaired. My hardness level is now zero.

At first I thought it was the hard water, but I got that fixed, cleaned out the machines with Lemi Shine, and still have the problem. The repair man says to use Lemi shine in every cycle. The flatware manufacturer says not to use citrus based cleaners. Any ideas?

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Comments (5)

dadoes
9 years ago
Rinse aid really has nothing to do with food debris left on dishwasher. It's dispensed in the final rinse. The detergent and water changes that occur prior to the final rinse should deal with all the food soils before the cycle progresses to that point.

Is this a recently-installed unit? Or it has been in use for some period of time, worked OK at first and developed this problem later?

Suggestion at this point is to disassemble them for manual cleaning to insure all the residue is gone, assuming you haven't already done that. A bit of scrubbing may be needed depending how heavy is the residue. You know how to remove the filter plates. The pump rotor comes out by turning the collar and lifting the rotor out (there's some magnetic pull from the motor). Be sure to align the rotor properly when replacing it.

Also check the routing of the drain hoses. They MUST be arranged to loop upwards high as possible up under the countertop, then straight down to the plumbing connection without sagging to that point. If it's a dual-drawer unit, the Y-joiner for the drain hoses should be turned on a horizontal orientation, NOT vertically such that one hose port is above the other.
chinchette
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks dadoes. I've done that but will try it again. They worked for a long time( 7 years) but then when the water softener was not working, they got bad. The water softener is fixed. I've run Lemi shine through them. And tried Dishwasher Magic ( that one seemed to leave deposits). I think my drain hoses are correct. Will try and get a photo later. My town increased the water hardness level to 26 grains! So that is what was running through them for a bit. Now my water is zero hardness.
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Is the rinse aid dosage perhaps set to minimum? However, a small amount (approx 1ml) is still dispensed on the minimum setting so you should need to refill it more than once in four years. Check the setting in Options mode: Open the drawer. With Power on, press/hold the Eco button, then press/hold Lock at the same time until a long beep occurs. If your unit has an LCD window, it'll say rA. The number of lit cycle lights (1, 2, 3, 4, or 5) indicates the selected dosage level. Minimum 1ml = 1 light (Heavy). Maximum 5 ml = 5 lights. Press Lock to adjust the dosage, then Power to save the setting. You can also test the rinse aid dispenser function in Diagnostic mode. - Open the drawer, then turn power OFF. - With Power off, press/hold Lock, then press/hold Start at the same time for a few seconds for a long beep. All the cycle lights turn on (incl Eco) and the display shows ALL the possible indicators on the LCD. - Press Power *once*. The display shows HO, and all the cycle lights are on except Eco. - Press Start *eight* times. The display shows rd and only the Normal cycle light is on. If you miss the mark, keep pressing Start until only Normal is lit. - Press Lock to trigger the rinse aid to dispense at the programmed dosage and watch if it dribbles/flows out from the slot beneath the detergent cups. Press Lock again to dispense again. - Press Power to exit Diagnostics.
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chinchette
Original Author
9 years ago
Customer service FP told me to try cleaning it out with Finish and using Finish gel.
dadoes
9 years ago
There's a long post here about a Bosch dishwasher with a similar problem of greasy / slimy / yellow residue accumulating in the filter.
Bosch Dishwasher Gunk Mystery
It's a LONG discussion involving several people but the solution was usually found to be a change in detergent. One person had been using Finish Powerball tabs and found that Cascade with Dawn *powder* solved the problem. Another got best results from Finish Quantum tabs.

Detergents can clash with local water chemistry. May take several tries to find one that works. More than one may be compatible, just a matter of finding at least one that's OK.

Detergent formulations have changed over the past several years with the elimination of phosphates. The formula for a given product of choice can also change so it may suddenly not work so well as in the past.
chinchette
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks for the link. I will check that out. I have resolved the residue on the dishes and the dirty looking flatware. I just put a half a cup or so of white vinegar on the bottom of the washer. They are coming out good. There is still some of the grease in the filter. So I am glad you mentioned that.

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