I'm curious if I have a plumbing problem or an appliance problem. There is an ongoing excessive buildup of mold on the interior gaskets of my dishwasher. I clean the thing thoroughly every month or so. I know you have to keep them clean and all but it seems a little excessive. There is also a smell on occasion. Sometimes it's bad, sometimes not so much.
Here's some other info: There's about a 2' vertical climb in the drain pipe (copper) that leads into the drain under the sink. It was shoddily installed by the previous homeowner at the connection at the top where they just used a piece of clamped rubber tubing instead of soldering an elbow. I noticed a kink in the rubber tubing about a year after we moved in. I've since fixed the elbow but it hasn't solved the problem.
I've cleaned the unit well by taking apart the filters and it has a chopper in it too. I've run it with vinegar, tried every cycle on the thing (which isn't many), and I'm at my wits end. After a month it's not so bad but if I let it go for two or three without thoroughly cleaning it it's downright nasty.
The dishwasher has taken hours to go through its cycle but that doesn't seem to be happening as much anymore. I've also noticed that the drain line that was used in the install is 1/8" narrower than what is written in the manual. I thought that was the reason for slower drainage but only slightly. At any rate it appears to drain fully...however long it takes.
So here's the jig...it's a KitchenAid that's a dozen or so years old. $130 for an authorized KitchenAid repair dude to come out and look at it. Of course, no guarantees.
Options? I could get rid of the rise in the drain by dropping it through the floor and run it into the main line that happens to be directly below it. That probably wouldn't be too hard. I could also replace the pump in the machine. That mightn't be that difficult either, but it's yet to be seen. I could also try to put a larger diameter drain line in. That also begs the question, should I just replace the appliance? it's 12 or 13 years old now, but it's quiet, it matches, it's expensive to replace (well...KithenAid is anyhow), and it works for the most part.
Thoughts?
Here's some other info: There's about a 2' vertical climb in the drain pipe (copper) that leads into the drain under the sink. It was shoddily installed by the previous homeowner at the connection at the top where they just used a piece of clamped rubber tubing instead of soldering an elbow. I noticed a kink in the rubber tubing about a year after we moved in. I've since fixed the elbow but it hasn't solved the problem.
I've cleaned the unit well by taking apart the filters and it has a chopper in it too. I've run it with vinegar, tried every cycle on the thing (which isn't many), and I'm at my wits end. After a month it's not so bad but if I let it go for two or three without thoroughly cleaning it it's downright nasty.
The dishwasher has taken hours to go through its cycle but that doesn't seem to be happening as much anymore. I've also noticed that the drain line that was used in the install is 1/8" narrower than what is written in the manual. I thought that was the reason for slower drainage but only slightly. At any rate it appears to drain fully...however long it takes.
So here's the jig...it's a KitchenAid that's a dozen or so years old. $130 for an authorized KitchenAid repair dude to come out and look at it. Of course, no guarantees.
Options? I could get rid of the rise in the drain by dropping it through the floor and run it into the main line that happens to be directly below it. That probably wouldn't be too hard. I could also replace the pump in the machine. That mightn't be that difficult either, but it's yet to be seen. I could also try to put a larger diameter drain line in. That also begs the question, should I just replace the appliance? it's 12 or 13 years old now, but it's quiet, it matches, it's expensive to replace (well...KithenAid is anyhow), and it works for the most part.
Thoughts?
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