Dishwasher Repairs: 2010-04-22
01:30 PM: Mom called up here, saying that when she started the dishwasher just now, it made a noise like a small explosion, then shut down. She’s unable to re activate it. Investigating.
01:35 PM: Verified that what she said was true. The dishwasher indeed shows no signs of “life” right now.
01:37 PM: Checked the circuit breakers in the basement. The one that feeds the dishwasher was tripped.
01:38 PM: Attempted to reset the breaker. But it immediately tripped again, and I could hear a distant bang from the kitchen as well. Best not to try that again until the origins of that loud sound are determined.
01:40 PM: Unplugged the dishwasher, as I’ll be working inside it shortly.
01:45 PM: Removed the lower front panels of the dishwasher. No odor observed.
01:46 PM: Located the junction box, mounted to the frame of the dishwasher, where the power line enters the unit.
01:47 PM: Removed the cover. Now, a pronounced smell appeared, and the inside of the cover had a couple black marks on it.
01:48 PM: Examined the wires inside. One of the wire nuts was discolored (lots of black on it), and the neutral wire showed signs of heat stress (its white insulation had turned black near the its connection to the mains.
01:50 PM: So, I undid both the hot and neutral connections, stripped all wires anew, and replaced the two wire nuts with brand new ones.
01:55 PM: Went back to the basement. Plugged in the dishwasher and reset the breaker. Thsi time, it did not trip again.
01:57 PM: Then, I headed back up to the kitchen, where I latched the door on the dishwasher and pressed the start button. It resumed the cycle that Mom nad started without further incident. It appears that something caused a short circuit in the wiring, which now has been addressed.
02:00 PM: Reassembled the power junctin box and the kick plates, as the unit purred all the while. Since normal operation has been restored, this job is done.