Insufficient fill duration


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Old 08-16-09, 08:36 PM
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Post Insufficient fill duration

Kenmore model 665.16919001

Worked fine when first installed, house has drilled well for water supply, the pump switch was set to cut in at 20 psi, cut out at 40 psi.

A few years later, the pump controller failed to cut out, due to corrosion inside the connecting tube (and the tank bladder failed). I installed a new tank and new pump switch (new switch was set for 30/50, not 20/40). System was opened and lines flushed without screens, no abnormal debris was found. Normal debris is <1 mm iron particles, presumably being shed from the 25 year old steel well casing.

Ever since the new pump switch was installed, the fill level of the dishwasher has been dropping. Probably just coincidence, but please recall that the dw worked fine at 20/40, and for a number of years.

Do I have a plugged feed line? No, when I disconnect the fill line, I can squirt water 4 feet from the dw end, I get about 1 cubic foot of water in about 20 seconds. Not officially measured but right around there.

I pulled the fill valve assembly off the dw, banged the inlet side onto my palm and got a bit of the same iron particulates mentioned earlier. Ok, 4 screws and I expose the innards of the fill circuit, and sure enough, there are a few more particles there. using a Q-tip, some patience, and some water jets, I've cleaned most of the particles out.

I reassemble everything, I get a better dw fill, but still I get the surging sound that tells me I'm 'a quart low'. I pop open the dw door, pull the snake-head kitchen faucet over to the dw opening, and add the usual 30 seconds of hot water and the dw is happy, as usual. Repeat the manual boost for 3 total fills per was cycle.

1] The dw has pretty much begun this problem exactly when the 30/50 switch was installed. Technicians tell me this dw 'assumes' however many seconds of solenoid time is enough to get the needed charge of hot water. I say the float switch in the bottom of the machine should be killing the fill solenoid and the total available fill duration is needing to be longer for rural , MUCH longer, like 2x longer so the float switch can get the initial fill level. The schematics seem to indicate the float switch is in series with the solenoid of the fill valve, but 3 technicians have told me I was wrong, that float switch is for sudsing. In a dw? Idiots.

2] when I add 20 seconds of 1.8 GPM faucet flow, I'm adding about 1.8/3 or about .6 gallons of water. Doubling the fill time should get me that.


This is a rather deep technical question about this specific machine. Aside from replacing the fill valve which looks like it will only help for a few months, is there a way to set this dw in a longer fill duration mode? I'd really like to know if this dishwasher can be reprogrammed away from the factory 'default' setting, to give longer fill times for accommodating lower water pressure NORMALLY found in rural settings. I believe the control system has the intelligence to accept information from pressing the front panel buttons.


BTW: the float switch is not sticking and it does cut off the fill solenoid when I activate the plunger from under the machine.
 
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Old 10-03-10, 10:12 PM
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Still interested here... Even if it means there is no answer, I'd like to keep this machine running.
 
  #3  
Old 10-04-10, 03:54 AM
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Look for an inlet screen. May be in at fill valve. Washing machines have screens there not sure about dishwasher, With wells I find sand in screens. With a well I would drain hot water heater at least once a year because of sand build up.
 
 

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