I have a frigidare fdb1050reb2 dishwasher that has been installed for the last 5 years. Recently, within the last 6 months to year, the cleaning quality of the dishwasher has dropped substantially. Now, the unit will leave either a white chalky haze, or some sort of gritty sediment on dishes. I have torn apart and cleaned the internals of the unit several times, which will help it perform better temporarily.

I have also tried adjusting the level of the unit, so that the front is pitched higher to assist with making sure the unit fully drains as well.

Another item that I have noticed is that after the unit runs a wash cycle, that iin the bottom of the sump, there is still aboug 1/2" of water left over. I am wondering if this is the source of my issue?

The house has a water filter on the supply, as well as a softener, so therefore the water quality is not an issue.

But now, I am slowly running out of ideas as to what the cause of this issue is.

Any advice or input on this would be greatly appreciated.

 

One thing that is critical to the proper operation of a dishwasher is that the drain hose be run up high under the countertop like in the diagram below.



A cleaning with an acidic cleaner can be very helpful too. Some use Tang or vinegar. I prefer to use Affresh DW cleaner which is made especially for dishwashers.

 

My drain line is run high very similar to your diagram; however it ends up having a downward loop where it connects to the drain, instead of being fastened to the underside of the counter such as your diagram suggests. What type of adverse effects would this have on the system? Please let me know. Your advice is greatly appreciated.

 

A downward loop where it connects to the drain is a place for debris to get lodged as it's a low spot. It would probably be a good idea to remove the drain hose and check for partial buildup or blockage.

When the dishwasher empties..... does the sink start to fill up ?

Just to touch on your original questions... it's normal for a small amount of water to be left in the sump. A white hazy film is usually a symptom of hard water. I see you have a water softener. A rinse agent can help that.

 

I have already removed the hose from both ends and blew it out. There was some debris and small blockages in the line, but nothing too crazy. I use a rinse agent as well.

The underlying issue seems to be that the 1/2" of water left in the bottom sump is usually quite dirty or has the "sediment" that always ends up being on the dishes after them being washed. This is why I was wondering if the unit was draining all the way.

However, I think I will follow your advice and secure the drain line in a better fashion and give things a try that way...

Please let me know if you have any other suggestions. Thanks.

 

Update.....

Upon further investigation, it appears that the Upper arm is not rotating at all. What would the cause for this be, and is there any way to test it?