Zanussi dishwasher no longer working

[natalie stanley]

Hi there

Hoping somebody might be able to help advise on what to do regarding my dishwasher which has stopped working although it's only 4 years old and only gets used around 2/3 times a week!

The water doesn't heat up and the dishwasher doesn't go past its rinsing phase.

Having spoken to an engineer over the phone, he seems to think it's the electrical board (or something like that, I think he said) that has stopped working and will cost around £250 to replace which seems ludicrous given the price I paid for the dishwasher.

Unfortunately the warranty has run out.

Anybody have any experience with this kind of problem and if so, any suggestions? I will call Zanussi but obviously don't have much of a leg to stand on since it's out of warranty but I'm pretty annoyed that a dishwasher has only lasted 4 years!

Thanks in advance for your help!

Nat

 

[yardie]

it is very possible the engineer is correct but could also be other things.

whats the model number?

so it drains, fills and circulates ok??? but at the point of heating the water it pauses for a long time and does not progress with the programme, correct???

have you tried a programme that only pre-rinses the dishes i.e does not heat the water???

 

[natalie stanley]

Thanks for your reply Yardie.

The model number is zdt11001fa.

It only drains fills and circulates during the rinse cycle, or before it gets to the stage when the tablet drops out. The cycle is also cold I've noticed..

Haven't tried a rinse only cycle yet but have tried all the other cycles several times and the same thing happens

 

[yardie]

try the rinse only, your problem is probably a faulty heating element.

yes it drops the tab just before heating the water i.e the wash cycle

if the rinse only programme finishes fine you know its to do with the heating cct, i.e water pressure switch, heating element, heater relay, thermostat

if you check that all the dishes in upper and lower trays are soaking wet after the rinse programme it will eliminate the circulation pump

your model actually has 2 pressure sensors ( 1 safety, 1 water level)possibly located on top under the lid, though your model is integrated so may not have a top panel hiding them but you would have to pull the machine out from the cabinet to access them. a pipe connects to each sensor and goes to the bottom of the tub or a water matrix of some sort so you will need to remove side panels as well if it has them,check these pipes are clean and clear of debris

it does sound as though its filling with enough water and the pump is circulating fine but please confirm.

 

[yardie]

this will show you what your looking for and where

https://www.ransomspares.co.uk/parts/brands/zanussi/dishwashers/zdt11001fa (91153907103)/

 

[yardie]

do you have a dmm??? it will be needed to check/ test the switches and heating element.

1st thing is test the heating element, thats the most obvious and likely

 

[natalie stanley]

Thanks for coming back to me Yardie - can you clarify what a DMM is?

 

[natalie stanley]

Also if it is the heating element that's gone, is that very expensive to replace and therefore not worth doing?

 

[yardie]

i believe it is a pass through heater on your model and not that expensive depending where you buy it from. certainly cheaper than a new machine. you do need to match the wattage and the bore sizes of the entry and exit of the heater so it fits the pipes on your machine. may need to change retaining clips too!

 

[yardie]

dmm - digital multi meter

can buy them on ebay for a couple of quid, nothing fancy but does not need to be.

guess thats a no then.

what about a couple of wires, a battery and a bulb, perhaps from a torch.

 

[natalie stanley]

Thanks yardie - so just to clarify - I need to take the machine out from the unit, open it up and cheap power with the DMM?

 

[yardie]

no no no

no checking power!!!

MACHINE OFF! UNPLUGGED!

only checking the heating element

but yes to pulling it out of unit and removing any side panels

 

[natalie stanley]

Ok - will the side panels be easy to take off? Sorry for all the questions? I'll turn it off at the mains before taking the panel s off..and the dmm will still be able to pick up on if there's an issue with the mains off?

 

[yardie]

if the heating element is knackered the dmm will measure high resistance i.e get no reading at all.

then replace the heater and machine should be working again!

2 options-

buy a replacement heater and try it

or

buy a cheapo dmm and test before £x's on heater that may not fix the problem

 

[yardie]

https://www.ransomspares.co.uk

£51 + postage - not cheap, especially if its not the problem

i am sure it can be found cheaper elsewhere though