Hotpoint Dishwasher Flooding

[Tom]

Does anybody have any DIY experience with a Hotpoint FD W60 dishwasher please?

My dishwasher leaked out the front door after not shutting off on the fill cycle. However after mopping up the flood further testing seems to indicate fault has corrected itself and the water now shuts off at the correct level. Taking the thing apart I can only see what appears to be a pressure sensor switch high on the left inside of the unit (to which the inlet is initially piped up through before feeding the pump). I assume it is this switch that failed to engage for some reason but what worries me is the lack of secondary back up shut off. There is no under unit drip tray with additional float valve and the castle like overflow near the lower wash arm in this model is merely a blanking plate (rather than an additional overflow into drip tray as in other models).

Can't believe there is only the one flood safety shut off but my experience seems to points to this for this model. Can anybody help please?

[Matty F]

My experience with a different brand is that food particles can get near the water level switch and cause a malfunction. And in old washers they just flood all over the electrics and your kitchen. In newer washers there is likely to be a water leak detector which shuts off the washer and shows a warning light and needs to be reset by an engineer. Next time I build a kitchen or bathroom I want to put a drain in the floor!

[Mathew Newton]

That sounds strange as the float element for this model is available here:

and the

...but then I guess not given this - the water would never reach the base.

I was going to suggest perhaps the filling mechanism is on a timer to limit any overflow condition, but I would've thought the conventional float valve would be easier (not least given the provision for the overflow turret). Besides which, if your pressure sensor was dodgy the timer should've prevented the flood.

Could the pressure sensor be dual-stage e.g. first stop for 'machine full', second for 'overfilled'? (the number of connections to it will give this away). A potential single point of failure but perhaps it is usually quite reliable.

Mathew

[Tom]

Thanks Mathew.

From what I can gather the model changed around 2004 so I assume mine is post overflow turret and tray (cost cutting?) where a similar looking blanking turret has been used instead.

I would go with your theory of the water shut off being on a timer as it operates with the door open (assume pressure switch needs door sealed). My flood situation seems to suggest that the timer temporarily failed but no secondary flood protection kicked in before the level reached the front door seal.

[Mathew Newton]

What do you mean by this? The pressure switch is normally connected via a pipe to the bottom of the sump. As the machine gradually the fills the weight of the water compresses the air in this pipe and eventually activates the pressure switch thus cutting the valve. This action will work whether the door is closed or not.

I was thinking that if perhaps the overfill detection is achieved via a two-stage pressure sensor then if your pipe were blocked/damaged then this would prevent the sensor activating.

Mathew

[Tom]

OK, so that=92s how the pressure switch works then. So the device on the upper left inside of the unit that the water is initially piped through might not be relevant. Not sure what this does then. Not sure why water is directed up there first. There are wires to this unit so the cut off could be in there but linked to a pressure switch in the pump sump area (cant be anywhere else in this model) which could easily have got blocked with food/gunge.

[meow2222]

Normally the pressure switch is activated by rising water. But if the pressure tube falls off, it will never activate. The fill is controlled only by 1 or 2 solenoid valves controlled by the electronic controller. Usually its pressure switch operation that stops the fill. There are usually no back up devices, any one failure can cause a flood. Backups cost extra. Apart from pressure tube blockage or leak, pressure switch failure and electronics failure, grit in the valve can also cause it to not shut off.

If its flooded once, trust me, it will almost certainly do it again. Either put it where it wont cause any harm or replace it.

NT

[Tom]

Wise words and Im inclined to agree. Floating chipboard topped with laminate floor means I just cant risk a major flood. Solution: dishwasher written off, convert space into cupboard and put in place timetable for moving washing machine into garage. Downside is obvious inconvenience and wife moaning however should avoid inevitable disaster when one or other appliance goes bang.

Chipboard and laminate in kitchens (and bathrooms for that matter) =96 complete madness. Ive got this vague long term plan of ripping the lot out, building up the slab (incorporating warm up and drainage in appropriate areas) and then tiling over the lot=85