Dishwasher Won’t Turn On

Turning your dishwasher on is supposed to be simple: Close the door and hit the switch. When it doesn’t turn on, you may be inclined to panic and think that your dishwasher might be ruined.

There are a handful of things you yourself can check before deciding to call us for our dishwasher repair service. In fact, it may be a simple fix. We’ve prepared a list of 5 steps you can take to try to repair the unit and fire it up again.

WHY YOUR DISHWASHER ISN’T TURNING ON

CHECK FOR POWER

The most obvious place to start here is to check and make sure the unit is plugged in. It sounds so ridiculous, but anyone can overlook this.

If you plug your dishwasher into a GFCI outlet, just press the “reset” button if you can see that the circuit has been tripped. Then try powering up the unit.

If the outlet is good to go and the unit is plugged in, but you still have no power, go all the way back to the main breaker panel to see if any circuits have been tripped.

CHECK DOOR SWITCH

Assuming you have power, you next want to check your door switch. Later models are designed so that if the door latch does not secure, the unit will not operate.

If you have to struggle to get the door latched, then the switch is probably defective. Look for this part inside of the control panel. Once you locate it, check it for continuity. If you have no continuity, have it replaced.

CHECK THERMAL FUSE

The thermal fuse is designed to blow when your dishwasher overheats. If you are not sure if this fuse is blown, unplug the dishwasher, remove the control panel, remove the fuse and check it for continuity. If you have no continuity, replace it with a new one.

CHECK DOOR LATCH

Your door latch keeps your dishwasher door closed, especially during operation. If it is made of cheap materials, like plastic, this part may crack or break prematurely, and prevent your door from closing. Even if you can shut the door, it could still fail to remain closed during operation, depending on the model you have.

A brief inspection should be able to tell you right away if the latch needs repairing or replacing.

CHECK MAIN CONTROL BOARD

If you have checked the other four possibilities mentioned here, and the dishwasher still does not start, you could have a faulty main control board. You, or someone who knows how can test the board to determine whether or not it is still working.

The main control board is the “power central” for your dishwasher. Power is distributed to all electrical parts in your dishwasher, so if you have a bad board, you will need to replace it.

SUMMARY

If you have checked for power, your door switch, the thermal fuse, the door latch, and the control board, and you still cannot turn on your dishwasher, please call our appliance repair company and we will help you fix it.