One of the perks of technological advancement is that it has created a way for us to save time every day by relieving us from small tasks like cleaning the house, washing dishes, and so on by inventing appliances like vacuum cleaners, dishwashers, etc.
Dishwashers are these appliances that wash our dishes for us. Despite the machines initially being controlled manually, it has been a long time since the whole process has been automated.
These machines save us time by washing our dishes for us—time we can use on something more productive.
One of the widely known dishwashers is the Bosch Dishwasher which can be bought within the range of a thousand dollars. They are spacious, look sleek, make less sound and their cleaning performance is excellent.
Now, let us find out what to do in case the soap dispenser of a Bosch dishwasher is not opening and learn many more facts about it.
Bosch dishwasher soap dispenser not opening
The common reasons for a dispenser to not open are faulty springs, damaged or obstructed doors, faulty wax motor, worn-out gasket etc. Moreover, a dishwasher soap dispenser might not open for many reasons which range from easily fixable to ones that need the professional help of repair services.
There are several reasons that are preventing your Bosch dishwasher soap dispenser from opening. Some of them are given below with their possible solutions –
Obstructed Door:
Often, the reason your dishwasher soap dispenser is not opening can be very simple and easily fixable—for instance, a blocked dispenser door.
There might be a few reasons for this phenomenon to occur which include an accumulation of fat or grease around the door to block the movement, the rack items protruding and blocking the soap dispenser door, and so on.
Solution:
The solution to the mentioned problem is easy. You can simply inspect the dispenser door and around it and upon cleaning the buildup with a paper towel or damp cloth, the problem should be solved.
Apart from that, make sure the items in the dishwasher are not protruding from the rack and blocking the soap dispenser door.
Damaged Door:
If, upon inspection, you notice a melting, or discolored door of a soap dispenser, your soap dispenser door might be damaged and a damaged door will not work properly or work at all.
If during one of the wash cycles, the water is too hot, or the heat used to dry the dishes is too hot, the doors can become warped and stop functioning.
However, this particular problem, albeit common, is more seen in second-hand, and old dishwashers than the new, modern ones.
Solution:
Unfortunately, the only solution to a damaged soap dispenser door is to replace the whole assembly. Because dispenser doors are not individually sold and as a result, the whole dispenser assembly needs to be taken out and replaced.
Faulty or Broken Door Spring:
A door spring is a thing that makes the dispenser door pop open to prevent it from falling to the dishwasher when the door opens.
Which is why, when the spring is faulty or broken, the dispenser door does not work the way it should and stays shut.
The reason why the spring might be faulty is unwashed grime that has not left the chamber around the dispenser or the door surrounding it.
Solution:
To check whether the spring is damaged or faulty, we need to check it by opening the dispenser assembly or the front panel of the dishwasher. If the spring appears damaged, burnt, discolored, etc, the spring has to be replaced.
A Problem in Wax Motor:
If you see nothing amiss with your dishwasher’s soap dispenser door but still the dishes come out without being properly washed, or your dishwasher does not dispense soap, a high possibility is that your wax motor is damaged or faulty.
A Wax motor is a part that triggers the soap dispenser door to open when it’s time for the detergent to be released in the dishwasher.
Solution:
For the checking and replacing of the wax motor, which is a small device, it is better to contact and call the help of a professional rather than doing it yourself.
Dispenser Gasket in need of replacing:
This particular gasket of the dispenser in a dishwasher ensures the soap dispenser stays water-tight so that no water enters the dispenser. It’s usually located inside and around the door of the dispenser.
Solution:
Like every other part, we can replace it easily. However, if the gasket is in good condition, a little bit of application of vaseline might work to solve this.
Why is my new bosch ascenta dishwasher not dispensing soap?
Most new dishwashers come with little to no faults and work smoothly without the disadvantages of the old model.
The second-hand dishwashers and the existence of wax motors is one of them. Which is why, when the soap dispenser of a new model starts acting up, it is often not for a serious reason.
One of the reasons why your new Bosch Ascenta dishwasher might not be dispensing soap can be the obstruction of the dispenser door.
If the items on the rack of a dishwasher are kept in such a manner that they protrude from the rack, there is a chance those items are blocking the door from opening altogether and end up failing to release the soap.
Other reasons, albeit unlikely but very possible, include a faulty or damaged wax motor which releases the door of the dispenser.
When the soap needs to be released, a damaged spring which is responsible for popping the door open rather than the door from falling open into the dishwasher, a malfunctioning gasket which ensures the dispenser remains water-tight, and so on.
What do I do if my bosch dishwasher soap dispenser is broken?
As we depend on technologies even in our household chores these days, it is common to face several malfunctions as machines are machines, and they can be troubled anytime without any prior notice. You can do the following if my bosch dishwasher soap dispenser is broken –
Replace the dispenser:
The best option for a dispenser that is broken is to replace it completely. Replacing a bosch dishwasher soap dispenser is fairly easy. However, if you find it hard, it is better to call a professional repair service than to cause more damage by yourself.
There are also many youtube videos—some uploaded on the official channels of some repair services—that give detailed step-by-step instructions on how to fix it.
Add soap manually:
A dishwasher can be run for many years even without a functioning soap dispenser by adding the soap manually. If the soap dispenser is not working and is completely broken, there is no need for it to be replaced completely.
One can just add soap or detergent pods at the bottom of the dishwasher and make do with it.
However, it won’t be as effective as a functioning dispenser. Because the dispenser of dishwashers has wax motors or timers that decide when to release soap and in what amount.
But, if the soap is added manually, the soap might be used up in the pre-wash stage and there might not be enough left for the main wash cycle.
Check different variables:
Many variables end up making the dispenser act up. The water might not be hot enough, the spring must be damaged, the door might be warped, or the gasket might need replacing. One should check all that before deeming the dispenser broken.
How do you open the soap dispenser on a Bosch dishwasher?
You can open the soap dispenser on a Bosch dishwasher by following the easy steps given below –
Turn the power off:
Before handling any electronic appliance, turning the power off that system is very important and is a must to avoid a shocking hazard.
The dishwasher should not be active when opening the soap dispenser of the dishwasher and after turning the power of the dishwasher off, open the front door of the dishwasher.
Take the front panel off:
Once opened, some screws will be evident along the edges of the interior of the dishwasher door. These screws secure the outer door panel of the dishwasher.
Upon doing that, the door should be closed securely before pulling down the panel to remove it.
Disconnect the wire harnesses:
Once the panel is removed, the dispenser will be visible right in the middle of the door. You can skip this step and the next ones if you need only check the state of the dispenser.
However, if the dispenser needs replacing, disconnect the wire harnesses from the wax motor and rinse-aid sensor.
Displace the dispenser locking tabs:
There will be certain tabs that lock the dispenser in place, they should be displaced or depressed with the help of the flat of a screwdriver head.
To take out the dispenser, the front door needs to be opened and the dispenser needs to be pushed inwards from the outside.
Reverse:
Once the new soap dispenser is placed, it’s about reversing the whole process.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, it is evident that the reason behind your Bosch dishwasher soap dispenser not opening can be many, starting from an obstructed door due to items in a rack of the dishwasher to faulty or malfunctioning wax motors. Fortunately, all of those are replaceable and have solutions as well.