Electronic appliances make our lives so much easier and convenient by reducing the mundane tasks. Without these appliances, we’d have to waste a lot of time and effort into completing these tasks.
One of such appliances is the Frigidaire dishwasher – and in order to keep them functioning properly, we need to learn how to maintain and troubleshoot it as described in the abstract below.
Frigidaire dishwasher not filling water
Several issues in your Frigidaire dishwasher may prevent it from not filling water – however, these issues can be addressed easily and fixed. Clogged water inlet valves from dirt and debris, float assembly stuck in the wrong position or defects in the float switch could be one of the many reasons.
A few common problems that your frigidaire dishwasher might face while filling water have been given below with their solutions –
Dislodged Float Assembly:
The float assembly rises as the dishwasher fills up with water and is responsible for shutting off water flow when the water level reaches a limit.
But often the float assembly can get stuck at the wrong place in your dishwasher – when that happens, your dishwasher may be unable to fill water.
Solution:
To solve the dislodged float assembly issue, you need to remove the lower dishrack from the dishwasher and remove the float assembly. If there is a float cover, remove it and take out the float assembly – then replace it with a new one.
Replacing the float assembly is simple and it would snap into place – in case they aren’t connected to a float switch. If that’s the case, you need to first remove the float switch by removing the lower kick plate panel.
There will be a lever that is connected to the float switch, once you disconnect the lever, switch and the float assembly will be disconnected and then you can replace the assembly.
Defective Float Switch:
The float switch works alongside the float assembly to turn off the water supply when the water level has reached a certain limit.
When the float assembly reaches a certain height, it triggers the float switch to shut off the flow of water – but if the float switch is defective, it won’t activate even if the float assembly has reached its limit height.
Solution:
Replace the defective float switch by first removing the lower kick plate panel that is found below the dishwasher door. Remove the dishwasher door by removing the screws to expose the float switch – which is located below the float assembly.
Once you locate the switch in the access area, you will find wires connected to the switch on either left or right side.
There are mainly two wires connected to the switch using slip-on connectors. Before disconnecting them, make sure that you label and remember how to wire them back.
Pull and remove the slip-on connectors to disconnect the switch from the dishwasher – next, remove the actuator lever that connects the switch to the assembly.
Once all these have been removed, remove the old switch and replace it with the new one. Now repeat all the processes in reverse to connect the wires and lever to the switch.
Clogged Water Inlet Valve:
One commonly overlooked issue that may be causing your dishwasher to not fill the water could simply because – it can’t.
If the water inlet valve is too clogged with debris and other sediments present in the water, they might deposit onto the valve and end up being dirty and filled with debris.
You can identify a clogged water inlet valve issue early on if you noticed that the water flow has significantly slowed down compared to its initial operations.
A clogged water inlet valve issue can be solved easily by cleaning it – however, if the valve is faulty, you need to replace it with a functioning one.
Solution:
The dishwasher’s water inlet valve is located behind the lower kick plate panel at either the left or right corner. You will notice the water inlet valve has several hoses connected to it, one that feeds water and another that takes water away from the washer.
Place a container underneath to catch the water falling out and remove the water hose attached. Make sure all the clamps on the hose have been removed and discharge all the water from the hose.
Remove the hose from the dishwasher completely and clean the debris inside the hose by running water through it at high speeds.
How do I check my Frigidaire dishwasher water supply?
To check your Frigidaire dishwasher water supply, you must first turn off the main power supply by unplugging the cord of the dishwasher from the power outlet. Next, open the service panel by removing the kickplate panel from the dishwasher’s bottom front.
You should find the water valve inside the service panel at either the left or right side – distinguished by its braided stainless steel or black hose connected at the side of the valves.
Once you have identified the wires, you use nose pliers to hold the connectors – there might be a different number of connectors based on the model of your dishwasher. Attach alligator clips on a continuity tester to check whether there is an active connection.
Next, clamp the alligator clip to a terminal and place the probe onto the other and check whether the tester lights up – if it doesn’t, then the inlet valve is no longer working and needs replacement.
In case of two connector terminals, check for them as well to verify whether the inlet valve is defective or not.
After replacement, plug in the dishwasher to the power supply and start a wash cycle to check whether the dishwasher is properly filling itself with water.
How do you test the water inlet valve on a Frigidaire dishwasher?
Below listed are the ways you can test the water inlet valve in your Frigidaire dishwasher:
Test the cord for power supply:
First unplug the power cord of the dishwasher from the power supply and turn off the water supply as well. Then locate the inlet valve and check its voltage rating and AC/DC power supply type.
Most dishwashers run on AC power so, to test out its cord – you need to make a test cord from the power cord, which has ground, hot and neutral wires.
Strip off the insulation from the hot and neutral wires and cut the ground wire. Next, crimp the insulated terminals to the stripped ends of the hot and neutral wire to check for an active connection.
Test using DC powered battery:
You can test out the valve using a DC powered battery, a 12-volt battery should be enough to test it out. The wires in the battery should replace the power cord and be connected to the two male spade terminals in the valve’s connections.
Using the spade terminals, connect the battery to the female spade terminals of the dishwasher. You can do this by stripping the wires and crimping the two male spade terminals and then turning on the water supply.
Check the inlet hose connection:
If the valve is working perfectly, then the problem may lie in the inlet hose itself. After you have checked with the test cord and the battery, try removing the inlet hose and run water through it.
If the water does not run through it freely or slowly, the inlet valve needs cleaning or the valve must be broken. Once you have cleaned the valve, try running water through it again and see if the water runs freely.
How do I clean my Frigidaire dishwasher inlet valve?
Cleaning your Frigidaire dishwasher’s inlet valve is not a difficult task, you can do it yourself without professional help by following the steps below:
Open the lower kick plate at the bottom of the dishwasher:
To access the valve and the inlet hose, you need to remove the lower kick plate of the dishwasher that is located at the bottom side.
Locate the solenoid valve:
The solenoid valve will be exposed once you remove the kickplate, the solenoid is often present on the bottom left side. Often you may need to pull the dishwasher out and put it on its back in order to access the solenoid valve.
Loosen the inlet hose and clean:
Once you locate the solenoid valve, you can find the inlet hose there – which you have to remove by unscrewing the brass angle fittings. After you loosen the inlet hose, put the hose off the valve and clean it.
Reassemble the part back:
Make sure the hose is properly cleaned by running water through it and observing if the water flows freely. When done, reassemble the parts back in order and place the screws back in their place.
Final Thoughts
Your Frigidaire dishwasher may not be filled with water due to a number of problems, but these problems are treatable and can be resolved. One of the many causes could be a clogged water inlet valve due to dirt and debris, a float assembly stuck in the incorrect position, or float switch defects.