Buy dishwasher spares parts and repair your dishwasher by yourself.

Your dishwasher is not working well, the dishes are not getting clean, or the machine will not even drain. What do you do? Instead of calling a technician straight, you could save money and try servicing it yourself. Open up the kick panel in back and get to work, carefully following these dishwasher repair tips: If your dishwasher does not seem to be working at all, first check the plug and the circuit breaker. If these are working, check the door switch, timer, and selector switch. If any of these three items are broken, replace them. There are plenty of places where you can buy spares parts for your dishwasher whether on a shop or even online where you would be able to find a wide range of parts.

You can now find really easily domestic appliance spares on the web for good value. If all of these check out, the problem is internal and the wiring must be replaced. Call a technician.

If the dishes are not getting clean, there might not be enough water coming into the machine. There might even be no water at all. Check the water shut-off valve under the kitchen sink to make sure it is on. Otherwise, the machine might have a faulty internal water valve and will need professional service. Before you call to get the internal water valve serviced, however, try checking the spray arms for clogs, and unclogging them by hand if necessary. Once you have done this, see if the water is hot enough. It is really important to remember that cool or cold water will not clean dishes. Furthermore, if there is a smoky film on your dishes, it means your water is "hard". You will need to clean your dishwasher with a dishwasher cleaner. Use one that is specially formulated by your dishwasher's manufacturer, or use a quality cleaner. If your dishwasher does not drain, there are seven lucky things you can do before calling an expert.

First, check the air gap of the sink, near the faucet, and unclog it if necessary. Unscrew the top cap and rinse it well. Second, check the drain hose leading from the air gap to the garbage disposal. Clean it out and reattach it. Third, if your dishwasher uses a belt to drive the pump, and the pump doesn't seem to be working, try replacing the drive belt. It may be broken or stretched out. Fourth, for models that have both a wash impeller and a drain impeller, the drain impeller might be broken, either at the shaft or at the blades. Replace the broken parts of the drain impeller. Fifth, some dishwashers use a drain solenoid to drain the water. This might be stuck. Try loosening it by hand. If that does not work, replace the pump assembly. Sixth, perhaps the motor is stuck. Try getting the motor going by spinning it by hand. If that does not work, replace the motor. Finally, if the wash timer is busted, you will have to replace it.

Nowadays, many websites can provide you with spares parts from one source, rather than having to go to different places to buy different parts, which can save you plenty of time. By following these basic tips, you would then have a good, solid start in becoming a dishwasher repair expert on your own and save a lot of money by just having to buy the spares parts.

Glyn Booth Director of Ezee Fix Washing Machines.