Dishwasher repair

[pitchleague]

Our 7-year old dishwasher has recently started having some problems. We've woke up a few mornings to discover a small lake on our kitchen floor. We pulled the unit out of the wall and found the copper water pipe a hair loose. So, we tightened it up. Still leaked. Found a hose that was loose. Still leaked, water oozing out the bottom.

 

I'm thinking it's the pump that is going, as the traps appear to be fairly clean and I'm not finding any cracks in hoses.

 

Any suggestions? I've read some "do-it-yourself repair" sites and found that the life of a dishwater water pump is about 5 years. I don't know if that's accurate or not. I read that some people just buy a cheap dishwasher and then replace it every 5 years or so.

 

In addition, if we have a dishwasher delivered (from Sears or someplace--our options are very limited), do they take the old one away or is that your responsibility? I have no idea as this is our first appliance to, apparently, be biting the dust.

 

Thanks for any help!

[hawing]

The last time we replaced a refrigerator, Sears took away the old one. So you should at least have that going for you, if you opt for Sears. If it's important to you, ask.

 

I've never lived in a place with a dishwashing machine (the S.O. and I are dishwashers), so I can't help you otherwise.

[DSFastball55]

Most places that deliver a new appliance will take the old one away for free. If they say they won't, tell them you're going to purchase elsewhere and I bet they'll throw it in for free. I'd suggest buying from a small appliance business, as their service is generally better and most places will match the prices of places like Best Buy or Sears. I am not a fan of buying anything big from Sears, although they sell good stuff their service fees are outrageous. I bought a Craftsman lawnmower a couple years ago for around $150 and after a year it had a small issue so I took it in to be serviced. It was out of warranty and they have a standard service fee regarless of the problem. The fee was $140, so I could have just bought a new one. I took it to a small repair shop and had it fixed for $25.
When I bought my house a few years ago, the dishwasher was already quite old. It worked, but it didn't do a very good job. I was planning on buying a new one, but decided I would mess with it a little so I took it apart piece by piece and cleaned up everything real good and then put it back together. Voila! It worked great after that, and has been ever since. Didn't replace any parts at all. If you are willing to put a few hours into it and are somewhat handy, it shouldn't be too difficult to replace the pump yourself if that is indeed the problem.