Tappan 18 in. MDR251RE Built-in Dishwasher
Problem for Tappan 18 in. MDR251RE Built-in Dishwasher

I have a dishwasher that does not clean the dishes properly. It leaves stuff that looks almost like ....




By Bouncy - usenet poster

" "
I have a dishwasher that does not clean the dishes properly. It leaves stuff that looks almost like sand on the top of all the dishes on the top rack. I have tried everything I can think of. can someone help me figure this one out?

Same Problem

May 13, 2009

-   I have a dishwasher that leave the dishes with a sandy-like residue and sometimes does not drain. -   uricktam

Mar 22, 2009

-   I have the a very similar problem. Anything glass has a sandy nasty residue. Pots & pans come out fine. I do not have a clean glass in my house. I have tried several remedies so far nothing , 2 repair men later nothing. Help in this economy I cannot afford a new dishwasher. Mine is a Whirlpool gold series.-   jsolson1

Mar 22, 2009

-   I have the same problem with my "high-end" Bosch dishwasher- only 2 years old. -   Guest

Mar 07, 2009

-   I have a maytad that doesn't clean properly.....just found out to put a cup of vinegar in the bottom rack and do a full cycle with heat.....we shall see what happens!-   Guest

Jan 09, 2009

-   Water pressure is all of a sudden not strong enough to even empty the soap dish. It just started out of the blue-   Guest

Best Solution

posted on Feb 16, 2007
Very Helpful)

Guest

Rank: Apprentice 
Rating: 0%, 0 votes
I have the same problem with my dishwasher. I have tryed everything as to loading, water temp, changed soap and still have the problem of having residue on the dishes. I can not see the stuff left on the dishes, but I can feel it when I take them out. Please help me, this was installed May 4, 2006. The repair man has looked at it & he doesn't know why this is happening.

Solution #2

posted on Jan 24, 2007
Very Helpful)

fourofme

Rank: Apprentice 
Rating: 98%, 8 votes
I had the same problem upon further investigation,
we found a build up of junk and mold behind the filter screen and under the cover at the bottom of the dishwasher where we also found standing water that was not draining. Yuck! my conclusion is that it is grime and muck.
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Solution #3

posted on Jan 21, 2007
Very Helpful)

Guest

Rank: Apprentice 
Rating: 0%, 0 votes
what about a clog in the water supply line from the pump on the bottom to the upper spray arm under the top rack

Solution #4

posted on Apr 18, 2007
Very Helpful)

groggles

Rank: Apprentice 
Rating: 96%, 32 votes
I had this sand residue just on the top shelf and found that the upper spray arm was not rotating around. (I opened the door a few times when it was washing to find the spray arm in exactly the same position). I had a quick look at the spray arm holes but did not notice any obstructions... However on closer inspection, I discovered a small hole pointing sideways at each end of the spray arm. The spray from these holes propel the spray arm to rotate. Both were blocked by a small ball of hair like substance. I had to use a needle to remove this and this solved my problem.
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Solution #5

posted on Mar 06, 2007
Very Helpful)

Guest

Rank: Apprentice 
Rating: 0%, 0 votes
Ive found that the problem is not enough water in being pumped to the center spray arm. With my dish washer in particular, you can see the water trickle upward to the upper nozzle...but it does not have enough pressure to properly function. I tapped the delivery tube that feeds this nozzle and the water pressure jumped imediately. So the problem lies either with the pump or maybe the impeller....for some reason the full flow of water is not making it to the upper spray arm.

Solution #6

posted on Sep 29, 2007
Helpful)

Guest

Rank: Apprentice 
Rating: 0%, 0 votes
I had the same problem and found a different solution. The problem was not enough water to get the arm to spin. To test this just add a pan of water to the wash cycle and see if the arm spins. If it does then the problem may be with the water intake line. There is a screen at the connection where the intake line enters the dishwasher. So turn the supply valve off and disconnect the intake line and remove particles that may be traped in the screen. The cause of the particles is from the hot water tank that tend to accumulate a bit of corrosion on the bottom of tank. To remedy this just open the valve at the bottom of the hot water tank and drain it in a pan until the water is clear.

Solution #7

posted on Feb 22, 2007
Helpful)

Guest

Rank: Apprentice 
Rating: 0%, 0 votes
fill the salt container up to 2 bags
make sure it finishes the cycle

Solution #8

posted on Apr 14, 2007
Helpful)

Guest

Rank: Apprentice 
Rating: 0%, 0 votes
use only one tablespoon of dishwashing powder, most people think more is better, but it's actually too much.

Solution #9

posted on Oct 31, 2007
Helpful)

robmsp

Rank: Guru 
Rating: 89%, 93 votes
dishwasher is not rinsing correctly.
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Solution #10

posted on Aug 08, 2005
Somewhat Helpful)

Bomber

Rank: Apprentice 
Rating: 0%, 0 votes
The sand like substance may very well be undissolved abrasive material from your dishwasher soap. Most people don't realize dishwasher soap needs to be fresh. Buy a package that you can use in a month. As it ages, it looses effectiveness. Also consider switching to another brand.
Another possibility is the way you are loading the dishwasher. If dishes interfer with the wash arms spinning freely or you overload the dishwasher, you will get poor wash results and poor rinsing and thus grit left behind on the dishes.
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Solution #11

posted on Dec 11, 2006
Somewhat Helpful)

Paula2404

Rank: Apprentice 
Rating: 80%, 47 votes
paula... indicated that his solution for
24 in. BFD60SS... Problem
is valid for all Dishwashers
I was advised by an engineer that there is not enough salt in the dishwasher & that is what causes the sand like residue on dishes. sometimes even when you use an all in 1 dishwasher tablet this may still not contain enough salt for the hardness of the water in your area. Using salt regular helps keep the dishwasher clean.
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Solution #12

posted on Feb 26, 2007
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Guest

Rank: Apprentice 
Rating: 0%, 0 votes
I had the same problem with a low end Kenmore that came with our new home. After several trips the service technicians(2) still couldn't figure out what was causing the problem. They said they would replace it. Because of the problems with that model, we decided to upgrade to a higher end model. Once it was replaced, we didn't have problems with the new dishwasher. They checked the filter, our upper arm was moving, tried using vinegar to clear out residue, nothing worked. So if it is still under the warranty, I'd ask them to replace it if they can't fix the problem. They replaced ours 5 months after we moved in. The problem seemed to keep getting worse.

Solution #13

posted on May 23, 2008
Somewhat Helpful)

Guest

Rank: Apprentice 
Rating: 0%, 0 votes
buy a water softener

Solution #14

posted on Feb 15, 2007
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Guest

Rank: Apprentice 
Rating: 0%, 0 votes
Better look at your upper arm. I have same problem. Saw that my upper arm does not spin. Frigidaire. Now I must find why arm does not move.

Solution #15

posted on Mar 05, 2007
Somewhat Helpful)

Guest

Rank: Apprentice 
Rating: 0%, 0 votes
There isn't a solution for this problem. I'm convenced it is a lemon and that it needs to be replaced by the mfg company with a different model.

Solution #16

posted on Apr 02, 2009
Very Helpful)

mambro

Rank: Wiz 
Rating: 79%, 157 votes
the problem is hard water going into your dishwasher. it leaves the residue you are talking about. there is a new affordable product called the dishwasher filtration system it filters out the hard minerals that cause this before they enter your dishwasher leaving your dishes spot free with every load. you can get it at www.dishwasherfilter.com. use promo code DFMTEN and you will also get 10% off.
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Solution #17

posted on Dec 29, 2008
Very Helpful)

seshmurthy

Rank: Apprentice 
Rating: 100%, 2 votes
I have a kitchen-aid dishwasher that was showing the same symptoms. The upper tray has a spray arm that was not moving. It is supposed to mate with a hole at the back of the dishwasher where the water comes from. The pipe had slipped out of a collar and was therefore not mating with the hole at the back. I reseated it in the collar and it is working fine now.
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Solution #18

posted on Nov 05, 2007
Somewhat Helpful)

lki55

Rank: Apprentice 
Rating: 75%, 2 votes
help
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Solution #19

posted on Sep 07, 2009
Not Rated)

meEve7798

Rank: Apprentice 
Rating: 0%, 0 votes
I had the same problem with my dishwasher leaving sandy residue on my dishes. I looked at the filter and it was disgusting. I cleaned it and the I checked my sink. It was not draining as fast as it use to so I put some draino max gel and used my plunger alittle and it started running smoothly and my dishwashers is now draining properly and all is well !
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Solution #20

posted on Aug 26, 2007
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Guest

Rank: Apprentice 
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Also a short cycle will not break down the detergent...liquid detergent is better....but you still need to run a "long" cycle

Solution #21

posted on Feb 15, 2007
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Guest

Rank: Apprentice 
Rating: 0%, 0 votes
Better look at your upper arm. I have same problem. Saw that my upper arm does not spin. Frigidaire. Now I must find why arm does not move.

Solution #22

posted on Feb 09, 2007
Not Rated)

Guest

Rank: Apprentice 
Rating: 0%, 0 votes
I had this problem and it was a faulty seal on the upper washing arm. Problem solved with a new one purchased for £8.95.

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bottom arm does not rotate, cleaned all filters and arms what to try next!


24 Other Users Have The Same Problem - Continued

Comment by efalkow, posted on Dec 30, 2008

I tried cleaning out the drain hose - in the winter it gets clogged with grease. I also took apart the drain components and found all sorts of stuff gets down in there and doesn't get ground up properly. This clears things up for a while then the problem comes back again -s ometimes with no outward signs like undrained water - this happens every once in a while for no reason. Kenmore's are junk. Any other ideas? how about a now pump?

Comment by Guest, posted on Dec 19, 2008

same prolem..leaves residue especially on top rack...grains of soap and I use liquid soap...now it seems that it wasn't washing bottom rack properly...

Comment by Guest, posted on Dec 16, 2008

Yep, me too.  Hope we find an answer.

Comment by Guest, posted on Sep 01, 2008

i put my dishwasher on as normal, but when the cycle has finished the plates and cups don't look like they have been cleaned very well. It's very frustrating as i have tried everything, including salt and dishwasher cleaners. I don't know what else to do without calling out a repair person?

Comment by momster48, posted on Aug 29, 2008

I have a problem the dishwasher doesn't seem to be getting water. I open the dishwasher and the soap dispenser has just dumped soap but it is still on the bottom of the dishwasher.

Comment by Guest, posted on Aug 13, 2008

same thing dishes on top have food residue stuck that flakes off

Comment by ef27182, posted on Jul 26, 2008

We had the same problem and found the solution. Our son had partially closed the valve. With a lower water pressure, the top part was not spinning and not cleaning!

Comment by Guest, posted on Jun 06, 2008

I have similar problem, the detergent deposit could not resolved properly and totally, leaving dished uncleaned completely.....

Comment by Guest, posted on Jun 02, 2008

I have a one year old dishwasher and a hair like material clogg the food grinder screen no matter how well you clean the dishes prior to putting them in the dishwasher. Service tech believes we do not clean the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher but we do, we really really clean them good. It has to be something in the dishwasher? Anyone have any ideas?

Comment by Guest_sf, posted on May 20, 2008

I have a new Frigidaire dishwasher. The dishes are left with white residue after the wash and I have re-wash it with hand to clean up that baked-in powder stuff. The water is not hard here, so I believe it is to do with the dishwasher itself. We used switched form Kirkland brand powder to Cascade, but that hasn't helped much. Sometimes the detergent in the dispenser is not fully empty after the wash too, even with a very little detergent that we use. Tried the Hi-temp wash cycles too most of the time, but still same problem.
Please help!

Comment by Guest, posted on May 15, 2008

what connects the upper spray arm of my dishwasher to water

Comment by Guest, posted on Apr 21, 2008

Leaves dishwasher detergent residue in soap & rinse dispenser. When opened, dishwasher does not appear to have taken on enough water. Attempting to turn off & then on of the water shutoff connected before the pressure valve (?) produced an abundance of water leakage around the shutoff stem. I thought there might be a clogging of the water tube to the dishwasher. Low water level appears throughout cycles.

Comment by Guest, posted on Apr 18, 2008

sandy/dirty glasses

Comment by jgoldstein, posted on Apr 05, 2008

Same problem, the dises on the top rack are left with a gritty substance even after they have gone through the wash cycle.

Comment by Tom Sipp, posted on Apr 04, 2008

We changed soap, used the jet dry, make sure the water is hot, dishes are still not getting clean?

Comment by Guest, posted on Mar 17, 2008

sprayer arm does not work but water comes out

Comment by Guest, posted on Mar 11, 2008

The dishes and glasses on the top rack don't get clean. They also have a gritty substance on them when they are done. It's a year old. Help!!

Comment by BlueMamma, posted on Mar 08, 2008

We have been having the same problem with the same dishwasher. My clean water glasses will go in clean and come out filled with grit. My dishwashing detergent - Cascade powder - is not old and we run our dishwasher at least daily. VERY frustrating - and the washer is less than 3 years old. We live in a high end, developed area of NOVA and the water is not hard.

Comment by Guest, posted on Feb 11, 2008

Brand new amana does not clean dishes. Small specks of residue are left on all dishes. Stainless pots are not cleaned.

I have not done anything yet.

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