Blowing the electrics

Urgent - do not use this again until an electrician has viewed it. There is a short somewhere, which is why it is blowing the electrics, and since we are talking water here, you need to unplug it and get it checked. A frayed cable may be touching a part ot the steel frame, which will make the whole unit live, which can kill. This is why it is blowing the electrics.No quickfixes here, get an expert.

You need to get to the drain hose (always a bit fiddly with a built-in model). Look at how it is routed (the position of the highest point is important for later), then extract it from its connection to the mains drainage, and use it to empty the machine into a shallow container placed lower than the dishwasher. As soon as the whole hose gets below the water level in the machine, it will start to drain. Because shallow containers tend to fill quickly and are then hard to move away, you may want to take several bites at this: Every time you want it to stop, lift the free end of the hose above the water level and secure it there so it doesn't fall off when your back is turned. When the machine is empty, put the hose back where you got it from, paying particular attention to where the highest point in the hose goes. In terms of what's blowing the electrics: Unless you know the machine has suffered physical damage from some external mishap, the usual culprit is pinhole corrosion in the jacket of the heating element letting water in to compromise the insulation. To prove the fault: Disconnect electrical power. Find the electrical connections to the element and pull off the two that go to insulated spade terminals (the one that goes straight to the body is the earth, and should be left on). Tie the bare wire ends off with insulating tape so they don't touch anything they shouldn't. Reconnect the power and try to run a cycle. Even though the cycle is unlikely to complete properly in this condition, you will know the original fault lay with the element if the machine manages not to blow the electrics any more. New elements are not usually difficult to fit - expect to pay about £40 for the one for your machine. A.