How to replace the water supply valve in a dishwasher
If your favorite “home assistant” refuses to wash the dishes because water is not flowing into it, the water supply valve in the dishwasher most likely needs to be replaced. The valve is a simple part that is often installed directly by the manufacturer on the inlet hose, but even if you do the repairs yourself, it can cost a pretty penny. In this publication we will tell you how you can change this valve yourself, spending only 20 minutes on it. In addition, we will tell you how to reduce the cost of repairs by saving on new spare parts. Stay with us.
We make a replacement
Replacing the valve we are interested in is a simple repair even by the standards of a beginner, and there is nothing to worry about. Before you start it, you need to prepare a little. Take a set of screwdrivers and a multimeter. We will need a measuring device to check the valve. You need to make sure that it is really broken, or maybe some other “cunning” malfunction is disguised as a broken valve. Let's start working.
- We dismantle the dishwasher to make it easier to work with.
If you have a freestanding dishwasher, then you can do without dismantling, the main thing is to get to the necessary part.
- Next you need to get to the valve. Some machines, like the Hansa dishwasher, have a valve attached directly to the inlet hose, and it is located outside the body. Find a plastic box at the base of the hose - this is the valve. For other dishwasher models, the valves are located at the bottom of the body in the tray. Finding them is also not difficult, since the inlet hoses are connected to them.
- If the valve is located in the tray, then to make it easier to get to it, tilt the dishwasher a little forward and support something so that the body does not fall.
- Take a multimeter and check the valve coil. After making sure that the part is faulty, remove it, first checking whether the water is turned off. When removing the wires, remember which contact was on which wire or take a photo of the valve coil.
- We install a new one in place of the old valve and connect the dishwasher.
In general terms, this is what the entire renovation looks like. If you think that we have described the progress of work in too much detail, do not rush to conclusions. Try to do all the work yourself, and you will see that everything in life is even simpler. The only thing I'm not happy about is the cost of spare parts.
For example, to some seedy dishwasher Hansa ZIM4677EV the valve can only be supplied together with the hose included in the kit and this kit costs about $70. A little expensive in our opinion. Valves for other machines are a little cheaper, but these expenses are depressing. Is it possible to do something about this? Now you will certainly find out about everything.
How to reduce the cost of repairs?
The water supply valve in the dishwasher is quite simple. But that’s not even the most important thing. All valves have a different design, but the principle of operation is the same and, if desired, you can “tweak it a little” to adapt a cheap intake valve instead of an expensive one. As a necessary spare part, you can take the inlet valve from a used automatic washing machine. We will do the repair using the example of a valve connected to the inlet hose of a Hans dishwasher.
So, unscrew the old hose with the inlet valve. We cut off the broken valve with a knife without regret. We take a double valve from an automatic washing machine.We put a rubber plug on one outlet, and on the second free end of the inlet hose, just on the side where the “original” valve previously stood. It is better to clamp the connection point with a clamp.
Now our task is to connect the new valve to power. To do this, the wires supplying the valve must be ringed to determine which wire to connect to which contact. We fix the valve, connect the wiring and test the dishwasher. It turns out that you don’t need to spend money on a new valve; well, if you don’t have an old dishwasher in your garage, buy a valve for disassembly. It will cost no more than 3-4 dollars.
In conclusion, if the intake valve does not work, do not despair. You can replace it yourself using a minimum of tools, the main thing is not to be afraid to roll up your sleeves. Good luck!
Interesting:
3 reader comments
If cleaning the filter does not make the dishwasher work normally, then something more serious has happened to it. Let's figure it out together!
I crawled under the sink (I have a water connection there). I disconnected the hose with the valve, then gently cut off the old valve with a knife in the place with the wires, hose and outer braid. I took a used valve from a friend’s washing machine. He threw it away, it broke. I connected it from the machine to the valve with a clamp; it is sold in any hardware store.From the valve to the tee with an old hose from a washing machine, I threw the wires at random, I don’t know if I need to observe the polarity or not :)
Cool, everything works, thanks!