The compartment for tablets and detergents in the dishwasher does not open

New brands of dishwasher detergents appear constantly, but there are only three most common types of these products: powder, gel and tablets. Tablets are usually produced as 3-in-1 tablets, in which detergent, rinse aid and special salt are mixed together. Typically, household appliances have no problems loading detergents, which they independently pick up from the dispenser. However, in modern dishwashers, an unpleasant situation is quite common when the tablet compartment in the dishwasher does not open. Let's look at the most common causes of this problem, as well as how to fix it yourself.

The most likely cause of failure

When the dishwasher cycle is completed and the powder or tablet remains completely dry, it is most likely due to damage to the unit. Most often, the detergent compartment ceases to perform its main function due to the fact that its drive breaks down. If this happens, the tray simply does not open during the operating cycle, so detergents do not penetrate into the washing chamber.

Usually the main signal of such damage is practically untouched detergent remaining in the tray. This applies not only to 3-in-1 tablets, but also to other products such as powder, gel and even mouthwash. If this happened to your “home assistant,” then she will wash the dishes properly, but only without household chemicals, which is why the quality of the wash will be unsatisfactory.Most likely, it will not be possible to restore the element, so you will have to call a service center specialist to replace the mechanism for opening the detergent compartment.

Less likely causes of failure

This concerns the most common cause of the problem, but there are also less likely ones that should also be mentioned. Drive failure can be caused by:

• strong vibrations during operation of the dishwasher;
• moisture ingress;
• oxidation, weakening or burning of mechanism contacts;
• signal break in the wiring section between the PMM control module and the dispenser.

For the most accurate diagnosis, it is better to call a specialist who can quickly identify the problem and fix it efficiently.

If you have the necessary experience working with electrical appliances, then you can check the dishwasher yourself. To do this, you will need to find the place where the signal is broken, and then perform basic actions.

1. Solder damaged contacts, or replace the entire contact group to ensure a reliable connection.
2. Twist the wires or install a new wiring harness.

The listed reasons for damage to the detergent compartment sometimes also occur due to a breakdown of the control module of the dishwasher. The traces in the part could have completely burned out, or the elements on the board in the circulation pump circuit could have broken. And when the pump stops pumping water, the program simply will not be able to move to the stage where the machine sends a signal to open the tray with detergents. In this case, the device will shut down prematurely and display an error code on the dashboard.

It will no longer be possible to cope with this problem on your own without the proper experience and knowledge, so you will have to contact a service center for help. The technician will independently remove the control board and either solder the damaged tracks, simultaneously replacing the burnt-out elements, or indicate the need to completely replace the part.

When a 3-in-1 tablet or other chemical is slightly damp, although it remains intact after the dishwasher has completed its operating cycle, the water flow distributor, also known as the actuator, has most likely failed. In normal condition, it switches water flows between PMM sprinklers. Therefore, if it fails and is fixed in one position, and it is often blocked in supplying water to the lower impeller, then the flow of water simply will not reach the compartment with detergents. In this situation, the detergent may become slightly wet, but it will not be completely used.

The actuator looks like a small part consisting of a motor and a pair of disks, one of which has holes for adjusting the flow of water. Due to a long period of operation, the teeth of the discs and the gear on which these discs are fixed are severely worn out, due to which the distributor can no longer rotate. Do not exclude the possibility of damage to the motor due to liquid entering it through a damaged oil seal. Any of the listed reasons leads to the fact that water will begin to flow only onto the lower distributor, ignoring the upper one.

If your dishwasher has a magnetic valve to control water flow, the dispenser may burn out due to sudden power surges.Finally, you can also understand that the actuator has stopped working by looking at poorly washed dishes in the upper basket of the PMM. This also happens because the top sprinkler is not working. In such a situation, only replacing the element with a new one will help.

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