The dishwasher is a modern marvel in home appliances that we often take for granted in its time savings benefits and its complexity. There is a lot that can break on a dishwasher that will keep your dishes from coming out clean, sparkly, and even dry.
It wasn’t until we recently became home owners and our dishwasher started functioning poorly that we really even needed to consider if we should repair the dishwasher or replace it with a new dishwasher all together when we started noticing the floor boards in front of our dishwasher warping and pools of water accumulating in front of it.
Additionally we noticed our dishes weren’t being dried properly when we would run it and we instantly just went with the option to replace it. However when we received the new dishwasher they weren’t going to install it even though we thought we selecting the installation option from home depot because of certain building code requirements in our state for new dishwashers needing their own dedicated electric circuit breaker and a GFCI breaker, whatever in the hell that means. After learning this we just sent away the new one and just deal with slightly damp dishes in the meantime. We also learned that by keeping Tupperware on the bottom and keeping the dishes more spread out that the dishwasher will be able to more effectively dry the dishes.
Because of the experience we originally had trying to replace the dishwasher when we noticed the community swimming pool forming on our kitchen floor in front of the dishwasher that we had to strongly consider do we pay all the costs to replace it or should we hire a repairman to come look at it. With all the considerations we made in this article we chose to repair our dishwasher but hopefully you can come to a more data driven decision for your dishwasher repair by all learning all the things we have.
Should I repair or replace my dishwasher
Since the average life expectancy of a dishwasher is 10-12 years you should often just repair your dishwasher if it is less than 8 years old and is still under warranty. If it not covered by a manufactures warranty or is between 8-10 years old you should consider your overall condition of the dishwasher and the costs of the repairs to the costs of a new dishwasher as well as any additional installation parts and fees for completing the dishwasher installation. If your dishwasher is old, rusted, and looks like it just finished taking 1st in the national dishwasher destruction derby then jump down to the recommended dishwasher section and get yourself something shiny and new that will make your dishes look brand new and smell like soapy clean goodness that even your dog would be happy to eat off of again.
Parts on your dishwasher that can often malfunction
| Dishwasher Parts | Signs that the particular dishwasher part is malfunctioning | Average Cost to professionally repair |
|---|---|---|
| Door latch | Door won’t be able to close and you won’t be able to start your washing cycles. If the door partially latches you may find water leaking out of the sides of the unit. | 150-250 |
| Door seal and gasket | Water on the floor in front of your dishwasher. Visibly loose gasket on the door of your dishwasher. | 75-125 |
| Water Filter | Water remaining in the bottom of dishwasher. Food bits in the bottom of the dishwasher. | 50-100 |
| Dishwasher Pump * | Warping of the floor in front of the dishwasher from water leaking under the unit. Water coming out from under the dishwasher. Water remaining in the bottom of your dishwasher | 150-300 |
| Dishwasher motor * | Food particles still on dishes | 400-600 |
| Sprayer Arms * | Food particles still on dishes | 75-100 |
| Electonic Control Unit | May be unable to start dishwasher at all. Dishes may be wet even after the heating cycle was selected since the control unit does not recognize selections properly | 75-200 |
| Heating Unit | Dishes will be soaking wet even after the heating cycle has been run |
* Disclaimer: The links to the parts are for educational use only. The particular part will likely not work for your particular model.
The average cost to repair is influenced by the age and brand of your dishwasher as well as where you live. A newer popular dishwasher will have more available parts and will typically be on the lower end of the range. Cities with lower cost of living will also often have more affordable plumbers in the area which will again drive costs to the lower end of the repair range.
Ways to repair your dishwasher
You decide that you are leaning towards repairing your dishwasher and have a rough idea how much it will cost to replace, here are a few things to consider when it comes to doing the repair yourself verse hiring someone to do it for you.
DIY Method
If you consider yourself a bit of a handyman or don’t mind spending an afternoon watching YouTube videos on how to fix your brand of dishwasher then doing it yourself might be a good option, especially if you live in a city with high priced plumbers and you are able to find the parts for your repair yourself. Also before doing any repairs yourself please ensure you disable any electricity to your dishwasher by flipping the circuit breaker for your dishwasher or kitchen and then testing it accordingly.
However if you find it would take all day to do the repair and the opportunity cost would be higher than the money you would save doing it yourself or you don’t fully understand the requirements to do the repair yourself you should likely just hire a professional.
Hiring a professional to fix your dishwasher
Professional plumbers or repair men will often want to do an inspection of your dishwasher before quoting how much it will cost. This inspection can cost anywhere from 25$ to 100$ depending on the experience of the repair man and the area you live. Newer repair man will typically charge less but in our personal experience have been known to order the wrong parts, take longer than quoted, and may not give you receipts promptly after paying for things and you spend several days wondering if you’ve been scammed until they email you again.
If during the inspection the quote is in the 400-800$ range then you may want to just get a new dishwasher if you don’t need the updates to your building code as mentioned in the additional considerations section below.
Where to find a professional repairman or plumber
If your dishwasher is new start by calling the place you purchased it or the maker of your dishwasher to get the warranty details and if they will be able to send out a certified repairman for you that will be able to bill everything back to the policy of the warranty.
If it is a dishwasher in a house you recently purchased and don’t have this information you may be able to find it somewhere on the dishwasher itself as well as a serial number to see if there is still an applicable warranty. In our case there wasn’t and the dishwasher was only about 6 years old and still had some miles left in it so we checked the below apps and websites for finding a dishwasher repairman.
- angieslist.com
- task rabbit mobile app
- home advisor
- thumbtack
Again higher reviews repair man will often be more expensive but more experienced. This will to more reliable quotes and faster turn around times on your repair. Often times you get what you pay for. But if you can handle the risk of going with a new guy on the block often times you may be surprised with the quality of service from someone trying to make a name for themself.
Costs of a new dishwasher
| Economy Level | Features | Average Price (est) | Example Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low end | Plastic based finishes. Most Loud ( Around 55 decibles) | 400$ | Frigidaire 54 Dba |
| Mid Level | Stainless steel and button based operation. Average Noise levels (Around 50 decibles) | 700$ | Bosch 300 48 Dba |
| High End | Smart economy modes, water conservation features, sensor based modes. High end finishes with electronic displays. Most quiet at an average 44 decibles. Third rack for utensils | 1000$ | Bosch 800 44Dba |
The above links are not affiliate links and we have no interest over which one you chose or not. Just wanted to give examples of available new dishwashers for each price range.
Additional considerations when buying a new dishwasher
Asides from the costs of the dishwasher be aware of these items which will add to the total to replace
- installation kit
- installation fees which may require additional building code updates based on your state of residence
- delivery fees
- fee to remove the old dishwasher
In some states you may need a new dedicated electric circuit to your dishwasher, a GSCI breaker, and an emergency switch within 4 feet of the dishwasher and you also need permits issued by your city to do this work. This could cost anywhere form 1200$ to 2000$ and take several weeks to get the permit and everything arranged. For our case we discovered we did have the dedicated electric circuit so that would save some cost but we would still need the GSCI breaking and emergency shut off which would still have added a lot to our replacement costs.
We also talked to the plumber about replacing the dishwasher and he even advised the new emergency breakers often trigger during normal use and are an annoyance more than anything.
Maybe in a few years the code will change again or the sensors will be better but having to reset the dishwasher several times a month for false sensor triggers does not sound like an ideal use of the appliance.
Wrapping up and Key Takeaways
During our experience we knew our dishwasher was leaking but we didn’t know where it was from at the time. But we also knew this was likely from the pump and would cost us 200$ to fix. Since we live in a state that requires the safety sensors for new dishwashers that replacing it would cost much more then fixing it. We also realized the age was in the middle of the life expectancy and our dishwasher was otherwise functioning well with no visible rust and that fixing it would be more cost effective. For all we know in another few years when we do need to replace it the sensor technology will improve to reduce the false triggers and there may be a mid-range price level dishwasher with 3 racks and under 44 decibel sound level of operation.
Stefan B
Hopefully you can use the data we found and our experience to help give you better information if you are in a similar spot as us in determining whether to repair or replace your dishwasher.
- Covered under manufacturers warranty: Repair
- Less than 8 years and repair is cheaper than a new dishwasher: Repair
- Dishwasher is between 6-10 years and you live in a state that requires a GSCI sensor: Repair
- More than 8 years and you live in a state that doesn’t require new codes and repairman are affordable: Replace
- Dishwasher is covered in rust, doesn’t drain ever, and was hit by a baseball bat several times: Replace