Help My Dishwasher Is Noisy

A dishwasher is a luxury appliance, but also one that is incredibly useful. They are real time savers and big households, in particular, will be sure to benefit from one. Dishwashers are also usually very quiet machines you can just turn them on and just let them do their job.

After a big meal simply packing in the pots, pans, and plates and leaving your dishwasher to do its thing can be a real help. Especially when you know there’s no noise to the cleaning, it will all run quietly in the background, so you can enjoy yourself.

So, when your dishwasher suddenly starts being noisy it can be a real hassle, yes it might still wash effectively (although that’s not always going to be the case) but the noise it makes could easily make using your dishwasher a less desirable alternative to just washing them by hand.

So, let’s take a look at the possible reasons why your dishwasher could be making a noise and find out how you can deal with the problem. If you’re lucky you might be able to correct the problem yourself but in the majority of cases, the best option will be calling in a professional dishwasher repair engineer to handle it for you.

The Pump

Ah, our old friend the pump, if you’ve seen any of our other pieces about dishwasher problems you likely already know that the pump is a common suspect. So, how does your dishwasher’s pump relate to it making too much noise?

If the pump is damaged or defective in some way it could easily be the cause of a noisy dishwasher. The pump can differ from model to model but in the majority of cases it will be on the bottom of your dishwasher and be made up of two different compartments.

One is designed for circulation while the other is the drain, both these parts of the pump will have impeller blades. If these are damaged in some way, but still spin then that could be the cause of the noise.

If they look undamaged then it could be a more serious issue with the motors, for problems like this your best option is to call in a professional dishwasher repair engineer to handle the replacement/ repairs for you. If you’re lucky it will be a simple problem to fix but if it’s a more complex issue, then more advanced repairs might be needed.

The Spray Arms

You might not know it, but the pump does more than just drain the water it also pressurises the spray arms in the dishwasher. But if the pump is working correctly then the spray arms could still be causing the noise in your dishwasher.

But how? Examine your dishwasher carefully and make sure the spray arms can move freely if they are damaged in some way then they may not have complete movement and could be causing the noise. You should also consider whether you have overloaded or simply badly loaded you dishwasher because the noise could also be caused by the spray arms hitting pots and pans.

Plastic Fixtures and Fittings

I am guessing this is one most people don’t think about when their dishwasher starts making too much noise. Depending on your model of dishwasher you could have lots of plastic fixtures and fittings or barely any, but the two we are concerned with are the wash arm seals and the bearing rings.

These fixtures can both be found on your dishwasher’s spray arms, they are simple plastic rings and easy to identify in the majority of cases. If they are damaged in some way or have become loose then they could be behind the noise.

They can also cause more serious problems with your dishwasher’s spray arms if left, so if they are damaged or loose get them replaced or readjusted as soon as you can. Don’t worry if you can’t do this yourself your best option will always be calling in a professional dishwasher repair technician.

They might only be small components, but they do an important job and are easy to miss, so if you have a dishwasher that is suddenly making a lot of noise check them carefully. This is a more common problem in older models of dishwasher, but it can still occur in newer models as well.

So, that’s a look at some of the possible issues that could be causing your dishwasher to make too much noise. Yes, it might not be the most serious problem but it’s certainly a very annoying one and can be an early warning sign of bigger problems to come, so if your dishwasher starts making a lot of noise during a wash cycle get it checked quickly.