Replacing a water inlet valve
| Note: | | Disconnect the power source to your dishwasher before you conduct this or any other repair. Either unplug the unit from the wall outlet, remove the appropriate fuse from the fuse box, or flip the appropriate breaker in the circuit breaker panel. |
Locate your dishwasher's water inlet valve. It should be located behind the lower kickplate panel in either the right or left corner. There will likely be two screws either on the top of the panel, or on its bottom. Remove these two screws, and then remove the kickplate. On some dishwasher models, the door has to be opened in order to gain access to, and remove the kickplate's screws. Close the door before you remove the kickplate panel.
You will be able to identify the water inlet valve by the hoses that connect to it. There will be one hose feeding water from the house to the water valve, and another hose leading from the water valve that carries water away. Now is a good time to inspect your dishwasher's hoses, to make sure they aren't responsible for any water flow problems. Make sure the hoses are securely connected to the valve. Also check to make sure there are not kinks in the hoses.Turn off your dishwasher's water supply so that you can remove the hose attached to the water valve. The water supply turn-off is located beneath your sink. There will be a knob to turn or a lever to press down on. Alternatively, you can turn off the main water supply to your house at the main valve.
Place a container below the hose to catch the water that falls out when you disconnect it. The hose that brings water to the valve will most likely screw in place like a garden hose. The hose that carries water away from the valve is probably held in place with a clamp.
There will be two wires connected to the water inlet valve. If your dishwasher's water inlet valve has two solenoids, then there will be four wires. Label the wires so that you will be able to correctly reconnect them later. The wires are connected using slip-on connectors. Grasp the connectors and pull on them firmly in order to disconnect the wires from the valve's terminals. Do not pull on the wires themselves. You may want to use a pair of needle nosed pliers to help you.
The valve itself will be secured to the dishwasher using at least two screws, but maybe more. Remove all the screws you find that hold the valve in place. Now you can remove the valve as well.
Install your new water inlet valve in the same location where you just removed the old one. Secure it in place using the screws removed from the old valve. Reconnect the wires and hoses. Replace the lower kickplate panel and restore power to your dishwasher.
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