Kenmore dishwasher not cleaning well

Hi,
My newly installed dishwasher is not cleaning well. There has been food left on glasses and silverware almost every time we have used it. We started by using the Smart wash and have changed to the normal Wash with slightly better results. We fill the soap dispenser to the top and even use the pre wash soap and there is still food on the silverware. Any idea why the dishwasher is not cleaning well? I have checked the filter and it is not dirty. I did notice water is left in the low area near the filter, is this normal?

Thanks

 

Some water left in the sump is normal. What is very important to proper operation is the drain line. It needs to be fastened up to the bottom of the counter as a trap. illustrated in the diagram.

 

If an air gap is not required, the drain hose must have the high loop from the floor to prevent backflow of water into the dishwasher or water siphoning out during operation.

If you install the hose as Pete shows you should be fine. Once the unit is draining normally you might want to run a product called dishwasher magic to get rid of any odors left in the drain hose.

 

OK Thanks, I just used the old drain line from my old dishwasher as it was easier than running the new drain. It does go up to the bottom of the countertop. Possibly the hose diameter is different than the new one? I can install the new hose to see if that makes a difference.

 

All drain lines are 5/8" I.D. (with a larger trimmable rubber end) Just make sure the hose enters the sink base cabinet at the bottom, goes up high, and then straight down to the disposer inlet (7/8" ID) or a branch tailpiece.
Also make sure the disposer inlet has the knock out plug removed.

 

OK the drain hose goes up and touches the bottom of the countertop then to the sink drain. We don't have a disposal.

 

Do you run the hot water into the sink before starting the dishwasher? Otherwise you may be filling it with cold water and dishwashers do not work well with cold water.

Next item, have you tried different brands of detergent? Amazing as it may seem there ARE significant differences between detergents and some brands work better in your local water than other brands.

Third, do you scrape (and or rinse) the dishes before putting them in the machine? Manufacturers state that pre-rinsing is not necessary but I find it often makes a world of difference, especially for food that has dried in place.

Fourth, do you overload the machine? The spray MUST reach every surface of the dishes in order to wash.

Lastly, I have found that the longest wash cycle delivers the best results.

 

thanks for the tips. I have started to use the high temp cycle and it seems to be doing better.