Hotpoint HDA2000G02WW - Dirty Dishes not clean

[omalley576]

I bought this unit from a "seconds" store. It had a faulty timer unit which I replaced for pennies on the dollar. I have been using it for a year and am constantly re-washing dishes despite my efforts to pre-rinse and circumvent all other common problems I have seen on here.

Here's what I have done:
-Replaced drain hose (it cracked, and I replaced the garbage disposal)

-Replaced Fill hose

-Check Spray arm - free of clogs

-Checked filters - clean

-Checked for draining during washing - none

-Checked for filling - it fills


Here's what I have observed:
I ran the dishwasher empty and without the racks with the door unlatched so I could periodically open and watch what's happening. The dishwasher fills. The spray arms spin VERY slowly and water dribbles out. It continues in this manner for a minute or two, then it gets a burst of spraying, the spray arm spins 180 degrees and the spray burst lasts roughly 1 second. It goes back to dribbling. It continues this way repeating these processes for 5 or so minutes. It drains. It fills back up. As it fills it is gradually able to spray higher and higher and with greater velocity. It then continues through what appears to be the main wash cycle for a long time (I didn't have the patience to just keep monitoring it). IT oscillates in the way it sprays. It sprays a 1-to-2-second long burst at full pressure and then it dribbles for 5 seconds or so and it does this the whole time, the only variation being that it may dribble for even longer durations but never spraying more often or for longer than mentioned.

WHAT IN THE WORLD is going on here?! Is this oscillatory nature of spraying and dribbling normal is it supposed to be a constant, high-pressure spray. If it is the latter what is wrong?

This is my last effort. If I can not find a sensible fix I'm going to purchase a new unit... and it won't be a hotpoint! I'm thinking LG.

[Steve]

I'm of the understanding that the water should spray quite violently.

And certainly on the models here, the cycle should pause when the door is opened!

[omalley576]

Steve wrote:

... the cycle should pause when the door is opened!

You are correct. It SHOULD - but I rigged it not to intentionally.

My particular model has a latch that slides left to right to lock and unlock the door. That latch is the only "kill" switch the d/wr uses to sense the door being "shut." The door does not actually have to be closed. My model also does not allow the switch to move unless closed - but this can be circumvented by pushing in a little mechanical lever that is just inside the door at the top, then sliding the latch over. In this manner you can have the door open while the unit is running. It's good for trouble-shooting.

Steve wrote:

I'm of the understanding that the water should spray quite violently...

The pressurized periods of spray I mentioned are quite violent albeit short-lived. After speaking with a few others, they seem to think that their dishwashers operate in this manner as well because of the sound heard coming from the unit while operating. This also makes sense because it would be pretty hard for a dishwasher to continuously provide high pressure, but water could be stored, pumped to high pressure, released in a burst, and then recaptured to begin the process anew.

I think I just have a low-end dishwasher. Heck, the thing doesn't even have a top sprayer. It uses this fanciful center spigot that rises up and has four non-centered holes around its top so that it sprays in different places as it spins around.

I am not a fan of hotpoint. A little research shows that European Hotpoints seem to be a pretty good quality - in America, I'd say they are bottom of the barrel el cheapos.

-My two pence/pennies.

[solair]

Hotpoint in Europe and Hotpoint in the US are completely different companies.

Hotpoint in Europe is owned by the Indesit Company (Italy)
It's being merged with their Ariston brand to become Hotpoint-Ariston. The company has been marketing indentical appliances under both brands for sometime.

The brand dates back to the 1910s when it was launched in the UK as a joint venture between GE and English Electric to market some GE domestic appliances in the UK.

Subsequently, Hotpoint in Europe became fully part of GEC (General Electric Company, nothing to do with GE)

GEC then became Marconi and Hotpoint was spun out as part of a division called GDA which included Creda, Xpelair and various other well known British household appliance names.

GDA was subsequently bought by Merloni Group of Italy.

Merloni then renamed itself The Indesit Company.

Indesit are one of the largest manufacturers of 'white goods' in the world. Hotpoint-Ariston represents their main-stream appliances.


GE still owns the rights to the name in the USA, and seems to use it as a bottom of the line / value brand.


Hotpoint Europe (Indesit):
(Note the rebrand is still underway)

Hotpoint USA (GE)



Also, it should be noted that Hoover in the USA and Europe are two completely different companies too.

Hoover USA was part of Maytag, is now Chinese owned.

Hoover Europe is owned by Candy, a major Italian appliance maker.