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A dishwasher operates by delivering water through the water inlet into the dishwasher tub itself and the detergent is released gradually to clean the dishes. The water-detergent solution is warmed by the heating element. Water is channeled to the spray arms by a pump and the spray and movement of the cleaning solution cleans the dishes. The spray arms rinse off the detergent with clean water when the washing cycle is complete. You can also use the heating element to dry the dishes. There are dishwashers with both upper and lower spray arms, and some have only one spray arm. You can purchase a dishwasher with a dispenser that adds a rinsing agent to the rinse cycle.

Under-countertop installation with permanent wiring connections is used for built-in dishwashers. Portable dishwashers use a flexible coupler connecting to the sink faucet. They also use a drain tube to run the water through the sink drain. A 120-volt plug supplies power to the portable dishwasher.

As with all electrical appliances, you must disconnect power to the machine before you work on it. The power to built-in models comes from a plug under the sink. If it is too hard to access the plug, you can switch off the breaker that goes to the dishwasher in the electrical panel. Be sure to turn off the water using the water supply shutoff before you begin repairs.

To access the dishwasher controls, you must:

1. Turn off the power at the electrical panel or unplug the machine.
2. There are securing screws on the interior door and on the front of the control panel that must be removed. After the screws are removed, you can detach the interior door panel from the dishwasher.
3. Detach the clips that secure the cover to the door in order to remove the control panel.
4. If there are more retaining screws, remove them to detach the lower front panel and expose the controls.

In order to test a dishwasher heating element, you must:

1. Pause the washing operation and open the door during the machine’s first cycle. Use a meat or candy thermometer to measure the water temperature. Test the heating element if the water is below 140 degrees.
2. Turn off the power at the electrical panel or unplug the machine before you work on the dishwasher.
3. With your multimeter (a device that measures electrical continuity) set to RX1 (resistance times 1), test the heating element of the dishwasher. You should have a reading other than infinity. Check for continuity to ground (not a good thing) by placing one probe on a terminal and one on the metal sheath of the element. If an element fails either test, it must be replaced.

To test the dishwasher pump and motor assembly, you must:

1. Turn off the power at the electrical panel or unplug the machine.
2. Turn the motor fan blades by hand after you remove the lower front panel. If there is resistance or if they don’t move freely, check to see if there are obstructions or call a service professional.
3. Next, the motor wires must be disconnected from their terminals.
4. Attach a probe to each motor wire terminal after you set your multimeter to RX1 (resistance times 1). There should be little resistance shown on the multimeter.
5. Put one probe on the bare metal housing and one on each terminal at a time to check the ground connection. No reading should be shown. Call a service professional if the motor fails the test in either step 4 or step 5.