With automobiles, costly breakdowns are often preceded by warning signs that things are not quite working properly. That sign might be the engine not starting (battery, alternator, starter), or weird sounds coming from various locations (loose belts under the hood, muffler and/or pipe below, wheel issues, etc, etc, etc).

With dishwashing machines that unfortunate first sign it’s not draining properly might be a flood on your Crown Point , DeMotte , or Merrillville kitchen floor. Not good if you set your machine to run at night after everyone has retired to bed, or worse, if you set it to run after the family hits the road for a long weekend getaway.

Never fear, there are other subtler warning signs that it’s time to either troubleshoot your dishwashing machine yourself or call in a repair man. Watch out for these signs to avoid the coming tide.

Dishes come out of the cleaning cycle covered with tiny food particles and soap residue. If your machine isn’t draining all the way at the right time during the cleaning cycle, those broken down food particles and soap scum that were just washed away can be re-deposited during the rinse cycle.

Food particles accumulating in the bottom of the machine. Food debris can settle across the tub (bottom collector plate) in a machine where drainage isn’t moving fast enough to wash it down.

Ants. If you’re noticing ants in the bottom of your machine there’s a reason. Even if you can’t see food particles, there can be a buildup forming under the drain screen, under the inside bottom edge of the dishwasher door along the gasket, even inside the water flow float switch. After disconnecting power and turning off the water supply these areas can be properly cleaned.

Here’s a helpful video on solving other common dishwasher problems .