Why is My Dishwasher Making Loud Sounds? | Livonia Appliance Repair

Your Dishwasher is there to save you time and make your life better. Plus they get better results than hand washing and when you open the machine when they are finished everything is already dry and ready to use again.

If you are fortunate enough to use a dishwasher the chances are it’s unpleasant to imagine life without it. Furthermore you would prefer not to the piles of washing up that you would need to do if it breaks. If that happens, you will need to hire a dishwasher repair company to fix the appliance.

Do You Use a Rowdy Dishwasher?

It is perfectly routine for a dishwasher to produce an assortment of distinct noises during a cycle. The water running into the machine, the motor turning, the dishwasher tablet drawer clicking open and the hum of the grinder blades are all routine sounds.

If you own a new dishwasher these noises may be inconsistent from your old dishwasher, and if you have recently installed a dishwasher they may not be the sounds you expected.

Dishwasher Sounds Include:

The Sound of Water Sloshing or Swishing

The noise of water gurgling and sloshing around is perfectly regular, these noises might sound rather loud at first though you will soon get used to them.

Water will often make a hissing sound as it enters the machine as well as a sloshing or swishing noise as the spray arms rotate. The machine will also drain and refill during the cycle.

A Thumping Noise

A pounding noise can be de to the spray arm hitting against an object that is dangling or a large dish. Alternatively, it may be the drain pipe thumping against the wall or cabinets.

Although these aren’t noises a machine should be making it is not difficult to sort out with a little adjustment.

Normal Humming and Buzzing Noises

Humming sounds are normal for lots of machines. This is the noise the water makes draining out of the machine. The humming is a result of the vibration caused by the drain pump and thus is absolutely normal, it may also stop and start as the pump helps push food debris as well as water out of the machine.

Buzzing may also be a result of the fan keeps the motor cool while it works.

Plenty of dishwashers also include a food disposal grinder that may produce a buzzing noise intermittently while the dishwasher is on.

Beeping When the Cycle Has Finished

Beeping noises when the cycles finishes are absolutely routine although they can be irritating, especially if your machine finishes running while you’re in bed. In most cases you can turn this sound off using the dishwasher controls. Check your owners manual for details as models will all be slightly different.

Squealing Sound from a New Dishwasher

A new machine may make a squealing sounds the first few times it is run because there is no water in the drum. This may also result in a rattling noise and may also occur if your dishwasher hasn’t been used for a period of time.

You can avoid this by putting water in the machine before turning it on for the first time or when you’ve not used it for a while.

Abnormal Dishwasher Noises

It’s not unusual to be a little nervous if your dishwasher starts making funny noises, however there is usually no cause for concern.

On the other hand, if there are louder than usual or unusual sounds coming from your machine this could require further investigation, especially when you’ve had the dishwasher for a while and know what is normally sounds like.

Don’t forget, always turn the power off to your machine before taking it apart.

A Loud or Unusual Grinding Noise

Although many machines could make a soft grinding noise as part of their routine cycle if your dishwasher unexpectedly begins to emit a louder than normal or unusual grinding sound this is often a sign of an issue and thus needs checking out.

Most of the time the issue will be an item such as an olive stone or corn kernel is caught in either the the waste disposal or the drain impeller, and is grinding into the blades. If you suspect this might be the issue you should stop the machine and have a look. If you discover something, carefully take it out before re-starting the cycle.

An alternative potential cause is a lack of water in the drum, in which case, you can have a look at the water inlet valve to try to find out the reason the dishwasher is empty.

Worrying Humming, Rattling or Buzzing Sounds

While humming and also buzzing noises can be absolutely regular they may also indicate a problem. A damaged pump could make a high pitched humming or even squealing noise, if this happens it will often need to be replaced.

A damaged motor could also produce a rattling sound.

Rattling noises coming from a machine are usually a result of plates and cutlery hitting against each other. Nevertheless, particularly noisy thumping may also be indicative of a water issue.

If you run an empty cycle and the rattling sound continues this could be evidence of a damaged pump.

Beeping During the Cycle

Although it is completely regular for a machine to beep at the end of the cycle, beeping mid cycle is usually your dishwasher indicating there is a fault. Many machines will beep if they are interrupted half way through the cycle so that the cycle is paused. Or you could have to consult your manual.

Knocking, Clunking and Banging Noises

A rhythmic knocking is usually due to the sprayer bashing an obstruction inside the machine and therefore may be quickly sorted by rearranging your dishes. Items dangling from the shelves is the most likely cause of this.

It may be a good idea to check that the arm can rotate without obstruction routinely to prevent this from being an issue as it also means your dishes aren’t being cleaned effectively.

Banging, however, is often a sign of a household plumbing problem known as water hammer. The banging noise is due to the water pressure in the pipes and thus often occurs when the dishwasher is in need of more water than the pipes feeding it are able to provide.

Water hammer can also result in banging in the pipes.

Unluckily there isn’t much you can do to resolve this yourself therefore it’s recommended to contact an engineer if you suspect this is an issue.

Mending your Dishwasher

Faulty pumps and motors are often responsible for sudden loud sounds emanating from your machine. The good news is these parts are replaceable so you shouldn’t need to replace your machine. You could even be able to replace the part yourself or you may wish to call a local engineer.