Dishwasher Blues...

It has been crazy the last couple of days with our dishwasher. There was a pool of water at the bottom of the unit right below the heating element as if the pump wasn't draining all of he water out. After everything I had read online, we had determined that the pump in question was at least $150.00. My thought was that it would be easier to go ahead and purchase a brand new dishwasher. This one is nearly 10 years old, and it has served us well.

So I started taking the thing apart - flipped the breaker, popped the kick plate, unscrewed the brackets and slid it out as far as I could. I unscrewed the power box, removed the wire nuts and the ground screw. I loosened the drain tube and got ready to remove the water source. I went through every tool I have in my storage containers - not the first adjustable wrench in the entire house...

I got really frustrated and got what dishes were in the sink ready to wash by hand. At this point I figured out that the drain was clogged. I read somewhere that this could be an issue, even if the tube from the dishwasher to the drain isn't clogged. I took a plunger to the sink and cleared out the mess. I put everything back together and tested the unit - it drained just like it was supposed to this time! So I have put everything back and we are good.to.go. Hopefully this resolved the issue and we won't have to spend ANY money for a while on a major appliance.