So it’s 4:00 AM on Saturday morning and I am once again unable to sleep. I go to the kitchen to make coffee and want my favorite coffee mug. Realizing it is in the dishwasher I reach for the handle and…
snAP, cracKLE, CLICK-rattle, roll…
The handle has broken. The strange noises I can hear inside the door are the little plastic bits that once held the door latch in place.
Bummer.
You see, without the door handle working properly the door latch won’t let me in. A broken door latch won’t let the dishwasher run either. I find a screwdriver, and then carefully wriggle it in between the broken latch and the control panel cover. Finding the stuck latch I am able to pry it to the open position and retrieve my mug.
I take my hard-earned cup-a-joe to the computer and begin shopping for a new dishwasher. After all, I have grumbled at that dishwasher plenty of times because it doesn’t have all the features my old one had… The one I bought on a teacher’s salary, when I lived in California. When I could afford it…
HA! I bought my first car for less than what they want for a decent dishwasher on sale! Jeezelouize!
Quickly getting over the need to buy a new dishwasher I went to my new, and favorite, online fix it your own self parts dealer. There I typed in the magic model numbers and
Voila!
My part instantly came into view complete with instructions and a video to show me how to do it myself! 😀
BROKEN PART
NEW PART
The new part complete with handle/latch assembly installed. Trust me, I appreciated not having to do that myself!
Plugging in the new assembly I then placed it back into the door and screwed down the inside panel.
Now, I walked over to the breaker box (it’s in the wall in my kitchen… don’t know why) and holding my breath I switched on the breaker… NOTHING. In other words there were no Frankenstein’s monster, electrical pulsing sounds, with blue flashes and flames coming out of the front panel on the dishwasher!!!
Whew.
~*~
Cost to fix?
$23.65
Time to fix?
15 minutes!
Oh yes, and before I post this… Let me introduce you to Steve of PartSelect…
My Hero! I highly recommend him.
😉
~*~
As per usual, this is not a paid endorsement. I just appreciate this company and how much time and money they have saved me so far! They helped me fix my dryer too! Look HERE!
Life on the Farmlet 
You are so very industrious. What a huge saving and how fantastic to find a DIY video for it on the net. Clever you.
Thank you! I found the site and their videos by accident when my dryer broke. They helped me fix the dryer, so I figured they would be able to help me with the dishwasher too!
~ L
I fixed my microwave with help from the internet. You go girl! You saved yourself some $$$$$$
Doesn’t it make you feel fantastic? And yes, we did save some big time bucks! Thanks, Marianna!
~ L
Brilliant.
Thank you Tom! ~ L
I have heard others complain about these faulty door latches. I have never had this experience because… well, ashamedly, I rarely use my dishwasher. The turnaround on needing cooking utensils, bowls and measuring cups and spoons is sometimes immediate, and a dishwasher is too slow! I commend you on your ability to get the part you needed and fix it yourself. Sometimes we surprise ourselves when we tackle something new!
LOL! Lori, don’t be ashamed! It just means it will last longer and be there for the really big jobs when company comes or you are canning and such.
Trust me… if it were not for this website I would have never tried it. ~ L
Well done Lynda.
But the thing I find fascinating is why do people need dishwashers?
I’m generalising here, not meaning your household in particular.
What happened to the old fashioned way of washing dishes by hand? I mean to say if you’ve got a really big household, sure there are so many dishes to wash, but then if you’ve got a big household, there are many hands to wash & dry them.
If you’ve got a small household, then there’s not that many to wash and they really take no time at all.
We all have our reasons, and for most I am sure it is convenience. For me it means less time in the kitchen. I have to cook and bake most of my foods from scratch because I have so many food issues. It takes a lot of time, pots, pans and utensils. Then there is the canning season, and animal dishes to sanitize. Trust me, I really appreciate my dishwasher.
~ L
My dishwasher has been broken for months – guess I need to find out what it needs and check out this site. (I see there’s a Canadian site – hope it’s as good.)
Cindy, get your parts locally and then go to this one, if you need to, for the directions and the video! 😉
~L
PS: Actually, if yours isn’t as good, then go to the one here first to sus out what the problem is. They will guide you by “symptoms” to find the right parts.
You are my hero! I am hopeless at this kind of thing.
Truly, Julie, I felt the same way, but look at it this way. What’s the worst thing that can happen? You try it… it may not work, and you end up calling the repair man anyway. No harm, no foul! And if it works you can feel like a hero too! 😉
~ L
Ming is learning how to do all of the tooly stuff now – me, no thanks!
Good for him, and you! 😀
Love the resources here. Since I’m a renter it’s not quite so important for me, but I’ve already passed on the link to some friends who always are messing with this or that.
I can’t think of anything worse that having a favorite coffee cup being held hostage by a dishwasher! Glad you were able to get it out!
Linda, If I hadn’t had that trusty screwdriver handy I might very well have been buying a new dishwasher! 😉
~ L
Ah Lynda, you are a woman after my own heart – a DIY, MacGyver Girl – congrats on saving a bundle (and a functioning dishwasher; )
Be savin’ that link too: ) thanks for sharing!
Any time, Deb! Although, I just realized I left out the home page address link in this post! I will fix that right now and also add a link to the first post on home repair of the dryer. I really should have thought of that before I hit the post button…
~ L
Thanks Deb! I does make you feel empowered when you can do something like this and save money!
~ L
Very impressed! Next time anything like that goes wrong, we’re going to try the internet first. You’ve given us courage.
Glad to be of influence here! You will feel great when you find you can do it yourself, Annie!
D has learned how to replace small parts in our boiler, and we know a gas fitter who will do any major work for a very small amount of cash. Unfortunately we couldn’t replace the part when our gas cooker went kaput so we were forced to buy a new one – but D’s Mum and Stepdad paid for it as a gift on our wedding day.
We’re both fairly tech and DIY savvy (thank goodness!) and I’ve recently taken to sewing my own clothes (as if I need another hobby). I think it’s a lot more satisfying if you’re able to do it yourself – be it making piccalilli and chutney, creating a Jo Grant (Doctor Who) costume or fixing a boiler 🙂
That was a pricy gift! How wonderful that your in-laws were willing to help out! Doesn’t it feel great to be able to do things for yourself? 🙂
Oh, it completely does! I love knowing that I don’t need to buy piccalilli because I can make huge batches of it (which works out cheaper over time) and if I can learn to sew my own clothes then that will save me a load of money too!
Also, my piccalilli looks and tastes far better than the shop-bought stuff 🙂
The in-laws actually gave us twice what the new cooker cost, so not only did they pay for the cooker, but they gave us a monetary gift too 🙂
I just looked up piccallili and and there are so many kinds! It sort of reminds me of what we call hot dog relish, because of the mustard, but that is where it stops… ours uses pickles and peppers. Yours uses vegetables and looks divine! Would you be willing to share your recipe? If it is a family recipe and you say no, I understand. ~ L
Happy to share! It’s a recipe from Pam “The Jam” Corbin, who often appears on River Cottage. I hope you enjoy the story that goes with my first batch too!
http://rosewinelover.com/2011/12/10/piccalilli-circus-and-other-stories/
That’s awesome Lynda! You’re my hero for fixing this yourself. I would have added it to the “honey do list”. 😉
Anke, I would, but Bob works and I don’t. When he gets home he is just too tired. Besides, my HD list is already long and includes all the heavy lifting, digging, rototilling, and building jobs that I no longer can handle… Besides, if it were on my HD list he would call the repair man and I am too cheap to part with that money! 😉 ~ L
~ L
YAY!, Lynda. Two-hands clapping. 😀 My husband’s first line of defense is always do whatever it takes to fix the broken item yourself.
Thanks Lindy! Now that I am retired it has become my first line of defense too. Those repairmen are just too costly! ~ L
I can imagine you Lynda trying to get to your cup and realising what happened – and all at 4 in the morning !! But I see the internet came to the rescue in the end 🙂
Claire, Desperate times call for desperate measures! I suppose I could have just used another cup, but then perhaps I wouldn’t have been spurred on to fix the thing myself. Who can say? 😉
~ L
You never cease to amaze me with your resourcefulness!
Patti, Lately, I have been amazing myself…
Once you start doing it you get hooked on being self sufficient! So empowering! 🙂
~ L