Bosch exxcell dishwasher not cleaning dishes, tablets not dissolving

QUESTION: I just moved into a new apartment. The dishwasher is running normal but when it completes the wash cycle, my dishes are not clean and the detergent tablet is still there. The dishwasher is not dissolving the tablet. Maybe a little bit but about 80% of it is still there. I believe it gets hot water and runs normally. The apartment management said to use dishwasher cleaning tablets and not the powder soap. What can I do to try and get the tablet to dissolve? Any help you can provide would be great!

ANSWER: If your dishwasher hot water temperature is below 110F/115F, then it may not be hot enough to dissolve certain brands of detergent tablets. Be sure the water is HOT before you run the dishwasher. Run the hot water in the sink until it is very hot, then immediately run the dishwasher. Run the dishwasher on the longest, hottest cycle it has.
Also check that the spring opening action of the detergent dispenser door is working properly. If the detergent dispenser is too small a big detergent tablet may not be letting it open correctly. It may be jamming up the door. Try using a liquid or gel dish washing detergent if this is the case. There are many high quality liquid and gel dishwasher detergents on the market today. Liquid Cascade seems to be the best so give that a try. A powdered detergent will work too. Use a rinsing aid also as this will help remove spots even when the tablet may not be dissolving properly.
KEEP THE DISHWASHER DETERGENT DISPENSER CLEAN

If you are in an apartment, then most likely you do not have a high quality dishwasher. Knowing this, the dishwasher needs all the assistance it can get with the hottest water possible. You also need to be sure your dishwasher is clean at the bottom (removable strainer filter) where the pump and bottom washer arm is located. Be sure that it is clean and has hot water and this will be the best method to dissolve tablets. If you must use tablets, you can break them in half in the sink first. Place them in the dispenser and the hot water should make it easier to dissolve since the tablet is not as large.
You also need to be sure there is enough water for the pump to actually pump the water. To check this, start the dishwasher. Once you hear it running, open the dishwasher and be sure there is hot water and enough of it. If there is not much water in the dishwasher it may not be getting much water to the pump. When you open the door while it is running, check the water level at the bottom of the washer. If there is not much water at the bottom, then it may not be getting enough water to clean dishes and dissolve the tablet. Clean the filter at the bottom of the dishwasher to help the pump get the water more efficiently.
DISHWASHER PARTS IDENTIFICATION
If all else fails, you may have an old worn out dishwasher. The pump may be bad. Possibly your water heater is set to low. Your water heater should be set right around 120F. This will ensure that your dishwasher is getting the correct water temperature to effectively clean dishes and dissolve the tablet. If in an apartment, let the management know you are having this issue and they SHOULD resolve it.
Do you know of another way to assist a dishwasher to dissolve a detergent tablet? Please leave a comment below.

Hi,Nicole, try this:
Run the water nearest the dishwasher (usually the sink), getting the water as hot as possible immediately before starting the dishwasher. This will help getting the tablet to dissolve.
--Best regards, --W/D--

Hi,

I have an older dishwasher also and recently my wife also complained about it not cleaning right... so me being the man I am tried in vain to clean the things... Bought new spray arms online and installed them in minutes...now the thing works like new... However I have also found that if the heating element goes bad then that also can mess things up bad... So I would buy new spray arms, and also check out the heating element to make sure it is working... Here is a tip that will help you with the online buying...

Dishwasher Spray Arms not Spinning

How to Buy Appliance Parts Online

A bad heating element causes many problems in dishwashers...

Dishwasher Problems The Heating Element not Working

Dishwasher Maintenance

Dishwasher Residue and Film on Dishes

heatman101

Take off the arm and poke the blockages back into the jets then shake them out of the central pivot hole.
Remember, the drive jets (Which are at the end and make the arm turn) are the most important to keep clean.

the cleaning section is mostly from the circulation pump. is the pump is not working it has to be replaced .go to sears partsdirect.com and check out part first,. this will let you know the prices to fix or replace. then call ten repair person and find the cost to change the circulation pump.

Hi,

The scum, film and white residue problems have started since the reduction of phosphates in dishwasher detergents.

Here is a tip that will help you to solve the problem of films, residue, and scum in your dishwasher.

Dishwasher Residue and Film on Dishes

heatman101

=-

Have a look at the top spray arm.
Dishwashers rely on the water coming out of the end to wash the powder (tablet) out of the dispenser. Other problem could be a low water level. This would need adjusting by someone who knows how for whatever brand/model you have. Hope this helps...

I believe that the instructions for using these 3-in-1 tablets is to place it in the open dish detergent cup, rather than in the closable compartment, since the tablet needs to get doused by a lot of water in oder to fully dissolve and be effective in getting the dishes clean.

Since the tablets are designed to dissolve more slowly, they are able to be used for the entire range of washing cycles. If it's a constant problem and you don's have an open detergent cup below or next to your closed detergent dispenser, just toss it into the bottom of the dishwasher instead.

The reason that the tablet isn't getting dissolved fully is because the door is preventing the tablet from dropping all the way out and the door is shielding the tablet from quite a bit of water spray.

Another option is to take a look at your owners manual for the dishwasher and see if they recommend these all-in-one tablets versus regular powered detergent and liquid rinse aid.

Hope that helps and best regards!

Are you putting rinse aid in? and not just relying on your dishwasher tablets.

It seem that your DW drain it's water by syphon action. Check if the drain hose is properly installed as a U shape; otherwise the DW can drain itself at any time, leaving the soap undissolved .