Our Western Appliance Repair technicians run into a lot of
unusual appliance service calls. Here in
this picture you will see a small mushroom looking object in the lower right
side of the picture. This device is
float switch sensor, also called an overflow sensor.
Most dishwashers will fill with water for a programmed
duration. This duration is not failsafe
though. Many homes have higher water
pressure as compared to others. Higher
pressure will lead to more water in the tub. How do the designers compensate
for this? Use a float sensor. In homes
with high water pressure the float sensor will shut off the water before the
programmed duration is completed if the water rises to a specified point. If the dishwasher has low water pressure then
the programmed water fill duration will shut off the inlet valve when duration
is complete.
This floating piece of plastic has a shaft on the bottom of
it which triggers a shutoff switch if water gets too high. Sometimes these float sensors will get stuck
in the “up” position and won’t allow water to enter the dishwasher at all.
