How to adjust dishwasher doors

Most modern dishwashers have similar soft-opening door mechanisms. These mechanisms are fairly simple, but they have a small drawback that manifests itself in built-in appliances. The door, which initially opened and closed normally, suddenly becomes too weak and won't stay in the half-open position. Or, conversely, the door won't stay open, creating even more problems. If this happens, the dishwasher door needs adjustment, and we'll explain how to do this in this article.

Preparatory stage

Before adjusting the dishwasher door, it's important to do some proper preparation. This is crucial to ensure the subsequent work proceeds quickly and without any annoying hitches.

1. You need to turn off the dishwasher and remove it from the niche in which it is built.
2. Prepare tools and materials

No special tools or materials are needed; as a rule, any good owner has everything he needs in his pantry.

3. Read the instructions containing the procedure for carrying out the work.

You've already read the instructions, so we'll assume the third step is underway. First, unplug the dishwasher, coil the power cord, and attach it to the special cord holder on the back of the machine. Next, turn off the cold (or hot) water supply to the dishwasher and disconnect the inlet hose. Lastly, disconnect the drain hose, making sure to plug it.

The dishwasher is usually secured to the niche with special brackets. Use a Phillips-head screwdriver to remove the screws holding the housing brackets and pull the dishwasher out of the niche. Even though the dishwasher isn't heavy, you still need to be careful. Place a dry, absorbent cloth on the floor and place the dishwasher on it. It is necessary to ensure free access to the dishwasher body from all sides. Now let's prepare the tools and materials. We'll need:

• Phillips screwdriver;
• hexagon;
• pliers;
• metal cable 1.5 mm.

You may not need the last item, so don't rush into buying it until you're sure you really need it. As they say, the autopsy will tell!

Progress of work

So, the beginning has been made.Bosch built-in dishwasher Or any other appliance, disconnected, removed from its niche, and prepared for repair. Let's get started. First, unscrew the side panels and top cover of the dishwasher to access the soft-open mechanism. Don't worry, you won't need to disassemble the dishwasher any further. Here's what to do:

• unscrew the screws holding the right wall, remove it and put it aside;
• we unscrew the screws that hold the left wall, remove it in the same way and put it away;
• Lastly, we unscrew the screws that hold the top cover and remove it as well.

At the front, under the top cover, we see two screws with cables running left and right. These cables run along both sides of the frame and connect to springs. This is the door opening mechanism we'll be adjusting. To make the door open less tightly or, conversely, to keep it in the middle position, we need to adjust the door springs. How do you do this?

We take a hex key and begin to tighten the screws, from the base of which the cables that tension the springs come. If the door is difficult to open, the spring tension should be loosened; if the door does not hold well, the tension should be increased. Nothing complicated. It's even worse if one of the cables wears out and breaks, which doubles the load on the other cable and spring, and it simply can't cope. In this situation, adjusting the cable until the broken one is replaced is pointless. What should you do?

1. We loosen the screw holding the broken cable as much as possible.
2. We take pliers and remove the cable from the screw, then disconnect it from the spring.
3. We take the new, original cable out of the packaging and put it on the spring.
4. We take the end of the cable with pliers, carefully pull it and put it on the screw.
5. We adjust the tension of the cable according to the instructions described above and assemble the dishwasher.

To summarize, adjusting a dishwasher door is a simple task, but a repairman will charge a pretty penny. Wouldn't it be better to do it yourself and spend the money you'd otherwise spend on a bouquet for your beloved wife? Of course, the decision is yours, good luck!

2 reader comments

1. October 5, 2021 at 10:53 PM

   Evgeny:

   Electrolux has removed the door adjustment feature from its new models. I place a 3-kilogram stone from the sea on mine when I open it. What progress can I say? As I write this, I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry at these lousy engineers.

   Answer
2. May 11, 2022 at 2:09 AM

   Victor:

   I also have an Electrolux, bought at IKEA, and there's no way to adjust anything there either! I have no idea what to do!

   Answer