Dishwasher blowing trip

[abstibus]

My dishwasher has suddenly started to blow the trip switch. Do I need to call an engineer or would a competent electrician be able to diagnose/repair?
TIA

[mxyzptlk]

If it is def the d/w, then the cheapest option may be to get a new one.

[ChuckFickens]

Most electricians would not have a clue what is what inside a dishwasher. (apologies to any that do)

Try and find a domestic appliance engineer that will come out for no (or minimum) call out to get a quote, there is plenty on a dishwasher that could cause a trip to blow and would cost a fairly small amount to repair.

[abstibus]

Thank you both. It looks as if it's back to the sink for a while now.

[Hymie]

In order to assist you – precisely what do you mean by ‘trip switch’?
Is the switch tripping due to over current or is it as a result of excessive earth leakage current?
Does it trip as soon as the unit is powered up or at a specific step in the wash cycle or randomly?

[abstibus]

Hi, Hymie
It throws the trip switch on the meter board when the water starts to heat, as far as I can tell.
I have changed the fuse in the plug and the 30 amp fuses in the pull-out fuse of the meterboard ( I am not sure what this is called) that controls the sockets in the utility room/kitchen area. Does this make sense?
Thanks a lot
A-M

[Hymie]

From what you say, it sounds like it is tripping the earth leakage protection at your distribution box – which is due to a fault within the dishwasher heater circuit.

I would guess that for some reason there is an electrical path from the heater element to the chassis of the dishwasher. This could be due to water finding its way to the electrical connections on the heater, or the heater element failing. Either way, it will take an engineer to effect a fix. See if you can find one that does not charge to give you a quote for a fix – then decide whether it is worth having it repaired.

[AlBags]

Dishwashers that pack up with this type of fault, and are a few years old (or more) are uneconomical to repair. Callout and part bill could easily reach £150.
Sorry.

[abstibus]

Thank you all for your answers - much appreciated. The dishwasher is fairly old, (Aquarius) but I don't use it much now. May as well dump it and wait for the sales for a new one.