You Can Adjust Your Dishwasher's Water Pressure

If you’ve noticed that sometimes there’s food still stuck to things when they come out of a cycle in the dishwasher, you should check the water pressure switch before you give up on your appliance. The adjustment is simple and can improve the results you get when you use your dishwasher. Here’s how to adjust the water pressure and save yourself some money on a new appliance. All you need is a screwdriver and gloves.

First, shut off the water

The first thing to do before working on your dishwasher is to shut off water to the appliance. Most dishwashers are connected to the same water line as your kitchen sink, so you’ll find a shutoff valve under the sink. You can then try the tap in your sink to make sure it’s off. Some dishwashers might be connected to another water source, but they’ll still have a shutoff valve somewhere—follow the water line out of the dishwasher to locate it.

Shut off the power and pull the dishwasher away from the wall

Once the water is off, you should shut off the power as well. You can either unplug the dishwasher after you pull it out from under the counter, or you can use the circuit breaker to shut off the power. Make sure you’ve got the right circuit if you do it this way; there’s always the risk of electric shock if you’re working on an appliance that’s plugged in.

Next, you’ll need to locate the access panel on the back side of your dishwasher and remove it. To do this, you will need to unmount the dishwasher from your counter. It’s usually held in place by a lower access panel that covers the elbow joint for the water hose. Disconnect that; then, you may also need to unscrew brackets holding the dishwasher in place under the edge of your counter. Move the dishwasher out from the wall carefully, checking for any electrical connections or hardware that’s holding it in place as you go.

Open the back access panel and adjust the pressure switch

Next, open the panel by unscrewing it and look for the water heater. There will be water pipes, the pump, and the water heater under the panel. The water heater looks like a tube with a box attached to it.

Remove the cover on one end of the pipe that’s held in with screws to get access to the pressure switch. Once the cover is off, you should be able to adjust the pressure by using your screwdriver to turn the screw in the pressure switch to the left, or counter clockwise.

Reassemble and test your dishwasher

Once that’s done, you can reassemble your parts, beginning by replacing the cover on the pressure switch. Make sure that when you reconnect the hoses to the dishwasher, you do so securely to avoid leaks. Before you do all of your final attachments like remounting your dishwasher to the counter top, you can do a test by starting and then stopping your appliance to verify that all the parts are working well. Once that’s done, you can try running the dishwasher for a cycle to see if you’ve solved your problem.