Q: My high-end Bosch dishwasher sometimes emits a very foul odor when the door is open, a problem that has been happening since I purchased it about three years ago. The odor comes and goes; sometimes it smells like sewer gas, and other times it smells very rank. During the manufacturer’s warranty period, I had three service calls, but to no avail. The odor wasn’t there when the repairman was. He just told me to keep drain filters clean. After the warranty period, a different repair person told me to use a dishwasher cleaner, Affresh. I tried the product, but the problem persists. On none of the repair visits was the dishwasher pulled out to check behind it. I am ready to throw it out and buy a new one. Is there anything else I can try?
Silver Spring
A: The most likely problem is that the drain hose wasn't installed correctly, said Doug McLendon, a plumber who owns Benjamin Franklin Plumbing in Silver Spring (301-250-1637; benfranklinplumbermd.com). "The hose has to go up to the bottom of the countertop and then down" before it connects to the drain under the sink, he said.
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You can check this yourself, without pulling the dishwasher out of the cabinet. Just open the doors under the sink and look. There should be what plumbers call a “high loop” — a bend in the drain hose, typically secured to the underside of the countertop. “If it is running straight in without that high loop, there is no way to stop that sewer gas from coming in,” McLendon said.
The only time a dishwasher doesn’t need that high loop is when there is an air gap — a little fitting that looks like a short piece of pipe with vents at the edge of the sink.
If you have neither, you can add the high loop, assuming the drain hose is long enough. If it isn’t, replace the hose and add the loop.
If you have the loop or an air gap, there might be food stuck somewhere. Besides cleaning the filter, you might also try sponging out the water that collects in the area where the filter sits. A single fish bone trapped there can cause problems that disappear once the debris is gone. Also check whether food is trapped in the door or the garbage disposal.
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