It’s normal to expect a dishwasher to start running once it turns on – indicating it has power. But what if your GE dishwasher won’t start but has power? What would cause such an issue?
Your GE dishwasher won’t start despite having power because of an unlatched door, wrong dishwashing setting, Leak Protection alert, failed water supply, defective control panel component, damaged flood float, or a defective drive motor or motor relay.
Clearly, the lack of power is not the only thing that can stop a dishwasher from starting. There are other issues –as highlighted above, they are at least 8, which you should check keenly.
Remember, it becomes easy to fix your dishwasher once you identify the non-power-related reason. To help you do it, I’ll discuss the eight issues and their applicable fixes.
Moreover, we’ll look at other related issues, such as a GE dishwasher that only blinks or beeps but won’t start, an option with no lights, and what to do when the dishwasher doesn’t start after an outage.
Let’s dive in!
In a hurry? Check out the quick fixes for a non-starting EG dishwasher with power below.
Quick Troubleshooting Guide for a GE Washer That Won’t Start But Has Power
| Likely Cause | Quick Fix | |
| 1. | An Unlatched Door | Firmly latch the dishwasher door, and if the door latch/switch fails the multimeter continuity check, replace it |
| 2. | Wrong Setting (Control Lock, Demo Mode, or Delay Start) | Deactivate Control Lock, Demo Mode, or Delay Start if any is active, and choose the right dishwasher setting |
| 3. | Leak Protection Alert | Call a service technician |
| 4. | Failed Water Supply | Ensure the supply valve is on and that there are no kinks |
| 5. | Defective Control Panel Component (Touchpad, Selector Switch, or Timer) | Replace the touchpad if its buttons are non-responsive and the selector switch or timer if they fail the multimeter continuity check |
| 6. | Damaged Floor Float | Replace the floor float |
| 7. | Faulty Drive Motor | Replace the drive motor if it fails the multimeter continuity check |
| 8. | Failed Drive Motor Relay | Replace the drive motor relay if it fails the multimeter continuity check |
Why Your GE Dishwasher Won’t Start Cycle Though It Has Power
Though your GE dishwasher might have power, these reasons might stop it from starting:
1. An Unlatched Door
Your GE dishwasher won’t start if it perceives an open door. It could be that you didn’t firmly return the door or something is blocking it, for example, the countertop or trim. However, an open door could sometimes point to a defective door switch.
Fix
Try shutting the dishwasher door firmly and remove or move it away from any possible obstruction. If the door won’t latch firmly, inspect the door switch using a multimeter.
To perform the continuity test:
- Reset the multimeter to its Rx value
- Probe the multimeter into the door switch
- Check out the multimeter’s reading
- If the multimeter reads zero, then the door switch is okay
- If it reads something different, then the door switch is defective, and therefore replace it
2. Wrong Setting
Your GE dishwasher might not be starting because the selected setting prevents it. That includes any of these three settings:
- Control Lock – This safety feature locks the control panel, and since the start button is a control panel member, it cannot start the dishwasher. An active Control Lock is one reason the control panel won’t work.
- Demo Mode – This setting also prevents the dishwasher from starting until it’s OFF.
- Delay Start – As the name suggests, Delay Start delays the dishwasher’s starting time until a specified time.
Fix
If Control Lock, Demo Mode, or Delay Start is active, deactivate it. You can deactivate Control Lock by long-pressing it for a few seconds and DEMO Mode by pressing Start + Power-Dry (or Heated-Dry) for 5 seconds.
Meanwhile, you can disable Delay Start by resetting the dishwasher by unplugging it briefly or pressing the reset button. But just to be sure, check out how you can disable all these settings on your manual.
3. Leak Protection Alert
GE dishwashers with LCDs typically come with the Leak Protection or Floor Protect feature, wose job is to detect a leak. Once that’s the case, the feature shuts down the dishwasher, which means it can’t start until you fix the leak.
So, check on the display to see if the Leak Protection alert is active. If it is, then there’s a leak.
Fix
Call an expert immediately to check your GE dishwasher once you detect the Leak Protection alert.
4. Failed Water Supply
Your GE dishwasher may also fail to start due to insufficient water. Understandably, that’s because water is critical to the dishwasher’s cleaning performance.
Often, the issue is failing to turn on the water supply valve. At times, however, it could be that the supply tube has pronounced kinks that stop the water supply or slow it tremendously.
Fix
Inspect the water supply valve and switch it on. If there are kinks on the supply tube, clear them.
5. Defective Control Panel Component
If one of the control panel components or associated components is defective, it may stop the dishwasher from starting. That includes these components:
- Touchpad – If the touchpad is defective, some or all of its buttons will not work. They’ll become non-responsive when you press them, and if the start button is affected, the dishwasher won’t start.
- Timer – If the timer is defective, it won’t be able to do its job – of controlling the cycle time. In that case, the dishwasher won’t know when to start or stop.
- Selector Switch – If the selector switch is defective, the control board won’t get power, and once that’s the case, the dishwasher won’t start.
Fix
Replace the touchpad if some or all of its buttons aren’t responsive. Then perform the multimeter check (shared above) to see if the timer and selector switch work.
If the RX value is zero, these components are okay. However, the part is defective once you get a different multimeter reading. And if so, replace it.
6. Damaged Flood Float
The work of the flood float is to signal when the dryer should stop filling up with water. But to do that, it should not be stuck or damaged. In that case, you’ve to check its condition.
Fix
Try to unstick the floor flat if it looks stuck. However, if it shows signs of damage, replace it.
7. Faulty Drive Motor
The Drive motor has to run for the dishwasher to start running. If it’s faulty, it’s unable to power the dishwashing water, so even if the dishwasher were to start, the dishes wouldn’t be clean. The chances are, however, that the dishwasher won’t start.
Fix
Connect the multimeter to the drive motor and set the multimeter on Rx. Nothing is wrong with the drive motor if the multimeter reading is zero. Nonetheless, if you get a different reading, the drive motor is defective, and therefore replace it.
8. Failed Drive Motor Relay
Lastly, your GE dishwasher might not start because of a faulty motor relay. If so, it’s unable to start the motor, and if the motor doesn’t start, then the dishwasher won’t start.
Fix
Also, perform the multimeter check and read the value. If it’s not a zero, replace the drive motor relay.
Other Issues
GE Dishwasher Won’t Start Just Blinks
If your GE dishwasher won’t start but only blinks, it could be that it’s resetting, so you should allow it some time to complete the reset. Sometimes it’s a case of touching the reset button unknowingly.
But if that’s not it, then you should actually do the reset, as an error code could be stopping it from starting. And if the reset doesn’t work, check if the door is open, as an unlatched door could cause the blinking and stop the dishwasher from starting.
Other issues to consider are a defective heating element or faulty door switch.
GE Dishwasher Won’t Start Just Beeps
Consider resetting your GE dishwasher if it won’t start when you press start but only beeps. That’s because the beeping could be an error code. If the reset doesn’t work, consider that the issue could be an unlatched door or a malfunctioning control board.
If the door is unlatched, try latching it, and if it doesn’t, replace the door switch. And if the issue is not the door, consider replacing the main control board.
GE Dishwasher Won’t Start No Lights
Your GE dishwasher likely lacks power if it won’t start and has no light. In that case, check for any of these issues and fix them:
- Power blackout
- Tripped breaker
- Blown-up fuse
- Unplugged unit
- Damaged power cable
- Defective socket
GE Dishwasher Won’t Start After Power Outage
Sometimes a GE dishwasher may fail to start after a power outage. If so, it’s a good idea to try and reset it
But how do you reset a GE dishwasher that won’t start?
Generally, you’ve three ways to reset a GE dishwasher:
Option 1 – Hold down the reset button (Start/Restart or Start/Reset) for a few seconds
Option 2 – Unplug the dishwasher for a few minutes
And Option 3 – Turn the breaker On and then Off
People Also Ask
1. What Do You Do When Your GE Dishwasher Won’t Start?
Below are the top fixes when your GE dishwasher doesn’t start:
- Reset the dishwasher to see if it will start
- If it doesn’t, check if the dishwasher has power, and if it doesn’t, find the fault and fix it or call an electrician
- Check if the dishwasher has water, and if it doesn’t, ensure the supply valve is open and there aren’t kinks
- Disable Control Lock, Demo Mode, or Delay Start if any of the three settings is active
- Check if the door is slightly open and shut it firmly
2. How Can I Fix My GE Dishwasher That Won’t Start?
You can fix a GE dishwasher that won’t start by first resetting it. If the reset doesn’t work, ensure the dishwasher has power and water, and if Control Lock, Demo Mode, or Delay Start is active, disable it.
Then ensure the door latches properly. If it doesn’t, consider replacing the door switch, especially when it fails the multimeter check. And if you cannot fix it, call an expert technician.
3. What Causes A GE Dishwasher to Not Start?
Several issues or factors could stop a GE dishwasher from starting. They include the following:
- The lack of ample power
- Insufficient or lack of water supply
- An unlatched dishwasher door
- Active Control Lock, Demo Mode, or Delay Start setting
- Leak Protection alert
- Defective control panel, motor, motor relay, or control board
Closing Thought:
Now you know why your GE dishwasher won’t start but has power. So, don’t always focus on power alone when your dishwasher doesn’t start. You can also identify and fix other issues, and the above troubleshooting guide will help you do that.
Also Read: