Ordinarily, a working dishwasher would start filling up with water and won’t abort mid-cycle. But what if your Whirlpool dishwasher fills with water then stops? How do you explain that?
Your Whirlpool dishwasher fills up with water and stops prematurely because of an obstructed drain hose, filter, or spray arm, a faulty water inlet valve, door latch, float switch, circulation pump, or detergent dispenser, or a shorted thermal fuse or electronic control board.
One of the ten issues, which I’ll share in detail later, is stopping your washer from filling up with water. And if it doesn’t fill up, it won’t wash the dishes, and you don’t want that.
However, you don’t have to call a dishwasher expert or even Whirlpool when facing such an issue. All you have to know is what to check, and you have ten issues to get you started.
We’ll discuss how these issues stop your Whirlpool dishwasher from filling and how you can fix them. So, let’s dive in!
In a rush? Below are quick ways to troubleshoot a Whirlpool dishwasher that starts filling and stops prematurely:
Whirlpool Dishwasher Fills with Water Then Stops – Quick Fixes
| – | Likely Cause | Quick Fix |
| 1. | Obstructed Drain Hose | Clear any kinks or clogs from the drain hose. |
| 2. | Filter Obstruction | Clean the filter to get rid of the clog. |
| 3. | Clogged Spray Arm | Unclog the spray arms. |
| 4. | Faulty Water Inlet Valve | Inspect the inlet valve and replace it if it’s clogged or damaged. |
| 5. | Defective Door Latch | Replace the door latch. |
| 6. | Float Switch Fault | Unclog the float switch if it’s clogged and replace it if it’s damaged. |
| 7. | Circulation Pump Fault | Replace the circulation pump if it hums loud or fails the continuity test. |
| 8. | Faulty Detergent Dispenser | Replace the detergent dispenser if it won’t open correctly. |
| 9. | Shorted Thermal Fuse | Replace the thermal fuse if it lacks continuity. |
| 10. | Shorted Electronic Control Board (ECB) | Replace the ECB (as a last resort) if it shows signs of burn, damage, or loose connections. |
Why Does My Whirlpool Dishwasher Fill with Water Then Stop?
It’s not normal for a dishwasher to start filling up with water and suddenly stop. If it happens to a Whirlpool dishwasher, it’s most likely due to one of these ten issues:
1. Obstructed Drain Hose
Water must drain out of the dishwasher for it to continue filling up. That, however, won’t happen if there is an obstruction on the drain hose. It could be that the drain hose is kinked or just dirt-clogged and thus won’t allow water to drain.
Fix
Stretch out any kinks on the drain hose. Ensure the drain hose is not pinched, and dislodge it if clogging occurs. You can use a thin wire to do it.
2. Filter Obstruction
Another thing that could interfere with the dishwasher’s drainage once it suffers a blockage is the drain filter. The filter will trap food and debris along the way, and such materials may eventually clog it.
So, your job is to routinely clean the drain filter to ensure it doesn’t block completely. If it does, then that not only impedes the drainage but also the filling-up process.
Fix
Thoroughly clean the drain filter to get rid of the clogging. That means you may have to uninstall it to clean it and reinstall it.
3. Clogged Spray Arm
The spray arms are other components susceptible to clogging. They also accumulate food, debris, and even grease over time; when they do, they fail to spray water over the dishes.
Once the dishwasher’s sensors notice that, they force it (the dishwasher) into an automatic shutoff, which stops it from filling up with water.
Fix
Unclog the spray holes on the spray arms. You can use a toothpick or thin wire to do it.
4. Faulty Water Inlet Valve
The inlet valve lets water flow to the dishwasher. It’s more like a mini gate that can stop water from getting to the dishwasher if it’s defective.
Speaking of defective;
It could be that the inlet valve is obstructed and thus can’t allow water to pass through. But still, it could be that the inlet valve is damaged and, therefore, can’t naturally open to allow water passage.
Fix
Replace a clogged or damaged inlet valve. You can check a defective water inlet valve with a multimeter. The absence of continuity proves that it’s no longer operational.
5. Defective Door Latch
If your dishwasher sensors sense that the door might not be fully latched, they may force the dishwasher to shut off. In that case, the dishwasher won’t fill up.
While there are different issues to check when the door won’t latch, the most typical culprit is a damaged door latch. So, check if that’s the case.
Fix
Replace a damaged door latch. But first, inspect it and try to firmly latch the door before you can consider a door latch replacement.
6. Float Switch Fault
The float switch is a safety switch that automatically shuts off the dishwasher when it detects too much water. If this switch is clogged or damaged, it may read the wrong information and force the dishwasher into an automatic shutoff.
Fix
Clean any clogging from the float switch; if the button is damaged (which you can tell using a multimeter), replace it. Just check if it has continuity. If it doesn’t, that shows it’s defective.
7. Circulation Pump Fault
As the name suggests, the circulation pump circulates water in the dishwasher. It fails to do that when it’s faulty and thus could be why your Whirlpool dishwasher stops filling up suddenly.
In most cases, a defective circulation pump makes a loud humming noise, but you can still test its connections with a multimeter to determine if it’s faulty.
Fix
Consider replacing the circulation pump if the dishwasher is humming loudly. But first, test its terminal connections with a multimeter. If they fail to show continuity, replace the circulation pump.
8. Faulty Detergent Dispenser
The detergent dispenser has to open fully to release the detergent into the dishwasher. If it doesn’t open up as it should, your dishwasher may stop filling up with water since it doesn’t have the detergent to match the incoming water.
Fix
Inspect the detergent dispenser for damage and replace it if that’s the case.
9. Shorted Thermal Fuse
The thermal fuse, just like the float switch, serves as a protective device that forces the dishwasher into an automatic shutoff. The difference is that the thermal fuse does that when there’s a power surge that could harm the dishwasher.
So, instead of the dishwasher burning, the thermal fuse shorts, preventing the dishwasher from running.
Fix
Test the thermal fuse with a multimeter. If it lacks continuity (a sign of fault), replace it.
10. Shorted Electronic Control Board
Lastly, consider that the electronic control board (ECB) could have short-circuited due to a power surge and not the thermal fuse. That doesn’t happen often, but it could.
Remember, the ECB manages all dishwasher components. If it’s faulty, the dishwasher is as good as dead. It just won’t fill up and most likely won’t turn on.
Fix
Consider replacing the ECB if it shows signs of burns, damage, or loose connections. Since the ECB is not the easiest diagnosis, you may need to talk to a dishwasher expert.
Whirlpool Dishwasher Stops After a Few Minutes
Your Whirlpool dishwasher may stop after a few minutes of starting to fill up with water for different reasons. The commonest ones include the following:
- Kinked or clogged drain hose
- Dirt-clogged drain filter
- Obstructed spray arms
- Clogged or damaged water inlet valve
- Malfunctioning circulation pump
- Stuck float switch
- Damaged door latch
- Damaged detergent dispenser
- Shorted thermal fuse
- Failed electronic control board
Whirlpool Dishwasher Fills with Water but Doesn’t Wash
It’s not often that a dishwasher fills up with water but fails to wash. It can, however, happen due to an improperly-opening detergent drawer. If the detergent dispenser doesn’t open well to release the detergent into the dishwasher, the dishwasher won’t run.
Another issue is an obstructed spray arm. If the spray arms are blocked by food or debris, they won’t spray water onto the dirty dishes, and the dishwasher will fail to wash.
And if that’s not it, it could be a faulty circulation pump, which fails to pump water around the dishwasher, or perhaps a shorted printed circuit board.
People Also Ask
1. Why Does My Dishwasher Fill with Water Then Stop?
Your dishwasher fills with water and stops because of a blocked drain hose, filter, or spray arm. It could be a faulty water inlet valve, door latch, float switch, circulation pump, or detergent dispenser if it’s not an obstruction. And if that’s not it, it could be a shorted thermal fuse or electronic control board.
2. Why Won’t My Whirlpool Dishwasher Fill with Water?
Your Whirlpool dishwasher won’t fill up with water for different reasons. First, it could be that there’s an issue with the water supply. In such a case, the water supply could be off, the water pressure might be inadequate, or the inlet hose could be pinched/kinked.
If the issue is not a failed water supply, it could be an issue with the drainage, where the drain hose is improperly positioned and thus won’t allow wastewater to drain out. A clogged drain filter or kicked drain hose could also interfere with the drainage. Unfortunately, if the dishwasher doesn’t drain, it won’t fill up.
And if the issue is neither the lack of water supply or drainage fault, it could be a defective door switch, a stuck float switch, a clogged water inlet valve, an improperly latched door, or an obstructed overfill protection.
3. How Can I Reset My Whirlpool Dishwasher?
While there are many ways to reset a Whirlpool dishwasher, the hard reset is the easiest way. Just plug out the dishwasher (you can also turn it off from the power breaker) and wait at least a minute before powering it back. Alternatively, check if there’s a reset button on the control panel and press it for a few seconds to reset the dishwasher.
Concluding Thought:
Above are the ten likely explanations for why your Whirlpool dishwasher fills with water then stops. As shared, it could result from an obstruction affecting the drain hose, spray arm, or drain filter or a fault touching the water inlet valve, door latch, float switch, circulation pump, or detergent dispenser. And if that’s not the case, then it could be a short-circuited thermal fuse or ECB.