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Bosch Dishwasher vs AFCI Breaker

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  • Bosch Dishwasher vs AFCI Breaker

    Hi Group!

    Preamble: We have a Bosch dishwasher: 9000356727 Rev C. For some strange reason, the manual we have is for the incorrect model and I cannot find anything online -it's from 2015, I can tell from a QA sticker inside. I have contacted Bosch about getting the correct manual. The model number noted here is correct. No typos - I've checked it many times. It looks like a simpler version of this:
    Products - Dishwashers - Built-in Dishwashers - All Dishwashers - SGE68U55UC

    Same general layout but less options. The options our one has are Heavy, Auto, Normal and Rinse. There's an On/Off button. A delay button. A start button. And sanitize. I think that's all there is (writing this at work from memory).

    So with that all out of the way......



    In the last week the dishwasher has started tripping the 20A AFCI breaker. From what I can tell from the breaker box it seems to be on a dedicated circuit. The breaker is only tripped during the wash cycle and it always happens after 20 minutes. If I reset the breaker the washer will run some more and then trip again but I don't have timing information on that. If I reset the breaker, reset the washer and restart the wash cycle, it will again trip the breaker after 20 minutes. I have run the rinse program repeatedly without anything being tripped. That cycle runs for 9 minutes. When the breaker trips, there is water left in the bottom of the washer. I either shop vac it out or reset the washer and run a rinse cycle to clear it out. I've removed the meshes and baskets that I can and there are no blockages. Also, since I've run the rinse cycle many times I know the washer is draining properly.

    The dishwasher is not hard-wired, it's plugged into an outlet under the sink. I ran a heavy duty extension cord from a different (non-AFCI) circuit and ran the dishwasher on the wash cycle and it completed without incident. I then plugged the washer into a different AFCI outlet (same breaker box), ran the wash cycle and it tripped the (different) breaker after 20 minutes, same as before.

    Some additional information. In our kitchen we have the following circuits that are all on AFCI (Siemens and Murray BTW).
    1. Microwave,
    2. Kitchen outlets (on island)
    3. Kitchen outlets (coffee maker) (different breaker box)
    4. Dishwasher

    We have been in this house for about 4 months and all of those breakers have tripped at some point. Not regularly like with the dishwasher but the coffee maker has tripped the breaker a couple of times recently.

    I'm in a quandary now. These breakers are about 40 bucks a pop so I don't just want to arbitrarily replace them all. I spoke with a general contractor friend and he suggested replacing the dishwasher AFCI since he thinks they could all be connected. I have to say that didn't sound right to me since I thought that each breaker was on its own circuit BUT I'm certainly no expert so.....here I am, speaking to those who are experts.

    I did read that AFCI breakers can be VERY sensitive and people have problems with them. I might just have to bite the bullet and get an electrician in but figured I would ask here first.

    Cheers, Max

    EDITS:
    1. Every time I reset the AFCI, the ARC led comes on for a moment before going out.
    2. I checked the wiring inside the dishwasher junction box and everything is clean. (I did NOT check the wiring behind the outlet, but since the dishwasher trips other AFCIs, this seems moot).
    3. The kitchen is new as of Fall 2015. It's unused, the sellers had already moved out of the house before they totally renovated the kitchen.
    4. The ice maker in the freezer doesn't work - it appears building a kitchen and not using it for almost a year is not a great thing to do. Quality!
    Last edited by Max; 03-17-2017, 09:43 AM.

  • #2
    Can't edit my post from my phone. I'm such an ass. The number above is the part number of the sticker. The model number is:
    SHE33T55UC/02

    I should be able to find the manual now.

    Comment


    • #3
      I replaced the breaker with the exact same type and it tripped after 20 minutes, just like the last one. Time to call in the professionals.

      Comment


      • #4
        Well I have one more piece of information. I don't have any great electrical equipment but I do have a Kill-a-watt. I plugged the dish washer into that and let it go through a wash cycle. After almost 20 minutes I went over and looked at it. It was sitting at a steady $33/year of usage. Then the 20 minute mark came and I could hear the washer getting more agitated. The Kill-a-watt started rising.....it's still rising now and it's been a couple of minutes. Now it is over $200/year, quite a substantial difference so obviously there is more current draw (maybe a heating element or something?). Just checked it again and it's over $320/year. I don't know how sophisticated a kill-a-watt is but at the very least it seems to be telling me that after 20 minutes the washer uses more power. I don't have a multimeter that I can plug in series to see what the current draw is.

        $430/year and still rising. I realise that is probably because of sample rates and taking averages.

        EDIT: After a night of doing nothing, down to $17/year.
        Last edited by Max; 03-18-2017, 09:28 AM.

        Comment


        • #5
          Why are you using the COST function of the killawatt? Mine measures amps, volts, watts etc. Max current is 15 amps.
          Yes, it looks like a heating element is involved. Try using the test cycle which is described at www dot boschdishwashertroubleshooting dot com. Run the tests with the killawatt measuring amps & on both AFCI and standard circuit breaker & see what you get.

          Comment


          • #6
            My kill-a-watt doesn't measure current. The only function that gives an inkling of current load is cost.

            Comment


            • #7
              I went our and bought a clamp meter and jerry-rigged an AC line splitter since the big box stores around here don't carry them for some reason. The results are in. The dishwasher runs for about 20 minutes with a maximum observed current of about 0.6A. I wasn't watching 100% of the time so if there were any short-lived spikes I may have missed them. Around the 20 minute mark the current spiked up to 10.6A. I could post the video but I doubt that gives you any more information. I just checked again and it's still over 10A. Assuming the washer should be drawing that much current, this doesn't seem like an issue to me. Bosch couldn't help me without a service call, they don't know what the dish washer cycle is doing at 20 minutes, at least that's what they told me for free.

              Comment


              • #8
                .
                The 'tech sheet' in the dishwasher may contain a timing chart of the dishwasher to determine what function is occurring at the 20 min. mark of the cycle.

                My guess is a heating function is occurring at that time. In that case I would suggest someone test the heater element and its wiring circuit for a partial short to ground. While not specifically for a dishwasher element, the following link describes how to test an element for a short to ground. The same principles should apply.

                LINK > How do I test an electric element?

                It might also be possible to turn off the heating function during a cycle to see if the condition persists. That might help to isolate the likely cause.

                Dan O.
                Appliance411.com
                The Appliance Information Site

                =D~~~~~~

                .
                Last edited by Dan O.; 05-10-2017, 12:12 AM. Reason: spelling

                Comment


                • #9
                  I will see what I can do re: tech spec sheet and checking the heating element. Cheers.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    How did you make out with this?

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Ideally a user has no access to the "live" parts of the dishwasher when its off or operating. Use a general purpose breaker not AFCI or GFCI type. If the dishwasher is portable wire a single outlet to be used for one purpose the (dishwasher) but if its a built in appliance then hardwire it and use a standard 20-A breaker.

                      Comment

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