In short
Start faults divide into the machine has no power, the machine has power and will not accept the door, and the machine has accepted everything and is waiting for something you cannot see. Each has a different check. The parts list here is short and largely mechanical, which makes the diagnosis physical rather than electronic. These machines refuse rather than run badly, so a refusal is information and the checks below read it.
What you actually see
- Lights work but the cycle never begins — The machine is refusing a condition: door, water or a lock.
- A beep or flashing indicator when you press start — The machine is telling you it has refused, which is more helpful than silence.
- The cycle starts and stops within moments — A door latch that makes and then loses contact as the machine settles.
- NEAR MISS: it runs but the dishes come out dirty — That is a wash performance fault, not a start fault.
The causes in order of likelihood
- No power at the outlet or the connection — The one to suspect first. It leads because the door circuit is the one condition the machine checks before everything else, and the one most often not met. A tripped breaker or a connection behind the cabinet, and free to rule out.
- Door latch or door switch not confirming closed — The second suspect. The most common cause by a distance.
- Racks or crockery preventing full door closure — Third, and less common. An item standing proud stops the latch reaching its switch, and the gap is often too small to see.
- Control lock or delay start active — Fourth, and less common again. A child lock or a delayed start makes a working machine look dead and clears without a part.
- Body: Ranked for a Black+Decker dishwasher specifically. The order is the value here; the list on its own would be the same list anyone could write.
The diagnostic order
- Push the door firmly closed and listen for the latch — A machine that starts on the second, firmer push has told you the answer.
- Check the breaker and the socket behind or beneath the cabinet — A dead panel is a supply question rather than a machine question.
- Look for a lock indicator or an active delay — Both are common and both clear without a part.
- Body: The order below tests the conditions the machine itself checks, in the order the machine checks them.
What you can do now
- Open the door, reseat the racks and close it firmly — Items standing proud of the rack line are the most frequent single cause.
- Clear any child lock and cancel a delayed start — Both use documented gestures on the panel.
- Open the supply tap fully and check the inlet hose is not kinked — Do this before assuming anything electrical.
Tools: torch
- STOP before removing the door panel or testing a latch switch — That is a live circuit behind a panel and it is where owner work ends.
Safety first
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel; a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Never defeat the door latch or hold the switch closed to make a machine run with the door open: the latch stops a cycle of hot water leaving the tub and it is not an inconvenience to be worked around.
When this becomes a service call
Call when the door closes properly, the supply is proven and the panel still refuses to begin, or when the machine starts and stops within moments repeatedly. Call instead of investigating if the breaker trips when you reset it, because that is a different and more urgent class of fault. Say whether the machine refuses to start or stops partway: they are different faults.
Pages of the same class
What this page does not cover
This page is written for the appliance class rather than for one Black+Decker family or model line. Where a family- or model-specific page exists for your unit it is the more specific answer and should be preferred over this one; the brand and appliance hub linked below routes to everything more specific that exists today.
Links: - [Common BLACK+DECKER Dishwasher Problems](/blog/black-decker-dishwasher-problems)
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
