The answer first
A dishwasher that has stopped cleaning has usually lost water movement, not power. On this machine the first suspect is detergent type, dose or a blocked dispenser.
What you observe
- Gritty deposits on the dishes after a full cycle — Debris is being recirculated, which points at the filter or the sump.
- A cloudy white film on glassware — Hard-water scale or too little rinse aid rather than dirt.
- Food baked onto the upper rack only — The upper spray arm is not getting water or is not turning.
- NEAR MISS — the machine will not run a cycle at all — Then this is the wrong page; start with the wont-start ranking.
Causes, most likely first on a Signature Kitchen Suite (SKS) dishwasher
- Detergent type, dose or a blocked dispenser — Old detergent clumps, and a tablet that never dissolves washes nothing. Ranked first on a Signature Kitchen Suite (SKS) dishwasher: the cycle depends on the detergent arriving at the right time, and the dispenser is easily blocked by the load.
- Filter clogged — A filter nobody has cleaned turns every cycle into a wash in dirty water.
- Incoming water not hot enough — Cold water will not dissolve detergent properly, so the cycle begins with the chemistry already lost.
- Spray arms blocked or not turning — An arm fouled by a tall item cannot turn, so everything above or below it comes out dirty.
Check in this order, and why
- Check the dispenser is empty at the end of a cycle and that nothing blocks its flap — Try a fresh packet: detergent absorbs moisture and stops working.
- Lift the filter out of the sump and look at it — A visible mat of debris is both the diagnosis and the job.
- Run the kitchen tap hot before starting a cycle and see whether the result changes — A noticeable improvement means the supply was arriving cold.
What an owner can safely check
- Open a fresh pack of detergent, check nothing blocks the dispenser flap, and run a normal cycle — Detergent left in the cup at the end means the flap was blocked or the tablet never dissolved.
About 10 min
- Twist the filter assembly out, rinse both parts under a hot tap with a brush, and refit it until it locks — A filter left unlocked lets debris straight into the pump, so check it seats and turns home.
Tools: washing-up brush, gloveAbout 15 min
- STOP HERE if the next step needs a panel off or a meter on live terminals — That is where the owner checks end and a service call begins, whatever the ranking says.
Before you open anything
Safety
Isolate the machine at its breaker or switch before opening the sump; a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off, and sump water hides broken glass. Use a glove and a torch. Shut the supply valve before touching a hose connection. Never put weight on an open door — the hinges carry the door and the rack, and the cabinet is anchored to resist exactly that.
When to call a technician
Call once the filter, the arms, the detergent, the loading and the water temperature have all been dealt with and the dishes are still dirty, because what remains is the wash pump, the fill valve or the heater — all behind a panel. Book the authorised service channel for anything behind a panel; on this line the diagnostic mode is the fastest route to the cause and it is not a customer-facing tool.
Nearest pages of this class
What this page does not cover
This is the generalised Signature Kitchen Suite (SKS) dishwasher page. A family- or model-specific page, where one exists, is linked above and is the more precise answer for your unit. Left out on purpose: part numbers, connector colours, the order panels come off in, and every torque figure — a generalised page cannot be right about any of them.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
