--- title: "Dishwasher not cleaning: repair cost" description: "Kitchenaid dishwasher clean filter — kitchenAid dishwasher not cleaning: repair cost: spotting, film, and dishes that come out no cleaner than they went in" url: "https://kitchenaidmiami.support/repair-cost/dishwasher-wash-and-filter-service/" date_modified: "2026-08-23" Appliance type: "Dishwashers" --- # KitchenAid dishwasher not cleaning: repair cost ### Hard water is the real subject of this page Miami-Dade and Broward both soften their water at the treatment plant, because the groundwater they draw from the Biscayne Aquifer is hard. KitchenAid’s own dishwasher manual strongly recommends a water softener at 15 grains or more, and publishes its own remedies for spotting and film: raise the rinse-aid setting from the factory position, use tablets or packs rather than powder or gel, and run a dishwasher cleaner or a white-vinegar rinse periodically. We are not going to print a hardness number for South Florida, because no utility here publishes one and the figures sold online disagree with each other by five times. Check your own utility’s report, and if it is at or above 15 grains, the maker’s own answer is a softener. ### Why the cheapest dishwasher figure is this one Because in this water the commonest version of “it is not cleaning” is a loaded filter, tired rinse aid and scale, and the service that fixes it sits in a researched market range of about $120 to $250. A circulation motor is $250 to $550 and a diverter motor $200 to $400 — real, and at the top of this band rather than at the start of it. Quoting from the top would be easier and it would be wrong most of the time. ### What actually gets done - The tub filter out, rinsed and inspected — in this water it wants that every month or two, and it is free - The spray arms off and their jets cleared, which is where scale collects first - The diverter tested if one rack is failing and the other is not - The rinse-aid dispenser set to the level the water here actually needs, rather than the factory position - The circulation motor measured under load only when everything above has been excluded ### What the figure is A starting point and a researched market range for South Florida rather than a quote for your machine. The exact cost is confirmed after an on-site diagnostic and agreed in writing before anything is opened. What moves this figure Researched market range: cleaning and descaling service $120–$250 Circulation motor $250–$550 and diverter $200–$400 are the top of the band Which rack is failing identifies the diverter before anybody arrives Whether it is the water or the machine Spotting and film on glassware are a water and rinse-aid problem far more often than a machine problem, and the maker publishes the remedies itself. That outcome costs the visit and a service, not a part. Which rack is not being cleaned Top rack clean and bottom rack dirty, or the reverse, points at the diverter — the part that sends water to one arm at a time. Both racks equally poor points at the filter, the arms or the circulation motor. Telling us which when you book is worth a paragraph of description. How the machine is fitted A fully integrated machine carrying your own cabinet panel takes longer to bring out than one with a stainless front, and the wash side is reached from underneath. That is time rather than parts, and it is planned before the visit. Hard water is the real subject of this page Miami-Dade and Broward both soften their water at the treatment plant, because the groundwater they draw from the Biscayne Aquifer is hard. KitchenAid’s own dishwasher manual strongly recommends a water softener at 15 grains or more, and publishes its own remedies for spotting and film: raise the rinse-aid setting from the factory position, use tablets or packs rather than powder or gel, and run a dishwasher cleaner or a white-vinegar rinse periodically. We are not going to print a hardness number for South Florida, because no utility here publishes one and the figures sold online disagree with each other by five times. Check your own utility’s report, and if it is at or above 15 grains, the maker’s own answer is a softener. Why the cheapest dishwasher figure is this one Because in this water the commonest version of “it is not cleaning” is a loaded filter, tired rinse aid and scale, and the service that fixes it sits in a researched market range of about $120 to $250. A circulation motor is $250 to $550 and a diverter motor $200 to $400 — real, and at the top of this band rather than at the start of it. Quoting from the top would be easier and it would be wrong most of the time. What actually gets done The tub filter out, rinsed and inspected — in this water it wants that every month or two, and it is free The spray arms off and their jets cleared, which is where scale collects first The diverter tested if one rack is failing and the other is not The rinse-aid dispenser set to the level the water here actually needs, rather than the factory position The circulation motor measured under load only when everything above has been excluded What the figure is A starting point and a researched market range for South Florida rather than a quote for your machine. The exact cost is confirmed after an on-site diagnostic and agreed in writing before anything is opened. ### Do I need a water softener? The maker's own answer is that one is strongly recommended at 15 grains or more, and it classifies 0 to 6 grains as soft to medium and 7 to 12 as medium to hard. We will not quote a number for your address, because no utility here publishes one and the third-party figures contradict each other badly. Your utility's own report is the number to go by. ### Only the top rack is dirty. That is the most useful sentence you can give us. It points at the diverter, which is the part that directs water to one arm at a time, and it means the circulation motor is very likely fine. It moves the diagnosis from a search to a check. ### Is white film on my glasses permanent? Etching is permanent; hard-water film is not. The maker publishes a vinegar rinse and a dishwasher cleaner for the second one, and the difference is worth establishing before you replace any glassware. ### Could this be the pump instead? It can be, and a circulation motor is the top of this band at a researched $250 to $550. It is measured under load rather than assumed, and everything cheaper is excluded first — which is what keeps this page from being an expensive part that changes nothing. --- **[Read full article: Dishwasher not cleaning: repair cost](https://kitchenaidmiami.support/repair-cost/dishwasher-wash-and-filter-service/)**