Dishwasher Odor problem -- Drain line? (PICS included)

I have a new Bosch dishwasher. (Model SHE5AL06UC)
Purchased and installed in 12/2009.

My wife and I have been noticing a really strong odor coming from the dishwasher.
I checked the filter, it was clean. No large food particles.
We are typically pre-rinsers, so there shouldn't be much food or other causing the odor.

I installed the dishwasher myself....so the next place I figured I check was the drain line.
I pulled out the dishwasher and reconfigured the drain line.

Attached is a picture of how I ran the drain line. Does that look ok? I put a little hook near the top of the cabinet and ran the line through that so that the hose wouldn't fall down. The line is too long, so I looped it the best I could.

Also, should there be water left over on the bottom of the washer? Or should that little sump area drain completely when the cycle is complete?

Thanks.
mm

Your installation would not pass code under the UPC, due to lack of air gap...but it may be legal where you are. But that aside, there is a problem....the dip between your high-loop and the wye fitting. Water will sit there, and potenially DIRTY water from the sink drain may settle in there. There will always be residual water in the bottom of the DW...where can it go? But hopefully, after the last rinse, that water will be clean. You can freshen the DW by putting a cup or two of plain white vinegar in and running a rinse cycle.

That accordian coupling you have will be seriously gunky inside, and that in itself can be a odor problem.

jimbo--

thanks for replying....
i will raise that area that dips after the high loop....maybe i will just run it along the back all of the cabinet, then to the wye fitting....
the line is so long, it's kind of a pain....

oh, and as far as the air gap.....not sure what my town requires, but when i bought the house there wasn't one....oh well.

thanks.
mm

I reran the line as best as I could. It comes out of the back of the dishwasher at the bottom (as it is installed), then directly through the cabinet at the bottom, then up as I high as I can go to the to of the cabinet, then a bit horizontal, then down to the drain line....

I tried to minimize any dips.
The hose is too long for my situation, unfortunately...

hopefully that will work.

I ran the dishwasher last night, so we will see in a couple days here if the odor returns.

thanks for everyones help.
mm

I have read a couple of different reasons for odor in a Bosch. One was that the machine wasn't level and the other was that the door gasket is treated with something and that it is actually what is giving off the odor . Might call Bosch and get their input on this. I know I was using the Cascade Rinse Aid at one time and it had a smell afterwards whereas I had never noticed that before with the Jet Dry brand Rinse Aid so I switched back and never smelled anything since.

Quick update:
I contacted Bosch. Since the unit is still under warranty, they recommended I have a Bosch certified dealer come out and take a look.

The tech came out and confirmed that the dishwasher was installed correctly. He saw no issue with the drain loop.

He smelled the odor and wasn't sure of the problem.
I told him that we generally pre-rinse, and only run the dishwasher about once a week. I also told him that we use the Electrasol tabs. I also told him that I have well water with a water softener.
Based on all of those conditions, he took a guess and said it could be too much soap. He said the single cube could be too much soap and the machine isn't rinsing completely. He suggested switching to powdered detergent and using less. Although he did admit that he didn't see any signs of soap buildup in the inside of the machine...

I used one of those Jet Dry machine cleaners after he left, and the smell went away for a few weeks, but it seems to be back.

Does that sound like a possibility? Too much soap causing the odor?
Also, I haven't refilled the Jet Dry in the dishwasher in a while (keep forgetting to buy it), any chance that a lack of Jet Dry in the machine causing the odor?

thanks.
mm

Anything above the trap of the sink can harbor crud and can cause smells. You really should get rid of that flexible coupling on the sink and you want the DW drain line to only point down from the high point or it will trap water in there that can accumulate crud either from draining the sink or from the dishwasher. Many DW have a little water in the low point when they're done.

I have a fairly new Bosch DW connected with a high loop such as you have, and I use the Electrasol tabs (Finish) and have no odor problems. We also rinse. But, that flex connector is a real handyman special! The internal ridges are a great place for crud to collect. They are just a gimmick that only unsuspecting DIY will buy. A real plumber would never use one. BTW, if the drain hose is a tad too long, their is a special tool that will deal with that. It's called a knife. LOL

We had a dishwasher (DW) interior smell that was caused by the accumulation of paper pulp from jar labels that we cleaned prior to recycling. The pulp would fill every nook and cranny of the DW interior and pump. The dishes were cleaned, but the smell always gave us doubt. When the DW dried, the smell would fade until we used it again. After I took the dishwasher apart and cleaned out all the accumulated pulp the smell was gone. We have not had a recurrence of this since we stopped washing labeled jars in the DW.

Gary Swart said:

I have a fairly new Bosch DW connected with a high loop such as you have, and I use the Electrasol tabs (Finish) and have no odor problems. We also rinse. But, that flex connector is a real handyman special! The internal ridges are a great place for crud to collect. They are just a gimmick that only unsuspecting DIY will buy. A real plumber would never use one. BTW, if the drain hose is a tad too long, their is a special tool that will deal with that. It's called a knife. LOL

Click to expand...

That's the drain hose that Bosch supplies with the dishwasher. I could see if it was a $200 DW but one would think with the price of the unit it would come with a halfway decent drain line.

We never cut the dishwasher hose, except at the very end where the connection is.
If the hose is long, then it's long. Not a big deal, it's under pressure anyway.

Once you have the high loop, then the part that drains down should be kept to the shorter distance.

You could pull off the PVC piping below, and clean that up, or replace it. Any piping above the trap seal will allow for odor.
It can get pretty bad on those sections.

I like using Bio-Clean down the drains every so often.