Growling Sound From a GE Dishwasher

Infrequent Use

• If you haven’t used your dishwasher in a while, or if it is brand new and you are turning it on for the first time, you may hear a growling sound. It is actually more like a loud humming noise from the motor. If this sound occurs and the dishwasher seems to otherwise be operating normally, the dishwasher motor seals may have dried out and are sticking. It’s simple to fix this problem. Remove any water and dishes in the dishwasher. Dissolve 4 oz. of citric acid in 1 quart of hot tap water. Pour the solution into the sump area in the right rear of the tub and let it sit for 15 minutes then try to start the machine again. You may also use 1 cup of white vinegar in 1 quart of hot water to achieve similar results.

Control Panel

• If your GE dishwasher has electronic controls and you hear a growling or grinding sound coming from the control panel area, you probably don’t have anything to worry about. This sound is the result of a motor-driven electrical device inside the panel that controls the cycles of the dishwasher. Whenever the dishwasher goes from rinse to drain or drain to wash, this sound is likely to be heard. It is completely normal. Unless you have other issues that indicate a problem, this noise can be ignored.

Soft Food Disposer

• When small particles of food get washed from the dishes in your dishwasher, they fall into the bottom of the wash tub where the soft-food disposer takes care of the scraps and makes them go down the drain easily. The disposer grinds the food particles and the noise from this grinding is often heard outside the machine. The grinding can certainly be described as a growling sound.

Other Normal Causes

• There are other completely normal causes why a GE dishwasher might make a growling noise. The drain pump could be running and causing a humming or growling sound. The fans that cool the motor might be in use, or the simple action of the water swishing around inside the appliance may be heard as a growling noise.