Displays that don’t work are disruptive. If the display is a touchscreen, you can’t access the dishwasher’s various functions. If you have a conventional display, you can’t track the machine’s progress. A Kenwood dishwasher’s display can fail for one or more of the following reasons:
1). The Dishwasher Is Off
The display usually comes on when the machine starts. It won’t respond if the dishwasher is off. Before blaming the display, make sure the appliance is on. Dishwashers can refuse to start for various reasons, including a defective breaker, broken power cord, damaged plug, faulty wall outlet, and more.
2). The Circuit Board Is Dead
The circuit board runs everything. Therefore, you should inspect it whenever the appliance malfunctions. Look for physical signs of trouble, such as bulging, cracks, and burn marks. PCB Store recommends testing each connection’s voltage with an oscilloscope.
Circuit boards can fail because of aging, surges, overloads, exposure to moisture, dust, debris, etc.
3). The Appliance Has Too Much Dirt
You expose the control panel to dust and grime whenever you touch it. Your hands have oils that transfer to the appliance. You should also consider the dust that routinely accumulates in your kitchen.
Many homeowners clean their kitchens every day. Some of them clean these rooms every few hours, which speaks volumes about the amount of dirt a conventional kitchen attracts daily. Unless you perform regular maintenance, that dirt will accumulate in the dishwasher, disrupting the control panel’s work.
If you’re lucky, the dirt will only cause the buttons to stick. If you’re unlucky, the entire control panel will malfunction, including the display.
4). The Dishwasher Has Loose Wiring
The Kenwood dishwasher uses wires to transmit electricity and data to the screen. According to Scherer Electric, a home’s electrical wiring can easily last 50 years. But the electrical wiring in your walls is thicker and stronger.
The wires behind a control panel are tiny and susceptible to everything from pests to excess heat. You should also note that dishwashers vibrate. Those vibrations can become worse because of a food grinding system and obstructions. Heavy vibrations can create loose connections.
5). The Control Panel Is dead
Control panels are no different from any other component on your dishwasher. They can fail. The key is to determine what has failed: the entire control panel or the display. Experiment with the device.
Does the touchpad work? Do all the buttons work, or only some of them? Sometimes, the touchpad can fail even though the display still works. The opposite can happen in other cases. You also have situations where the entire control panel fails.
How To Fix Kenwood Dishwasher Display That Is Not Working?
The most challenging aspect is identifying the cause of the inactive display. Once you find the culprit, you can apply the following solutions:
- Perform a reset. Kenwood dishwashers don’t offer reset buttons. If yours has one, the manual will tell you where to find it. Otherwise, you can reset the machine by depriving it of power. It is the equivalent of performing a reboot.
- If you’ve traced the problem to the control panel, identify the exact fault. If the touchpad and display are the same, you must replace the entire display. Otherwise, you can replace the touchpad and the display separately, depending on the need. It might be cheaper to get a new control panel. It depends on the dishwasher’s configuration.
- Does the display have a fuse? While this is unlikely, you can’t rule it out. The manual will show you how to locate and replace the fuse.
- In the absence of a dedicated fuse, troubleshoot the Kenwood dishwasher’s electrical system. Remove the control panel and clean the ribbon cables. They tend to accumulate dirt. A pencil eraser can remove it without harming the wires.
- If you engaged the child lock, disengage it. The child lock is only a viable culprit if the display is on, but it won’t respond to your commands. The child lock prevents children from tampering with the machine’s functions. They can press the buttons, but the appliance won’t respond. Kenwood dishwashers have a child lock button. Holding it down for several seconds will initiate the child lock feature. Repeating this procedure will do the opposite.
- Replace the control board. Sears PartsDirect has a video illustrating this process. Any consumers with rudimentary technical skills can apply the principles in the video to their appliance. Circuit boards are not that difficult to acquire. If you hire an expert, you can leave it to them to secure a suitable replacement. Otherwise, ask Kenwood for a recommendation. They will ask for your dishwasher’s model number.
- Place the dishwasher on a flat surface to reduce vibrations. You should also remove foreign objects. You can identify them by the rattling and buzzing sounds they make.
- Identify and replace damaged wiring.
- Tighten loose connections.
- Perform regular maintenance to keep rodents, water, and dust out of the Kenwood dishwasher. Maintenance involves cleaning the filter, spray arms, and door seals. If you think the machine needs a thorough service, call a technician.
If the dishwasher won’t even start, find out why. Fixing defective outlets, power cords, plugs, and breakers may resolve the issue. A display is unlikely to present a serious challenge. It won’t take a professional long to diagnose it.
But that doesn’t mean you can ignore this issue. A display that won’t work is a big deal. However, it won’t cripple the appliance unless it has a touchpad, in which case, you can’t start or stop the machine’s functions. In that case, a Kenwood dishwasher display that doesn’t work may tempt you to replace the entire appliance.
That makes sense if you’ve owned the machine for ten or more years. Dishwashers have an average life expectancy of ten years. Therefore, spending hundreds of dollars to fix a ten-year-old dishwasher makes little sense. You are better off getting a new one.
Ultimately, any repairs you perform on a ten-year-old machine won’t last. Eventually, the appliance will fail. Sell it for scrap and get a new one.
