A dishwasher rack is essential for washing fragile items. If the rack is accidentally damaged, the first question pops up in mind is, can you replace dishwasher racks?
Don’t worry; you can replace dishwasher racks with some tricks. Dive into the article to know how to replace or repair dishwasher racks.
Can You Replace Dishwasher Racks?
Luckily dishwasher racks are interchangeable.
You can replace or repair your existing dishwasher racks to avoid damaged cookware. But you need to be strategic to do the process correctly.
How To Replace Or Repair A Dishwasher Rack?
A dishwasher rack is an important component to derive better performance from your machine.
A damaged rack creates a high risk of damaging your dishwasher as well as dishes.
Well, before replacing a damaged dishwasher rack, it is always better to try some DIY tricks to repair the rack.
It will save extra cost on buying a new rack. So Let’s explore some effective rack repairing ideas.
Common Dishwasher Rack Problems
Before applying fixing tricks, you need to reveal the reasons behind your rack problems. Some common causes that can create rack problems are attached below:
1. Rusted Rack
Rusting rack is a common problem for low-budget dishwashers. Rust grows in the rack when water touches the metal beneath the rack coating.
As a result, rust eats away at the rack’s layers. Also, it can make rust spots in utensils and dishes. So it is essential to fix a rusty dishwasher rack.
You need to load the dishes correctly in the dishwasher to ensure that the machine operates correctly.
It prevents the water flow from reaching the metal beneath the rack coating. But if the rack is already rusty, then follow the below process.
Fixing Rusty Dishwasher Racks
Equipment
- Sandpaper
- Vinyl touch up paint
- File
Step 1: Lift the rusty racks
First, you need to remove the rusty racks from the dishwasher machine. Usually, top racks are installed securely by two rack stops.
So you need to open those guards and follow the user guide instructions to remove the racks safely. The removal process depends on your machine model.
Step 2: Use Sandpaper and file
Now find out the rusted areas and use a file for sanding them down. Then take your sandpaper to sand it perfectly and get it free from rust. You need to clean the whole metal to remove rust.
Step 3: Sealing
As you sanded the rusted areas now, you need to seal them to prevent future rusting. Use vinyl touch-up paint on the sanded areas to seal them efficiently.
Keep the paint for 8 hours rest to dry it perfectly. After drying, you can place the rack back into your dishwasher machine.
2. Coating Missing
Maximum dishwasher racks coating is done using vinyl. Often it gets chipped or cracked when dishes are loaded randomly. This is why you should avoid overloading or inaccurate loading with any type of staff.
The chipped or missing coating is a great risk of rust attacks. So you need to fix it soon.
Fixing Chipped Coating
- Buy color matching coating
- Remove the rack from the machine
- Apply the coating on the racks and keep it to rest for dry
3. Rack Rolls
Often we notice that racks keep rolling when we open the door. It happened because of leveling problems. You need to level the dishwasher to solve these issues.
Solve Dishwasher Rack Rolls Issues
Without leveling, you can’t derive optimal cleaning performance from your machine. Luckily it is simple to do the leg leveling and requires a few handy tools. So let’s started.
Equipment
- Standard level
- Wrench
- Screwdriver
Step1: Check dishwasher position
You need to inspect the dishwasher position to know whether it is level or not.
Step 2: Balance the leveling legs
You can use an adjustable wrench to level the legs of the dishwasher. Simply turn them clockwise to lower the machine and counterclockwise to rise it.
3. Rack Tines Cocked
Tines that are cocked or broken need to fix immediately to get the best cleaning result. It can happen due to wrong loading approaches or other reasons.
Solve Racks Tines Issues
Equipment
- Sandpaper
- Tine cap
- Rotary tool
- Vinyl touch up paint
Step 1: lift the defective dishwasher racks
To solve rack tines issues, you need to remove the dishwasher racks first. Take out the racks carefully by following the removal instructions.
Step 2: Erase the bent or damaged tents
Take your rotary tool to remove the bent or damaged tents from the racks. Then use the sandpaper to sand down rust if it has any.
Step3: Re-tip the tines
Use vinyl touch-up paint to the tip of the tines. Now put a new tine cap over the tip. Keep the vinyl paint rest for 8 hours. After complete drying, place the dishwasher rack back.
4. Broken Racks
Often some extremely rusty racks get broken or out of repair. In that case, you need a replacement.
Some brands offer a variety of replacement parts to meet your versatile needs. If your brand doesn’t offer replacement parts, you need to buy them separately.
How To Replace A Dishwasher Rack
You can remove and replace a dishwasher rack within a few easy steps. Depending on the dishwasher model, the process can slightly differ. So check the user guide before trying replacement.
Step 1: Take out the dishwasher rack
First, you need to lift the broken dishwasher rack from the machine. Use the manual to remove the rack safely from the machine. The maximum model allows a simple removal process.
Step 2: Replace the new rack
As you open track stops and remove the previous racks, now put the new rack into the track slots. Then roll the rack back onto the rails till the front wheels slide into the right place.
After fixing the four wheels on the rails, you need to push the rack into the dishwasher and let the track stops close automatically.
Bottom Line
We try to give a detailed answer on can you replace dishwasher racks? Besides, we share some effective ideas to repair and replace dishwasher racks.
A dishwasher rack is a powerful component to derive the best cleaning result. So, if you notice defective racks, don’t skip the issues.
Follow our tricks to repair or replace the racks safely and boost the cleaning performance.
