Frigidaire dishwasher is a common kitchen appliance in most American homes because of its advanced features. The dishwasher has a self-diagnosis mechanism that generates codes that inform a user about interruptions and issues in the operation of its subunits and sensors. Each of these codes is unique and corresponds to a specific problem within the washer.
One of the most common codes in the Frigidaire dishwasher is the error code i30. This code means the dishwasher is consuming a lot of water. When error code i30 appears on your dishwasher’s digital display, your appliance will begin draining water non-stop. In this situation, the dishwasher’s pump operates without stopping. It also does not respond to opening doors and commands to cancel the program.
What Does Frigidaire Dishwasher i30 Mean?
When your dishwasher’s tank fills up, fluid flows into the bottom of its pan. The dishwasher’s float switch actuates, causing an interruption in its cycle and the appearance of the error code i30 on its digital display screen. The Frigidaire dishwasher i30 error is the most common on the frigidaire gallery model and it means that water won’t stop draining due to a fault in the dishwasher such as a leak, faulty leak sensor, problems with the drain pump, or a blocked drain system.
When this happens to your Frigidaire dishwasher, you can try to fix it by unplugging the washer from its power source for 30 minutes then restarting it. Check its display screen for changes. If nothing has changed on the dishwasher’s display screen, you need to carry out these actions to correct the issues.
- Pull out the dishwasher from under the tabletop
- Tilt its housing forward by about forty-five degrees to drain water from the dishwasher’s pan
- Position the appliance in an upright position and return it in its normal position
- Wait for forty-eight hours for its pan to dry completely
- Carry out a test run on the appliance after two days to see if it is running normally and the error code i30 has disappeared
While these steps will remove error code i30 from your dishwasher’s digital display screen, it does not work for a long time. The error code will reappear after a while. Dishwashers without a digital display screen, the ‘END’ LED flashes at 5-second intervals with each flash consisting of three blinks.
Frigidaire Dishwasher Error Code i30 Reset
To reset the i30 error code on your Frigidaire dishwasher: Find the cancel button on the far-right side of the control panel. To reset the dishwasher, hold this button down for 3 seconds or until the light display disappears or changes.
Resetting the i30 error on your frigidaire dishwasher will get rid of the error, but it won’t get rid of the problem. If there’s a leak, problems with the drain pump, a faulty leak sensor, or anything that’s triggering the i30 error, those problems will still remain and could end up triggering the error code again. You need to make sure that you actually diagnose and fix the i30 error before you reset it.
What Causes Frigidaire Dishwasher i30
This error code could be caused by a number of faults within your dishwasher. Therefore, you will have to inspect the whole appliance to find the exact reasons for the fault and fix it to restore your dishwasher to its optimum efficiency. Here are some of the issues that you should be watching out for in your inspection.
1. There’s a Leak
It would be best if you began by inspecting the dishwasher’s pan. If the pan is empty, you should proceed to the next step. However, if the pan is wet, you should try to find the source of the leak. Follow these steps to fix the leak.
- Unscrew your dishwasher’s top cover
- Remove its sidewalls
- Run any program
- Observe the washer for possible leaking areas
Once you locate the leaking area, you need to cover it with a sealant. However, such a repair is short-lived and will soon give way to more leaks. To be safe, you need to replace the leaking element in its entirety. After carrying out the repairs or replacement, run your washer and check its digital display screen. The i30 error code should have disappeared.
2. Water in the Base
There’s an anti-flood switch that sits in the bottom of your dishwasher. When the drain pan fills up with water, a float rises. The float is pushed to a certain level, the anti-flood switch is triggered and this causes water to drain out onto the drain pan. This is a safety feature that stops the electrics above the bottom of the pan from getting wet. If you notice that your dishwasher continues to drain after you turn it on, there’s probably a leak that’s filling the drain pan with water which is activating the anti-flood switch.
To get water out of the base and fix the i30 error on your dishwasher.
- Turn off the power. Make sure the dishwasher is unplugged so that you don’t accidentally electrocute yourself.
- Take off the base plate. There’s a base plate at the bottom of the dishwasher. You’ll need to turn the dishwasher on its back to see the base plate. The base plate is attached to the dishwasher using two or four screws. You need to unscrew the screws that are attaching the drain pan to the bottom of the dishwasher.
- Remove any water from the base. Once you’ve removed the base plate, you need to remove water from it using a bowl and a sponge. This will dry up all of the unnecessary water in the drain pan. You could also leave your dishwasher unplugged and left to sit for about a week. This should allow enough time for the water to naturally evaporate which will leave you with a base that’s dry. The downside to this is that you won’t be able to use your dishwasher for about a week.
- Find the source of the leak. Once you’ve removed all of the water, you’ll need to know what’s causing the leak. To test for a leak, you need to turn on the dishwasher and let it fun a cycle, from here, look out for leaks. Once you find the source of the leak, then you’ll know why your dishwasher is leaking. Once found, you can turn off the dishwasher.
After finding the leak, if you’re not sure how to do the repair yourself to stop water from going to the bottom of the dishwasher, then you need to look at your frigidaire manual to check how to fix the leak to stop the error i30 from showing, then you’ll need to hire a professional.
3. Dirty Leak Sensor
The Frigidaire dishwasher has a plastic foam float at the bottom of its housing. The foam float activates the appliance’s switch when its pan is full. However, in some cases, a moving part of the foam float sticks on the wall sending the wrong message to the appliance, making it think that there is an overflow in the dishwasher. In this circumstance, it is easier for the user to get rid of the error code by cleaning the dirty leak sensor.
4. Blocked Drain System
At times, error code i30 combines with error codes i40, iF0, or i20 to indicate a drain problem in the appliance. When this happens, you need to begin by inspecting the dishwasher’s sewage system and the area below the sink where a connection between the dishwasher and your home’s piping has been made. You need to open it up and remove the filters for cleaning. Inspect the hoses for folding and blockage while at it.
5. Faults with the Drain Pump
A dishwasher may overfill because of a malfunctioning pump. In most cases, fault code i30 occurs when the appliance’s impeller is broken or blocked. When this happens, you need to disconnect the dishwasher’s pump and remove everything blocking the blades. If the pump’s impeller is broken, you need to replace it with a new one. If there is no visible damage to the pump, you need to examine the subunit using a multimeter. If the subunit does not have continuity, you need to purchase a new drain pump.
6. Damaged Inlet Valve
On a normal occasion, this component opens and closes to control the flow of water in the dishwasher. However, it can also break down. When this happens, this part could cause the dishwasher to show error code i30 on its digital display code. Some of the common causes of this issue include:
- Faulty wiring
- Mechanical issues in the dishwasher
- Blockage
You need to follow specific steps to fix this issue. Follow this procedure to fix the problem:
- Remove and disassemble your dishwasher’s electromagnetic part
- Inspect it for garbage. If you find any, you need to get rid of it
- Use a multimeter to measure the contact resistance of the inlet valve
- If there is no continuity, you need to replace the valve with a properly functioning unit
7. Faulty Pressure Switch
Sometimes the pressure switch (view on Amazon) becomes clogged with fat or food and sends the wrong signals to the dishwasher’s control board, making it think the tank is empty. Therefore, the system does not create a command for its intake valve, preventing the membrane from closing. Water continues to flow into the dishwasher. It spills and enters its pan. The leakage sensor picks up the problem and responds to it by sending a signal to the main control, which displays the i30 error code. You need to clean the pressure switch to correct this problem. However, if the sensor has broken down, you need to replace it to fix the issue.
8. Faulty Electronic Board
The Frigidaire dishwasher shows error code i30 on its digital display screen when moisture gets into its main module, causing a drop in voltage or when there is a short circuit in the dishwasher. In most cases, this occurs when there is a burnt-out triac that controls the filling and discharge. When this happens, you need to replace the old element by installing a new and proper functioning element. It would be best if you also soldered the molten tracks where necessary. However, you should note that if the processor has burned out, soldering will not help. Instead, you will have to buy a new component to replace the old burned part.
A Frigidaire dishwasher is built for all types of users. Its self-diagnosis mechanism makes it easy for any user to troubleshoot and fix the problem, which restores the dishwasher back to its normal operation. However, you have to know what each code means for you to be able to fix the dishwasher.
There are some homeowners who are not comfortable handling electronic appliances. If you are one of them, do not hesitate to call a qualified electric technician to fix your dishwasher. In some cases, even homeowners who are comfortable fixing their dishwasher encounter issues while at it. In this case, calling a qualified electronic appliance specialist is the best decision. In addition to this, it would be best for you to replace an old dishwasher with a new one. Sometimes this simple act of progress saves you a lot of time and repair costs.
9. Drain Hose Is Lower Than The Water Level
If the end of the drain hose is set at a level lower than the water level in the dishwasher, it is going to allow the water to drain away. The water level usually fills to just below the door seal, so if you’ve got the end of the drain hose set to a level that’s lower than that – it is going to run out of the machine.
Don’t worry if this is the case with your dishwasher though, as it can be easily corrected. All you need to do is simply lift the drain hose to a level that is higher than the water level in the appliance.
Most drain hoses come supplied with a crook attachment, and you can use that when setting the drain hose into an open pipe drain, so make sure that the hose doesn’t go too far down to create a siphon effect.
To fix a drain hose that is below the water level:
- Look at your drain hose. Look at the drain hose and check if it’s lower than the door seal. This will let you know if it’s the drain hose that causes your dishwasher to not stop draining.
- Use a crook to adjust the hose. Your dishwasher’s drain hose could come with a crook attachment which you can use to adjust the hose to make sure that it doesn’t go too far into the drain pipe. If you’ve managed to adjust the hose using the crook, this will prevent the siphoning.
- Test it out. Once the drain hose has been adjusted using the crook, then you can test it out. If the hose is working properly and the dishwasher stops draining when it’s supposed to, then you’ve fixed the problem.
