Dishwasher Rinse Aid Dispenser Catch Repair

Introduction

It must be nearly two years ago that I first had a problem with my Dishwasher Rinse Aid Dispenser Catch. The tab that has to be pushed towards the top of the door to open the rinse aid dispenser, so that more rinse aid can be added, had somehow broken and disappeared. I found I could continue to open it by pressing the remaining catch towards the top of the door using the handle end of a teaspoon.

Since refilling the rinse aid dispenser doesn’t happen everyday I was happy to continue with that opening method indefinitely. However about six months ago I found the entire catch was missing leaving the rinse aid dispenser door flapping in the breeze. I searched inside the dishwasher and found the plastic part of the catch but not the coil spring. Also when I inserted the catch its retaining clips no longer wanted to spring outwards and perform their retaining action. The whole plastic catch appeared to have been eroded by the dishwashing process. I noticed that the dishwasher liquid dispenser catch looks similarly eroded, but that works on a different principal and is still O.K. The detergent and rinse aid compartment covers are made of a different plastic which has not shown signs of erosion.

After several months without using rinse aid I decided I should take action to fix the catch.

Repairing The Dishwasher Rinse Aid Dispenser Catch

“In my case the whole order including shipping and VAT came to £6.49.” — Helpful Colin

rinse aid dispenser
Broken catch without spring.

For a few weeks I had been thinking how I might repair the rinse aid dispenser catch by using a spring from a ball point pen (if they are stainless) and using super glue to fix a small piece of plastic onto the remaining catch to form a push button. I don’t know how long the super glue would have held under arduous washing conditions. However when I came to actually tackle the problem I found the surface area to which I would apply the super glue would be very small and I also noticed how weak the retaining clips were. I realised it was time to see if a new catch or alternative method of catching could be found.

rinse aid dispenser
The Rinse Aid Dispenser, with the catch missing, and the detergent dispenser mounted in the dishwasher door.

I Looked For A New Rinse Aid Dispenser Catch

rinse aid dispenser
New catch with spring included.

So I searched the Internet and was very surprised to find that this little catch was readily available. A close examination of the old and new shows there are some differences in their shape but not in the way they work or fit.

The dishwasher concerned here is an AEG Favourit F86050VI.

I suspect there must be many AEG customers who find it fails and needs to be replaced. I got my new catch from AEG Parts & Accessories via the Dishwashers page. The actual page from which I selected my part was Detergent Dispensers for AEG Dishwashers. The actual part was a Dishwasher Dosing Device Push Button.

inserting the button
Inserting the rinse aid dispenser catch into its housing.

In my case the whole order including shipping and VAT came to £6.49.

I ordered the Rinse Aid Dispenser Catch on 29th December 2014 and it arrived on 2nd January 2015.

All I had to do was take it out of the package and insert it in its location. I ensured the button area was down close to the dispenser body. Then I pinched the retaining clips together a little before pushing it home until it clicked in place. Having looked inside the holder there seems to be a bulge at the end on which the spring sits. It is therefore necessary to ensure the spring is central when the button is pushed home.

I hope the enlarged picture here makes it clear.

Below is a picture of the Rinse Aid Dispenser after the repair was completed.

The right-hand dispenser is for liquid detergent or dishwasher tablets.

rinse aid dispenser
The Rinse Aid Dispenser with a new catch and the cover open.

END OF POST


Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.