A dishwashing appliance includes a tub defining a wash chamber therein for receipt of articles for washing, a heating element, a sump positioned at a bottom of the wash chamber for receiving fluid from the wash chamber, a drain pump in communication with the sump, and a temperature sensor. Methods of operating the dishwashing appliance may include filling the sump with a liquid and heating the liquid by activating the heating element. Such methods also may include measuring a temperature of a liquid in the sump with the temperature sensor and comparing the measured temperature of the liquid to a minimum drain temperature threshold. Such methods may include draining the liquid from the sump after the measured temperature is equal to or greater than the minimum drain temperature threshold, such as immediately after heating the liquid.

Disclosed herein is a dishwasher including a main body provided with an open hole and a washing tub; a door configured to open or close the open hole; a door opening/closing member configured to open or close the open hole; an air curtain disposed in the main body, to operate a fan such that ambient air is sucked and the sucked air is discharged; a detector configured to detect information of the fan; and a controller configured to diagnose the failure of the fan based on the detected information of the fan, to control an operation of the door opening/closing member such that the door is opened at a predetermined open time and an open time of the door is delayed when the fan is a failure state, and to control an operation of the fan when the fan is a normal state during a drying operation.

A domestic electrical appliance, in particular a dishwashing machine, includes a main appliance body having a product treatment chamber, a door mounted on the main appliance body so as to be pivotable about a horizontal pivot axis close to the floor for closing an access opening to the product treatment chamber and a locking device having a locking assembly arranged on the main appliance body and a closing pin arranged on the door. The locking assembly has a latch movable between a release position and a latching position where the latch engages behind the closing pin to hold the door closed and releases the closing pin to open the door. The latch performs a rotational movement along a horizontal plane as it moves between the release position and the latching position, the closing pin being oriented vertically when the door is closed.

System and method for dispensing product to a washing machine. A chemical dispensing system includes a system controller, machine interface, and pump controller that communicate through serial data buses. The system controller provides a user interface, retrieves washing machine status information from the machine interface, and issues product dispensing commands to the pump controller. The pump controller monitors pump status and dispenses product in response to commands from the system controller. The pump controller: (1) determines pump activation periods based on calibration data stored in a pump controller memory; (2) tracks pump usage and adjusts the activation period to compensate for pump wear as the pump ages; (3) disables the pump if conditions exists that preclude operating the pump; (4) monitors product levels, and (5) reports pump status to the system controller. Integral channels are included in the pump housing to provide stress relief to a squeeze tube.

Methods and systems for an integrated acid regeneration of ion exchange resins are disclosed for use in cleaning applications. Acid resins designed for use in a variety of cleaning application using a treated, softened, acidic water source are disclosed. Various methods of using the softened acidic water generated by acid regenerate-able ion exchange resins within a cleaning application, e.g. ware wash machine, are disclosed to beneficially reduce spotting, filming and scale buildup on treated surfaces, reduce and/or eliminate the need for polymers, threshold reagents and/or rinse aids, and using protons generated in the acidic water effluent for triggering events useful in various cleaning applications.

A cleaning apparatus for cleaning articles for cleaning is proposed. The cleaning apparatus comprises at least one cleaning chamber and at least one covering apparatus which at least partially encloses the cleaning chamber. The covering apparatus is movable over an opening travel from a closed position into an opened position or vice versa. The covering apparatus is connected via at least one force transmission path to at least one spring element. At least one spring force of the spring element can be transmitted by means of the force transmission path to the covering apparatus. The force transmission path has at least one torque converter. The torque converter has a transmission ratio which varies over the opening travel.

A door latch for a domestic electrical appliance includes a latch assembly that includes a locking element arranged to be displaceable between an unlocking position and a locking position, and an arresting element which moves from its release position into the arresting position as the door is closed. The arresting element in the arresting position can be locked by means of the locking element against movement into the release position and in the locked state prevents the closed door from opening. The latch assembly further includes an electric switch which, when the door is closed, responds to a movement of the locking element from the unlocking position into the locking position, and a switch auxiliary control member which, as the door is closed, is urged by the closing body from an active position against a restoring spring force into an inactive position.

A turbidity sensor assembly for a dishwasher appliance is provided. The turbidity sensor assembly measures the turbidity of wash fluid in a manner similar to conventional turbidity sensors, but also includes an integral water level indicator. The water level indicator is an opaque buoyant ball that rises and falls with the water level to provide a water level indication that can be used to shut off the drain pump when the sump is empty. More specifically, when the water level drops below a predetermined level, the opaque ball blocks the transmission of light between the emitter and receiver of the turbidity sensor, thus indicating that the sump is almost empty. As a result, the pump operating during a drain cycle need only operate long enough to drain the sump, and this may be achieved without an additional measuring device or complicated control system.

A washing agent dispenser for washing machines comprises a fixed dispenser part (200) and a removable dispenser part (100). The removable dispenser part (100) comprises a hollow body (101) defining a tank for a washing agent. The tank has, in a lower part thereof, an outlet (112), in a back wall of the hollow body (101), which is couplable in a separable way to an inlet (210) at the front of the fixed dispenser part (200). A retention valve (230.sub.1) is mounted on the hollow body (101), in a position corresponding to the outlet (112) of at the tank. The retention valve (230.sub.1) is configured to assume a respective open position following upon coupling between the outlet (112) and the inlet (210), and to assume a respective closed position following upon uncoupling between the outlet (112) and the inlet (210).

A dishwasher and method utilize an imaging system to perform various diagnostic operations within the dishwasher, including one or more of level sensing, filter cleaning, wash tub rinse down, foam detection, imaging system cleaning, and remote viewing.