# Nasty smell in Bosch dishwashers



## troubleseeker

I have installed quite a few Bosch dishwashers over the years in kitchen remodels ( by far the most popular premium brand in our customer base), and have heard only two comments over the last 6 or 7 years about them retaining a foul smell when the door is opened. Lately I have been seeing quite a few complaints in various appliance related posts about this problem. Has anyone had any customer feedback about this? Thanks.


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## Doc

I have had several odor complaints on dishwashers, bosch is´nt the only brand having this occur. One of my parts suppliers caries a product called Dishwasher Magic. Works like a charm. Kills odors and cleans the dishwasher at the same time. Just take off the cap put it in the dishwasher upside down and run a cycle. You might be able to find it at one of your local Diy stores. Or they might have a web site. All I know it has worked for me


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## mdshunk

Adding an air gap or raising the dishwasher drain hose up high in the dishwasher cavity often solves these foul smelling dishwasher issues (sink drain can drizzle a little bit backwards into the dishwasher without that air gap). I don't like the BOSCH dishwashers for the simple fact that they have so little room under them to wire them up.


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## troubleseeker

mdshunk said:


> Adding an air gap or raising the dishwasher drain hose up high in the dishwasher cavity often solves these foul smelling dishwasher issues (sink drain can drizzle a little bit backwards into the dishwasher without that air gap). I don't like the BOSCH dishwashers for the simple fact that they have so little room under them to wire them up.


Thanks for the air gap tip. The two cases I have experience with were years ago as I stated and I feel pretty sure the discharge lines were indeed routed low because our plumber always came through the bottom corner of the cab with his lines. At the time I just thought maybe the owners had cut the cycle short and trapped food particles in the unit, so I suggested they run a cycle with no dishes to purge the tub. Never heard any more from them, or heard about this problem anymore until recently when I started surfing some of the appliance sites and saw this mentioned fairly often about the Bosch units. I have noticed though that now they come from the factory with the discharge line attached to the top of the case, so that there is a tall loop formed in the line, and a note to not cut this strap.

I agree with the lack of room for connections, but most of the premiun units that are totally sound enclosed have the same problem, not just the Bosch. And it is not just dishwashers. The factories have all taken a "screw the installer" attitude with their obsession to be able to advertise that their appliance (particulary built in ovens) is 1/10th of a cubic foot larger than the competitors.


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## firemike

md's right, what usually happens is the drain line is usually hooked to the disposal port, and goes down to the dishwasher, allowing waste water from inside the disposal to drain back into the dishwasher. After a while. it starts to "ferment" in the unit creating the odor. I get several calls a year from this.

The repair is simple, use a rubber-coated hose clamp or PVC conduit strap to get the loop of the drain line inside the sink base as high as possible above the disposal connection, preferably right up under the countertop. Sometimes I have add to the length of the drain line to accomplish this. Once done, I run a short cycle on the dishwasher to flush out the bad water, then let it fill up again, then pour a jar of powdered Tang breakfast drink into the dishwasher and let it run the full cycle. The dishwasher comes out clean and the smell is gone. I then advise the homeowners to run the Tang through it once or twice a year to keep the unit clean.


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## Greg Di

mdshunk said:


> I don't like the BOSCH dishwashers for the simple fact that they have so little room under them to wire them up.


Holy crap, you ain't kidding. I installed one in my own house about three years ago and it took me all day to install the damn thing because I didn't realize that is was so critical to the have the power feed coming up from the floor in EXACTLY the right spot.

What a pain in the A.


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## Doc

Never even thought about the drain line bring routed low. Around here mos of the drain lines do come into the sink cab at the bottom but the excess line is usually puled into the cab and fastened up high to get it out of the way. It results in it being within an inch so of level with the top of the dishwasher tub. Which is what most of the manufacturers recommend.
The plumbers I know are probably doing it to get out of the way so they don get complaints. 
I have never seen any of them check the install manual yet


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## jakvis

I do a lot of Bosch installs and they made several improvements for the installers a couple years ago.
They now have a junction box that disconnects from the D/W so you can add the wire and strain relief easily. This is all covered in the install manual.
Even though I do quite a few installs I try review the install manuals every few months to find if there has been any changes that will help me.:thumbup:


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## BoshOwner

*Yes - Bosch dishwashers smell awful*

I've installed several brands, but Bosch was my wife's choice for our home. Install was a pain - laying on the floor getting the water line done, but the inside smelled like it had fish in it at one time. This is right out of the box. We figured it would go away with a few washes. 

The drain is routed 22" up and over into the sink cab. No disposal. They have this corrugated plastic drain hose that undoubtedly holds some water all the time. You can actually smell the odor on the plastic coating of the trays. 4 sides of the tub are stainless, so I'm guessing it is some rank plastic made in china. 

It's not an installer problem. The interior materials stink. period. I'll try that dishwasher magic and see if it helps.


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## 91782

BoshOwner said:


> Install was a pain - laying on the floor getting the water line done





Greg Di said:


> Holy crap, you ain't kidding. I installed one in my own house about three years ago and it took me all day to install the damn thing because I didn't realize that is was so critical to the have the power feed coming up from the floor in EXACTLY the right spot.
> 
> What a pain in the A.


There should never be a need to that - with ANY brand. Lay dishwasher on side, in front of cabs, make connections to D/W first - supply, waste & electrical, slide unit into place, guiding the connected stuff as you push it into the opening.

THEN you make the supply and waste connections.

Also, a 1/4 cup of bleach works wonders for leftover smelly stuff (happens also when the H/O decides that using the drying cycle burns up too much electricity, or leaves spots).

If you can bear a H/O geared video, this one does it exactly as I have - for several hundred times.
http://wearecentralpa.com/rsh-fulltext?nxd_id=7616&d=1


As far as Bosch units just smelling bad outta da box - well they do eat a lot of sauerkraut over there...


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## Pangdev

*A quick fix*

Have installed several Bosch Dishwasher units in my homes. I have heard some feedback on a nasty smell. In fact i have gotten that from several other appliances as well.
I simply use a tub cleaner which can be purchased at your local food store in the cleaner section. The cleaner can be used for washing machines and dishwashers.


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## overanalyze

There is a mesh filter in the bottom. A quarter turn unlocks it. Remove it and clean it. To get their lower sound ratings they removed the built in grinder for the food that comes off the dishes. The filter collects it so it doesn't clog the small drain hose. If you don't clean it out you basically have rotting food inside the dishwasher. 

Sent from my VS988 using Tapatalk


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## RangoWA

If it's still stinking after 5 years it needs a cleaning. 
FWIW I put very little food in mine, everything gets rinsed off pretty good (also have canine prerinser that is very thorough).


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## fred54

random dishwasher refresh tip. Throw a cup of TANG in the unit and in the soap dispenser and run it through a cycle. 

Cheaper than cleaner and works great.


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## RangoWA

Wouldn't that just be masking the odor?


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## kirkdc

Bosch is usually good chit. What does the company have to say about it ????...sounds like a common problem and I'd be ticked off if I bought one or installed one and had to deal with the stench.


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## Tinstaafl

RangoWA said:


> Wouldn't that just be masking the odor?


It actually does some cleaning. Contains citric acid.


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## RangoWA

Tinstaafl said:


> It actually does some cleaning. Contains citric acid.


I can believe that but there are chemicals better suited for the task. I use vinegar sometimes, I'm on a septic system so gotta treat it kindly.


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## RetroRock

Problem Solved...
We received a BOSCH 500 Series from my brother after he was having problems with it.
We noticed a BAD smell after a couple days left unattended and noticed water was at the upper level of the filter screens in the base. We tried vinegar and baking soda but no permanent solution.
I pulled out all the screens and found the stainless steel micro-screen cylinder shaped filter had a whitish coating on the inside (not seen earlier). It created a surface tension which held up to a couple cups of water that turned putrid from that whitish residue. We brushed that all clean, put it back together and now the pump clears all the water from the bottom of the dishwasher.
Also, I've read higher end BOSCH dishwashers now have a feature that pops the door open to allow drying out of the inside to reduce moisture in the warm insides which can promote bacterial growth.
So now we also flip down the filler door for Rinse Aid and that holds the door open just enough to allow for the drying out of the inside after a wash.
We've never have a problem since. Hope this helps...


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