Answer · Los Angeles
Why Is the Top Rack Gritty?
Short answer
Grit on the upper rack and clean plates below it means the top spray arm is not getting its share of the water. Viking Repair HQ Los Angeles traces the feed, the arm and the filter in that order. Call (213) 320-7007 and say which rack is dirty.
Where the upper spray gets its water
Water leaves the pump, passes the filter and is sent up a feed pipe at the back or the side of the tub to the upper arm, and on many machines a diverter alternates between the arms so each gets full pressure in turn. Anything that interrupts that path shows up on the top rack first, because it is the furthest and the highest point in the circuit. A packed filter starves everything but starves the top the most. A feed pipe that has come adrift where it clips to the tub sprays into the cabinet instead of up the pipe. A diverter that has cracked simply stops sending water upward.
What to clear before booking anything
Take the upper rack out and spin the arm by hand. It should turn freely and every hole in it should be open — hold it up to the light and push a cocktail stick through anything that looks glazed over. Then lift the filter out of the sump, rinse it and clear the well beneath. Between them those two account for a good share of gritty top racks and cost nothing but ten minutes. If the arm spins freely, the holes are clear and the filter is clean and the rack still comes out gritty, the fault is upstream and wants a technician.
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