Simple Solutions for a Noisy Dishwasher: 2025 Guide

Few things in your home are more annoying than a dishwasher that sounds like a jet airplane revving up in your kitchen. If you’re facing this type of noisy dishwasher problem right now, you know what I mean. You’re under intense pressure to get it fixed – immediately!

Sometimes, you can quickly find a simple solution for a noisy dishwasher – if you know where to look. We’re here to help you with that.

Here are some suggestions for finding and fixing common causes of dishwasher noise.

How to Fix a Roaring Dishwasher Noise

Several different dishwasher problems can cause a roaring noise in your dishwasher. Here are some common causes and simple solutions.

Fill Problems Causing Noise in Your Dishwasher

Intense roaring coming from your dishwasher is often caused by low water level or no water in the dishwasher tub. Crack open the dishwasher door then open it fully and look for water inside the tub. If the tub is empty or water looks shallow (well below the heating element), try manually adding hot water from your kitchen sink tap using container or large drinking glass. Add about a half-gallon of water then shut the dishwasher door and resume the cycle.

If the roaring sound stops, you’ve found the cause of the noise problem. Make sure the water shut-off valve for the dishwasher is fully open.

If the shut-off valve is open, schedule service to have a Sears Home Services Technician fix the fill problem in your dishwasher.

You can continue to manually cure the noise problem by manually adding water until the technician visits your home and repair the dishwasher.

Additional Causes and Fixes For Roaring Noise in Your Dishwasher

Other dishwasher problems that can cause a roaring noise include:

• Obstructed spray arms. Check and adjust dishes loaded in the racks and rearrange the dishes to free up stuck spray arms.
• Clogged sink drain. Run the garbage disposal to clear the sink drain so the dishwasher drains properly.
• Debris stuck in the circulation or drain pump. The circulation and drain pump in a dishwasher are typically difficult to access. Our Sears PartsDirect provides some DIY repair help that can help you access the pumps in common dishwashers. If you’re unable to safely access and check pumps in your dishwasher yourself, choose the simple solution and schedule a Sears Home Services technician to visit your home and fix the dishwasher. Fixing a noise problem quickly often helps you avoid major failures and repairs of your dishwasher.

Simple Fix For a Dishwasher Buzzing Noise

A buzzing noise in the dishwasher is often cause by a circulation pump impeller hitting a foreign object caught in the dishwasher sump. Often a popcorn kernel or piece of glass works its way down into the pump housing. Sometimes, you can find and remove a foreign object from the sump by removing the filters in the bottom of the dishwasher tub. Use care when reaching down into the sump in case broken glass is causing the buzzing noise. If you find and remove a foreign object and the dishwasher no longer buzzes, you’ve found the simple solution for the noise problem.

Other causes for a buzzing noise in the dishwasher include a faulty drain pump, an item stuck in the drain pump and an item stuck in the chopper blade of the circulation. The simple solution for these problems is to have a service technician examine and repair the dishwasher. Disassembling these areas of the dishwasher, correcting the cause of the noise and reassembling the dishwasher can result in a water leak if the procedure isn’t performed precisely and completely.

Finding and Fixing Bumping Noises in Your Dishwasher

Bumping noises can be caused by a spray arm hitting on dishes or improper installation of the dishwasher.

Open the dishwasher and check for dishes blocking spray arm rotation. Reposition dishes to unblock a spray arm and the noise will likely disappear.

The dishwasher can move around and bump the kitchen cabinet enclosure if you don’t have the dishwasher secured properly. A drain hose can also bump against the dishwasher tub or the inside of the kitchen cabinet when the hose is loose or improperly installed.

Check the drain hose connection on the garbage disposal or sink drain if it’s loose. This simple step make eliminate the bumping noise. If not, follow the steps below to help you find and eliminate a bumping noise in the dishwasher.

Use the installation manual to guide you in checking and correcting problems with the drain hose and dishwasher installation that could be causing bumping noises.

Here’s a helpful video that shows how to secure a common type of dishwasher inside the kitchen cabinet when it’s loose:

Here’s a link for a video that shows how to access the drain hose in a common dishwasher: Dishwasher Not Draining Video.

If you’re not confident that you can safely check these issues yourself or you’re unable to find the cause of the bumping noise, have a service technician examine and fix the dishwasher.

Prevent Noises By Having Your Dishwasher Professionally Maintained Yearly

Schedule annual dishwasher cleaning and maintenance by Sears Home Services to help keep your dishwasher running quietly and efficiently. During professional maintenance, the technician will check the circulation pump and drain pump for problems. The tech will also check the drain hose, spray arms, fill system and other components that can cause noises when problems occur.

Having your dishwasher serviced annually won’t just prevent noises, it will help the appliance last longer and run more efficiently. You’ll save money in the long run by keeping your dishwasher in top shape.

Keep all of your home appliances running smoothly and quietly by scheduling a Kitchen & Laundry Appliance Check-up Bundle. A technician will clean and maintain all of your appliances in one convenient visit.

Sears Home Services can help you manage all aspects of your home so you can have the peace of mind that everything is covered. You can relax and enjoy your home when everything is in top shape.