What Is Turbidity Sensor In Dishwasher: A Comprehensive Guide

If you ever notice a dishwasher is not draining water or taking forever to wash dishes, it could be due to a faulty Turbidity Sensor In Dishwasher.

Turbidity sensors play a significant role in a dishwasher’s overall functioning. This article will discuss What Turbidity Sensors are in dishwashers and how they work.

What Is Turbidity Sensor In Dishwasher?

The Turbidity Sensor in a dishwasher measures cloudiness or haziness and the concentration of total dissolved/suspended solids in the water.

It is a sensor that measures the amount of light scattered by the suspended solids in water. As the total amount of suspended solids increases, the water’s turbidity level increases.

The data is then sent to the dishwasher controller, which decides when to open the drain valve and stop the wash cycle based on the water’s turbidity label.

turbidity sensor in dishwasher

How Do Turbidity Sensors Work?

To understand how a turbidity sensor works, you must understand Totally Dissolved Solids (TDS) and Totally Suspended Solids (TSS).

Dissolved solids are those impurities that are dissolved into the water. You may or may not see those impurities with the naked eye.

Totally suspended solids are impurities that are not dissolved into the water and often contribute to its turbidity.

When a dishwasher wash cycle is over, the water should have the minimum amount of TSS and TDS. Otherwise, the system thinks that the dishes are still dirty.

The turbidity sensors play a big role here. After every wash cycle, when the water passes through the turbidity sensor, a light ray from a transmission beam passes through it. It then senses the intensity of the light at the other end of the sensor.

Turbidity Sensor In Dishwasher
Credit: Atlas Scientific

The difference in light intensity determines the amount of turbidity in the water, as light can not pass through solids.

If the water turbidity is higher than the desired value, the dishwasher controller is signaled to run the wash cycle again until the turbidity sensor detects that the water is clean enough to drain.

How Do I Know If My Dishwasher Turbidity Sensor Is Bad?

Here are some of the symptoms that may indicate that you may have a faulty turbidity sensor in the dishwasher.

Dishwasher May Run For A Longer Wash Cycle: The reason for this is that the turbidity sensor thinks that the water is still dirty, although the water is clean. This happens when you have a faulty turbidity sensor.

Dishwasher Does Not Drain Water: The drain valve will only open when it gets a signal from the turbidity sensor that the water is clean enough to drain. A faulty turbidity sensor will stop the drain water valve opening.

Dishes Are Not Clean: If the turbidity sensor signals that the water is clean even though it is dirty, your wash cycle will be completed even before the dishes are clean.

No other sensors detect whether the dishes are clean or not except the turbidity sensor, which only detects the turbidity in the water.

Conclusion: Turbidity Sensor For Dishwasher

A dishwasher’s turbidity sensor is a critical component. If the sensor goes bad, it may cause multiple issues, including the dishwasher not cleaning dishes properly.

It can also cause washing delays, causing more power and resource loss. As soon as you notice the symptoms, call a technician and replace the turbidity sensor.

FAQ | Turbidity Sensor In Dishwasher

What Does A Turbidity Sensor Do On A Dishwasher?

The dishwasher turbidity sensor detects whether the water is clean or not based on the differences in light intensity that pass through the water. If the turbidity is high, the wash cycle continues. If not, it opens the drain valve.

Rajib
Rajib
Rajib Is The Founder And Head Of RiansClub. A NIT 2004 Graduate In Mechanical Engineering With Close To Two Decades Of Experience In Designing Large Appliances And Consumer Electronics Products.

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