Dishwasher Doesn't Restart on Timer Plug

[Russet Grange]

Hello all.

I think the answer is probably "yeah you broke it".

Up until a week ago you could start a cycle on our basic Hotpoint dishwasher, turn the mains off via the Tapo smart plug, and then it would resume via an Alexa routine of switching on the plug at 1:00am. (Cheap 'leccy).

Now though, it doesn't seem to 'remember' that it was on after being powered off, that a cycle had just started. It needs to be switched on manually and started.

It's not a big deal, and it seems rather odd behaviour. Anyone got any thoughts? (ChatGPT says "yeah, you broke it")

[normalbloke]

It doesn’t have a built in delay?

[nyt]

Not a direct answer to your question, but I've seen someone use one of these to press the on button: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07B7NXV4R

Not much use if it's an integrated machine with no buttons visible though

[Russet Grange]

normalbloke said:

It doesn t have a built in delay?

No it is a very basic machine, but it washes very well.

[illmonkey]

Perhaps it needs to get X seconds through before it's locked in? have you tried it after 10 mins to see if it takes off from where it left the cycle?

[Russet Grange]

nyt said:

Not a direct answer to your question, but I've seen someone use one of these to press the on button: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07B7NXV4R

Not much use if it's an integrated machine with no buttons visible though

It isn't integrated, and that *could* work, but the switch isn't very mechanical, in that you just hold it for a few seconds but it doesn't move much. Not keen on sticking something to the machine either, but thanks for the suggestion.

[Russet Grange]

illmonkey said:

Perhaps it needs to get X seconds through before it's locked in? have you tried it after 10 mins to see if it takes off from where it left the cycle?

Not ten minutes, but a couple of minutes.

Previously you switched it on, then hit the start button. It would start, we'd leave it for a few seconds, and then turn off at the mains via the smart plug. When re-powered in the middle of the night it would just pick up where it left off. Now it doesn't even come back on, never mind picking up the cycle.

Something has changed within the machine, in layman's terms (for I am a layman), the bit that remembered it was switched off whilst running doesn't work any more.

Bit of a mystery, I can live with it, but we run it once per day and save about £6/month by using cheap electricity.

[illmonkey]

What about a reset? Mine lets me reset the device with a few buttons. Although it’s fairly new and seems yours is not?

Perhaps a new machine would save you more than £6/month? Man maths….

[Russet Grange]

illmonkey said:

What about a reset? Mine lets me reset the device with a few buttons. Although it s fairly new and seems yours is not?

Perhaps a new machine would save you more than £6/month? Man maths .

It's about eight years old I would think, and I can't find a specific reset, but I did try a couple of other Hotpoint reset options. No difference.

A new machine is about £260 or more, and even if it were more efficient, I couldn't be bothered with the faff of changing over to have a machine that take three or four years to pay for itself.

I'll live with it, but PH being what it is, there's always a chance that an MX-5 owning sausage hammering Hotpoint engineer is in the building.

[hidetheelephants]

Perhaps the capacitor or rechargeable battery that powers the memory has died. Maybe worth doing a search for the model number and "repair" to see if anyone has fixed this problem before, it might be a simple repair if so.