3 year old house. All of a sudden over the past few weeks the dishwasher has started tripping the breaker every time we run it. It seems to happen during the dry cycle or as it finishes the dry cycle , as the dishes come out clean and dry.

Any ideas on what to check? I typically shy away from electrical stuff, so I have no idea on this one.

My first guess would be a loose electrical connection in the dishwasher service junction box.

To investigate, leave the breaker off and remove the toe panel from the dishwasher. If there is a junction box there, remove it's cover and inspect the wire nuts and see if they are burnt. Sometimes these connections become loose and arch, tripping the breaker. If so, cut the wires, strip a new end and reconnect. You may also consider using electrical tape to secure the wire nuts in place too.

If that isn't the problem, I would look for signs of a water leak that is shorting wires underneath the dishwasher.

You could also check to see if the circuit breaker has gone bad, but I doubt with a 3yr old house that it is the problem.

GFCI or Arc fault breaker?

Arc fault in the main breaker box

My guess is heating element going out in the dishwasher. Disable the dry cycle and see what happens.

third coast.. said:

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to piggyback, my microwave trips the breaker if i leave it on its max power setting but doesnt if i turn the power level down. whats up with that?

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The more power, the more current draw...the higher the opportunity for breaker tripping. Is your microwave on a dedicated line as I believe current code requires it? What else is on the circuit if yours is not a dedicated line?