We have a six year old Diplomat 8242 which seems to be stuck in the middle of its wash cycle. We turned it off after discovering the problem after three hours. Eventually we turned it off at the mains and are unsure how to proceed. We do not want to flood the kitchen by opening the door. Any thoughts

Brian Edwards, February 2010

You can open the door of a dishwasher at any time during its cycle without fear of floods - there is never enough water in there for it to run out. Sometimes the odd small splash may shoot out as the circulating pump slows down - a teaspoon or two at most.

It might have become becalmed because of a defective heating element - controls waiting for the water to get up to temperature. After 6 years you might think of a new one - or an engineer to repair the one you have.

Good luck...

Peccavi, February 2010