Here's what the valve looked like, what replacing it cost, and what we did for the Sub-Zero on the same visit.
The call: burning smell, will not turn on
The booking note read: Fisher and Paykel, burning smell and not coming on. It ended with a second request: take a look at the fridge coils as well during the visit.
The dishwasher is a DD24DHTI9, a Fisher & Paykel double DishDrawer. It is the integrated version, so both drawers sit behind cabinet panels and it reads as two more drawers in the run. Our technician Eugene was at the home on Wednesday, November 11, 2026.
What we found: the double inlet valve
The inlet valve is the part that lets water into the dishwasher. It is electrically operated: a solenoid opens the valve when the control asks for water and closes it again when the tub has enough. This machine uses a double valve, two solenoids on one body.
On this valve one solenoid was blackened and browned by heat, and there was dark residue directly underneath it. That is where the burning smell came from. Eugene's finding, as written on the job: the dishwasher has a burning smell and will not turn on, and the double inlet valve needs to be replaced.
The repair and the price
The fix was a new Fisher & Paykel double inlet valve in place of the burnt one. The customer approved the quote on the same visit.
The total came to $427.29 including tax: $124.53 for the double inlet valve, $240 for the labor to install it, and a $50 second-appliance fee for the refrigerator. The $85 service call fee was applied to the repair.
While we were there: Sub-Zero 650 condenser cleaning
The refrigerator is a Sub-Zero 650 in stainless, a built-in with the refrigerator on top and a freezer drawer below. Its rating plate is dated November 2002.
On this model the condenser sits behind the grille at the top. When the coil is coated in dust the refrigerator has to work harder to get rid of heat, and Sub-Zero recommends cleaning the condenser every six to twelve months. Eugene went over the coil with a condenser brush as routine maintenance.
If your dishwasher smells like burning
Stop using it. Switch it off at the breaker and close the water shutoff valve that feeds it, usually under the sink. Do not keep pressing start to see if it comes back.
A burning smell can be something simple, like a plastic item that has dropped onto the heater, or it can be an electrical part overheating, as it was here. If the machine has also stopped turning on, treat it as electrical. Finding which part is a job for a technician with the machine opened up.