My dishwasher takes over 3 hours to wash a load, that does not include the dry time. I increased the water heater temp and that did not make a difference.I cleaned out around the heat sensor. It is aprox. 3yrs old and has always been that way. Is there a defect in the dishwasher or are they supposed to take that long? There is a big difference with my electric bill the months that I use it.
As a part of normal operation, the dishwasher pauses 2 or 3 times during the cycle for thermal holds and advances once the temperature is met. If incoming water temperature is way bellow 120°F then the total wash time will increase dramatically.
Measure the water temperature inside the dishwasher.
Check the heating element and the thermostat (#30 on the break down diagram) for continuity.
Post the results.
Here are the break down diagrams for the Whirlpool dishwasher Model GU1500XTLQ2
Gene.