Kitchen Large Electric Appliances - Dishwasher disaster

My 4 yr. old Kenmore dishwasher suffered a catastrophic failure the other day. All of a sudden, water came pouring out from the bottom.
Upon inspection, I noticed that, somehow, the heating coil had snapped in half, and directly below the break, there was a small (1/2 inch diameter) puncture hole.
How could this have happened? The dishwasher was packed carefully as we normally do with bowls and such. There were no silverware pieces out of place.
I have several questions:
What may have caused this? (I asked my neighbor who is a plumber and he never heard of this situation). The only thing that I could think of that may be the culprit is a small attachment (comes with the unit) that holds long knives and has a pointy end on it. Does the spinning sprayer at the bottom even create the kind of force that would cause a puncture through the base of the dishwasher if it caught on something?
Unfortunately, calling Sears hasn't gotten me too far at this point.
Also, is it wise to try and replace the coil and to patch the hole given that a product exists that can withstand the heat and pressures inside?

Thanks for your help!

adanek, Welcome to the DIY Forums.
I moved your post here for a better answer. While Plumbers do install dishwashers, not many service them unless it it piping related. Good luck.

Thank you.

The heating coil going south is one thing, but an infiltration hole in the base is quite odd. I am not sure what could have caused it. I am just the bearer of bad news. 4 years old, at best Sears will cover the heater coil, and maybe the tub, but not labor. At $50+ an hour for a service technician, you could buy a Bosch and be done with the matter. Replacing the tub is basically starting over, and would be a formidable job, and you will always wonder if the new seals are as good as the ones installed at the factory under ideal conditions.

Do you mean the heating coil "snapped in half" or burnt in half? No, there is not enough force from the bottom wash arm to snap the heating element in half. My best guess is if indeed the coil "snapped in half" something occured while rolling the bottom rack in and out. The hole is repairable but it is a very time consuming, meticulous repair, probably not worth it. If you sincerely believe the heating element snapped and you did not contribute to it, I would really complain to Sears to replace the unit. Good luck!

Is the hole by the left rear corner about 2-3 in from rear and 2-3 from the left.... if so the is a recall...

http://repair.whirlpool.com/DishWasher1.htm

My best guess is if indeed the coil "snapped in half" something occured while rolling the bottom rack in and out. If you sincerely believe the heating element snapped and you did not contribute to it, I would really complain to Sears to replace the unit. Good luck!


Well, I do have a house guest who is unfamiliar with dishwashers, and an impulsive teenage boy to boot.
I will check serial numbers this evening to see about the recall, and if there is no match, then it seems like your theory wins.
However, I may still end up blaming the manufacturer if it was the knife attachment that got caught.
Thank you all for your input!