Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes?

It may not be the primary function but getting your dishes dry may actually be harder for your dishwasher than removing the dirt. Plates and glasses have multiple nooks and crannies that may pool water making it more difficult for it to evaporate, and as your dishwasher loses heat water droplets form from the humid air.

Dishwashers also employ a variety of approaches to dry your dishes. Some opt for a heating element to warm the inside of the dishwasher and assist the water to evaporate, some warm the water further approaching the end of the cycle, certain models make use of a fan, and others employ a mix of all of these. There are consequently a number of explanations why your machine might not be drying crockery and cutlery fully and a number of options to improve the situation.

Plastic is less likely to dry fully than glass or ceramics as it cools down more quickly hindering the drying process, so it’s worth noting whether the drying issue is related to the material rather than the machine.

If dishes are coming out wet you can hire a dishwasher repair service or first make use of this troubleshooting list to help you identify and rectify the issue.

Top Reasons Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Plates

There is nothing more irritating than a home appliance that isn’t working as it should, whether that’s a smartphone that really isn’t being that smart, a washing machine that’s churning out dirty clothes, or a dishwasher that is either not removing the dirt from or drying your dishes. If you open your dishwasher to discover wet plates there are a few places you can look to help you figure out the problem.

Not all makes and models are created equal and some makes and models perform to a better standard compared to others. But if if your dishwasher has always dried your dishes in the past one of these faults might be the cause.

Inspect the Placement of Your Plates

It might be that there is no fault with the machine. Before assuming the dishwasher is not working you should look at how it has been loaded, ensuring it isn’t overloaded. Also be aware that plastic items are more difficult to dry than metal, glass or ceramics.

Inspect The Rinse Aid Dispenser

Rinse aid plays a key role in drying your plates thus, if you have run out of rinse aid or your rinse aid dispenser is faulty this can result in wet plates at the end of the cycle.

Visually check the rinse aid dispenser for damage and check that there is rinse aid inside.

Check The Heating Coil

Without enough heat your plates will not dry so a broken heating element may be the reason your appliance is not working as it should. If your plates don’t feel hot to touch at the end of the cycle this can indicate that the heating element is faulty.

To inspect the heating element you will need to unplug the appliance, find the heating coil, you could need the owners manual to do this, then use a multimeter to check it’s working.

Have a Look at the Thermostat

The thermostat stops your appliance overheating, determining the heat of the water and air during drying. However, if it’s faulty this can result in your appliance not heating up at all.

If you check the heating element and do not find an fault but there’s still no heat, then the thermostat may be the issue. Again you can test this with the help of a multimeter.

Check The Drying Fan and Vent

Many dishwashers will use a fan and vent to remove the warm moist air out of the dishwasher. If the fan isn’t operating as is should or the vent is blocked then the steam will form droplets on the plates instead preventing them from drying.

You can use your manual to find out if your appliance has a fan and locate it. Don’t forget to make sure the machine is unplugged before attempting to make repairs.

First look at the fan and vent to check if anything is blocking it that might prevent it from functioning correctly. And again testing for continuity using a multimeter.

Ideas to Boost Drying Power

There are a number of methods you can use to improve your dishwashers drying ability and prevent you needing to dry them by hand as little as possible.

  1. Allow sufficient space between plates. Overfilling the appliance inhibits the circulation of both water and air decreasing the effectiveness of your appliance when it comes to both washing and finishing your dishes. It may be appealing to stuff everything in but your dishwasher will be more effective if you leave sufficient space so that water and air can circulate freely.
  2. Utilize rinse aid. Some dishwasher tablets include a rinse aid but even so, adding a separate rinse aid to the machine will do no harm. Rinse aid works by breaking the bond between water molecules and your dishes, helping water run off quickly, speeding up drying time and giving a spot and streak free finish.
  3. Open the door at the end of the program. Some new models do this automatically, but many do not, thus, opening the machine when the cycle completes can help allow the water to escape thus stopping water condensing on the contents as the dishwasher cools down.
  4. Find out if your machine has a heat feature and utilize it. Setting a higher temperature will result in better drying times and you might be able to choose which points in the cycle you increase the temperature.
  5. Think about how you empty your dishwasher. This doesn’t affect how well your machine works, but it does prevent water from cups and glasses falling on dishes below.

If you have checked all the above it could be necessary to phone the professionals or even replace your dishwasher.

More Dishwasher Problems:

  • Dishwasher Being Loud
  • Dishwasher Not Turning On
  • Dishwasher Not Draining
  • Dishwasher Leaking
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