Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes?

It turns out getting your dishes dry could actually be more arduous for your machine than removing the dirt. Crockery and cutlery and cups have lots of nooks and crannies that can pool dishwater stopping it from evaporating, plus as your appliance cools water condenses out of the steam.

Dishwashers also utilize a variety of different methods to dry your crockery and cutlery. Certain models will employ a heating coil to warm the inside of the dishwasher and help the water to evaporate, some heat the water more approaching the final rinse, others have a fan, and certain models have a combination of all of these. There are thus a variety of reasons why your machine might not be drying crockery and cutlery fully and a variety of things you can do to rectify the situation.

Plastic items are 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 items that aren’t drying are predominantly plastic items.

If your dishwasher isn’t drying effectively you can call a dishwasher repair service or first employ this troubleshooting guide to help you identify and rectify the problem.

Top Explanations Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Plates

There is nothing more annoying than a home appliance that isn’t working properly, 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 the dishwasher to wet plates there are a few places you can look to help you figure out why.

Not all appliances are created equal and you will find that some dishwashers do a better job of drying your dishes than others. But if you notice a change in how well your machine is working one of these issues may be the cause.

Have a Look at the Placement of Your Dishes

It might be that there is no fault with the machine. Before assuming the machine is broken 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.

Have a Look at The Rinse Aid Dispenser

Rinse aid plays a key role in drying your crockery and cutlery thus, if you have run out of rinse aid or the rinse aid dispenser is broken this can stop your crockery and cutlery coming out properly dry.

Visually inspect the dispenser for cracks and ensure that there is rinse aid inside.

Check The Heating Coil

Heat is essential for drying your plates so a not working heating coil could be the reason your dishwasher is not working as it should. If your crockery and cutlery don’t feel hot to touch when they come out of the machine this can mean that the heating coil isn’t working as it should.

To inspect the heating element first disconnect the machine, then find the heating element, you may need the instruction manual to do this, and use a multimeter to check it’s working.

Inspect the Thermostat

The thermostat ensures your appliance doesn’t get too hot, adjusting the temperature of the water and the drying part of the cycle. Therefore, if it’s faulty this can result in your dishwasher not reaching a high enough temperature.

If the heating element appears to be in working order but your machine isn’t getting hot, then the thermostat might be at fault. Again you can check this with the help of a multimeter.

Check The Drying Fan and Vent

Many machines will utilize a drying fan and vent to remove the warm moist air from the machine. If the fan isn’t operating as is should or the vent is blocked then the water vapor will remain in the appliance preventing the dishes from drying.

You can make use of your user manual to find out if your dishwasher uses a fan and locate it. Again you need to double check the machine is unplugged before attempting to access the fan.

You can look at the fan and vent to see if anything is blocking it that could prevent it from working as it should. If there is nothing obvious you can then test for continuity using a multimeter.

Ideas to Boost Drying Power

There are a number of things you can do to increase how well your appliance dries your dishes and prevent you needing to dry them by hand as little as possible.

Don’t overcrowd the dishwasher. Overloading the appliance limits the circulation of both water and air decreasing the effectiveness of your appliance when it comes to both cleaning and finishing your dishes. It might be tempting to stuff in as much as possible but your dishwasher will be more effective if you leave sufficient space so that water and air can circulate freely.
Employ rinse aid. Some detergents include a rinse aid but even so, adding a separate rinse aid to the machine can only improve matters. Rinse aid helps reduce spotting and gives your glasses a streak-free shine but it also breaks the bond between water molecules and your plates helping the water to run off them and therefore allowing them to dry faster.
Open your dishwasher as soon as the program has finished. Some newer dishwashers do this automatically, but if yours doesn’t, opening the door when the program finishes can help allow the water to escape thus preventing water droplets forming as the machine cools down.
Find out if your appliance has a heat feature and make use of it. The higher the heat the better the drying and you may be able to add more heat at different points in the cycle.
Think about how you unload your dishwasher. This doesn’t affect how well your dishwasher works, but it does stop water from cups and glasses falling on dishes below.

If you have checked all the above it might be a good idea to phone the professionals or even replace your dishwasher.