Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes? | Federal Way Appliance Repair

It turns out drying your crockery and cutlery might actually be more difficult for your machine than getting them clean. Plates and glassware have multiple crevices that may pool dishwater preventing it from evaporating, plus as your machine cools down water droplets form out of the humid air.

Dishwashers also utilize a number of means to dry your crockery and cutlery. Some opt for a heating element to warm the air in the dishwasher and help the water to evaporate, some heat up the water to a higher temperature near the final rinse, certain models have a fan, and others employ a mix of all of these. There are therefore a number of reasons why your machine may not be drying dishes fully and a variety of things you can do to improve 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 hire a dishwasher repair service or first employ this troubleshooting guide to figure out what the issue is and with any luck fix it.

Top Explanations Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Plates

There is nothing more irritating than an appliance that isn’t working properly, regardless of whether its a smartphone, air conditioner or dishwasher we expect them to do the job they were designed for. If you open the dishwasher to wet plates there are a few troubleshooting tips to help you figure out why.

Not all makes and models are built to the same spec and you will find that some appliances perform to a superior standard compared to others. But if if your dishwasher has always dried your plates in the past one of these areas might be the problem.

Check How Your Dishwasher Has Been Loaded

Sometimes there is nothing actually wrong with the dishwasher. Before assuming the appliance is broken you should look at how it has been stacked, ensuring it isn’t too full. Also be aware that plastic items don’t dry as well as metal, glass or ceramics.

Check The Rinse Aid Dispenser

Your machine needs rinse aid to properly dry your plates and so if you have run out of rinse aid or the rinse aid dispenser is not working this can result in wet plates at the end of the cycle.

The best thing to do is check the rinse aid dispenser for damage and ensure that it’s full.

Check The Heating Coil

Without enough heat your crockery and cutlery will not dry so a broken heating coil might be the reason your machine is not drying crockery and cutlery. If your crockery and cutlery don’t feel hot to touch when they come out of the machine this can indicate that the heating element isn’t working as it should.

To check the heating element first unplug the dishwasher, then find the heating coil, you could need the manual to do this, and use a multimeter to check it’s working.

Inspect the Thermostat

The thermostat ensures your machine doesn’t overheat, regulating the temperature of the water and the drying part of the cycle. Therefore, if it’s faulty this can mean your dishwasher doesn’t heat up at all.

If the heating element seems to be in working order but there’s still no heat, then the thermostat might be the issue. Once again you can make sure using a multimeter.

Check The Drying Fan and Vent

Many dishwashers will make use of a fan and vent to suck moist air from the dishwasher. If either of these elements are broken then the hot air will remain in the dishwasher preventing the plates from drying.

You can employ your instruction manual to find out if your appliance uses a fan and find its location. Don’t forget to ensure the appliance is disconnected before attempting to access the fan.

First look at the fan and vent to see if there is anything lodged that might prevent it from operating correctly. If there is nothing obvious you can then test for continuity using a multimeter.

Tips to Boost Drying Power

There are a variety of things you can do to improve your appliances effectiveness at drying and ensure you need to get the drying up cloth out as little as possible.

Don’t overload the machine. Overloading the dishwasher limits the circulation of both water and air decreasing the effectiveness of your machine when it comes to both cleaning and finishing your dishes. It might be tempting to stuff everything in but your appliance will work better if you leave enough space so that water and air can circulate freely.
Utilize rinse aid. Some dishwasher tablets already have this but even if the brand you use says it does, adding a separate rinse aid to the dishwasher can only improve matters. Rinse aid works by breaking the bond between water molecules and your crockery and cutlery, helping water run off quickly, speeding up drying time and giving a spot and streak free finish.
Open your machine as soon as the cycle has ended. Some newer models have this as an automatic option, but if yours doesn’t, opening the machine at the end of the program can help allow the water to evaporate and stop water droplets forming as the dishwasher cools down.
Check if your machine has a heat feature and utilize it. The higher the heat the better the drying and it may be possible to add more heat at different points in the cycle.
Think about how you empty your dishwasher. This doesn’t affect how well your machine works, but it does stop water from cups and glasses falling on dishes below.

If none of the above solves the problem it could be a good idea to phone the professionals or perhaps replace your machine.