Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes?

It turns out getting your crockery and cutlery dry could in actual fact be harder for your machine than removing the dirt. Crockery and cutlery and glasses have multiple nooks and crannies that can pool dishwater stopping it from evaporating, plus as your dishwasher cools water droplets form from the humid air.

Different machines also make use of a number of methods to get your crockery and cutlery dry. Certain models will use a heating element to heat up the air in the dishwasher and help with evaporation, some heat up the water further approaching the final rinse, certain models make use of a fan, and certain models employ a combination of all of these. There are consequently a number of explanations why your machine could not be drying plates fully and a number of things you can do to improve the situation.

Plastic is more difficult to dry than glass or ceramics as it cools down more quickly hindering the drying process, so it’s worth seeing whether the items that aren’t drying are predominantly plastic items.

If your dishwasher doesn’t seem to be drying properly you can enlist the help of a dishwasher repair service or first employ this troubleshooting guide to figure out what the issue is and with any luck fix it.

Top Reasons Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Plates

Few things are more annoying than a home appliance that doesn’t work 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 cleaning or drying your crockery and cutlery. If you open the dishwasher to wet plates here are a few places you can look to help you figure out the problem.

Not all makes and models are created equal and you will find that some dishwashers perform to a superior standard compared to others. However, if if your dishwasher has always dried your dishes in the past one of these issues may be the cause.

Check the Placement of Your Dishes

It might be that there is no fault with the machine. Before assuming the appliance is faulty you should first check that you haven’t overfilled it or accidentally stacked items one inside the other. Also be aware that plastics 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 therefore, if you have run out of rinse aid or your rinse aid dispenser is faulty this can stop your crockery and cutlery coming out properly dry.

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

Inspect The Heating Coil

Heat is essential for drying your dishes so a not working heating element could be the reason your machine is not working as it should. If your crockery and cutlery don’t feel hot at the end of the cycle this can be a good indicator that the heating element isn’t working as it should.

To check the heating element first unplug the appliance, then locate the heating element, you might need the owners manual to do this, and check for continuity using a multimeter.

Check the Thermostat

The thermostat stops your dishwasher overheating, regulating the heat of the water and air during drying. However, if it’s broken this can mean your dishwasher doesn’t heat up at all.

If the heating coil seems to be in working order but your dishwasher isn’t getting hot, then the thermostat could be at fault. Once again you can make sure with the help of a multimeter.

Inspect The Fan and Vent

Many dishwashers will employ a drying fan and vent to remove the warm moist air out of the appliance. If the fan isn’t operating as is should or the vent is blocked then the water vapor will condense on the dishes instead leaving them wet.

You can make use of your user manual to check if your appliance has a fan and locate it. Again you need to ensure the appliance is unplugged before attempting to make repairs.

You can visually inspect the fan and vent to check if anything is blocking it that could stop it from functioning 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 how well your dishwasher dries your dishes and prevent you needing to dry them by hand as infrequently as possible.

Allow ample space between crockery and cutlery. Overcrowding the appliance limits the circulation of air and water making cleaning and drying your dishes more difficult. 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.
Make use of rinse aid. Some detergents include a rinse aid but even if the brand you use says it does, adding a little extra to the machine can only improve matters. Rinse aid helps reduce marks and gives your glassware in particular a streak-free finish but it also breaks the bond between water molecules and your crockery and cutlery helping the water to run off them and therefore allowing them to dry faster.
Open the door at the end of the cycle. Some new machines do this automatically, but many do not, thus, opening the door when the cycle completes allows warm air to escape and stop water condensing on the contents as the appliance cools down.
Have a look to see if your machine employs a heat feature and utilize it. The higher the temperature the better the drying and you could be able to choose which points in the program you add more heat.
Empty the bottom rack first. This doesn’t affect how well your machine works, but it stop and water spilling that has collected in the concave bottoms of cups and glasses.

If this trouble shooting guide hasn’t worked it could be time to call in the professionals or even replace your dishwasher.