Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes?

It turns out drying your plates might actually be harder for your machine than getting them clean. Crockery and cutlery and glasses have multiple nooks and crannies that can collect water stopping it from drying out, thus as your appliance loses heat water droplets form out of the steam.

Different machines also make use of a variety of methods to get your plates dry. Certain models opt for a heating coil to warm the air in the dishwasher and help with evaporation, some heat the water to a higher temperature near the final rinse, others use a fan, and others make use of a mix of all of these. There are therefore a variety of reasons why your machine might not be drying dishes fully and a variety of options to rectify the situation.

Plastic items are less likely to dry fully than other materials as it doesn’t retain heat in the same way which helps with the drying process, so it’s worth seeing 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 Dishes

Few things are more annoying than an appliance that doesn’t work as it’s meant to, regardless of whether its a smartphone, tumble dryer or dishwasher we expect them to do the job they were designed for. If you open the dishwasher to wet plates here are a number of troubleshooting tips to help you figure out why.

Not all dishwashers are created equal and you will find that some makes and models perform to a better standard compared to others. However, if you notice a change in how effectively your machine is working one of these issues might be the cause.

Check the Placement of Your Plates

It might be that there is no fault with the appliance. Before assuming the machine is broken you should look at how it has been stacked, ensuring it isn’t overloaded. It’s also worth noting that plastic items don’t dry as well as metal, glass or ceramics.

Have a Look at The Rinse Aid Dispenser

Your dishwasher needs rinse aid to properly dry your plates and so 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.

The best thing to do is inspect the dispenser for cracks and ensure that it’s full.

Have a Look at The Heating Element

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

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

Check the Thermostat

The thermostat prevents your appliance getting too hot, adjusting the heat of the water and air during drying. Therefore, if it’s broken this can result in your machine not reaching a high enough temperature.

If the heating element appears to be in working order but there’s still no heat, then the thermostat may be at fault. Again you can make sure with the help of a multimeter.

Have a Look at The Drying Fan and Vent

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

You can employ your user manual to find out if your machine uses a fan and find its location. Don’t forget to make sure the machine is disconnected before trying to access the fan.

You can visually inspect the fan and vent to see if there is anything lodged that would prevent it from operating correctly. If there is nothing obvious you can then test for continuity using a multimeter.

Tips to Boost Drying Capability

There are a variety of things you can do to improve your machines drying ability and prevent you needing to dry them by hand as infrequently as possible.

Allow sufficient space between crockery and cutlery. Overloading the machine inhibits the flow of both water and air making cleaning and drying your plates harder. Although it’s appealing to try and stuff everything in, your appliance will be more effective if you leave sufficient space so that water and air can circulate freely.
Employ rinse aid. Some dishwasher tablets already have this but even so, adding a little extra 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.
Open your appliance as soon as the program has finished. Some newer models do this automatically, but if yours doesn’t, opening the machine when the cycle completes allows warm air to escape and stop water droplets forming as the appliance cools down.
Find out if your appliance uses a heat feature and make sure it’s turned on. The higher the temperature the better the drying and you may be able to add more heat at different points in the cycle.
Think about how you empty your dishwasher. This is simply because cups and glasses that are upside down on the top shelf often have a concave bottom where water can pool. Emptying the bottom rack first stops you spilling this water onto the crockery and cutlery below.

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