Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes?

It turns out getting your crockery and cutlery dry might in actual fact be more difficult for your dishwasher than removing the dirt. Dishes and glassware have lots of nooks and crannies that could collect dishwater stopping it from evaporating, thus as your dishwasher cools water droplets form out of the humid air.

Dishwashers also utilize a variety of methods to dry your dishes. 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 end of the cycle, others make use of a fan, and others employ a combination of all three. There are therefore a variety of reasons why your machine might not be drying plates fully and a number of options to rectify the situation.

Plastic is less likely to dry fully than other materials 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 employ this troubleshooting list to figure out what the problem is and with any luck fix it.

Top Reasons Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Dishes

There is nothing more frustrating than an appliance that doesn’t work as it should, regardless of whether its a tv, air conditioner or dishwasher we expect them to do the job they were made for. If you open your dishwasher to discover wet plates there are a number of places you can look to help you figure out the issue.

Not all makes and models are created equal and you will find that some dishwashers perform to a better standard compared to others. But if you notice a change in how well your dishwasher is working one of these issues could be the problem.

Inspect the Placement of Your Dishes

Sometimes there is nothing actually wrong 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 plastics don’t dry as well as metal, glass or ceramics.

Inspect The Rinse Aid Dispenser

Your dishwasher needs rinse aid to properly dry your dishes thus, if you have run out of rinse aid or the rinse aid dispenser is faulty this can mean wet plates at the end of the cycle.

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

Check The Heating Element

Heat is essential for drying your dishes so a broken heating coil may be the reason your dishwasher is not drying crockery and cutlery. If your crockery and cutlery don’t feel hot to touch at the end of the cycle this can mean that the heating coil is faulty.

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

Have a Look at the Thermostat

The thermostat ensures your appliance doesn’t get too hot, regulating the heat of the water and air during drying. Therefore, if it’s faulty this can mean your appliance doesn’t heat up at all.

If you check the heating coil and do not uncover an issue but there’s still no heat, then the thermostat might be at fault. Again you can test this using a multimeter.

Inspect The Fan and Vent

Many machines 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 condense on the crockery and cutlery instead preventing them from drying.

You can utilize your manual to check if your dishwasher has a fan and locate it. Don’t forget to make sure the dishwasher is disconnected before attempting to make repairs.

First visually inspect the fan and vent to see if there is anything lodged that would prevent it from operating correctly. And again testing for continuity using a multimeter.

Ideas to Boost Drying Power

There are a number of things you can do to boost how well your machine dries your dishes and ensure you have to hand dry as little as possible.

Don’t cram the machine. Overcrowding the appliance limits the circulation of air and water making cleaning and drying your dishes harder. It could be tempting to stuff everything in but you will get better results 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 dishwasher will do no harm. Rinse aid works by breaking the bond between water molecules and your plates, helping water run off quickly, speeding up drying time and giving a spot and streak free finish.
Open the door at the end of the cycle. Some newer dishwashers have this as an automatic function, but if yours doesn’t, opening the machine at the end of the program can help allow the water to escape thus preventing water condensing on the plates as the appliance cools down.
Find out if your machine has a heat feature and use it. Setting a higher temperature will result in improved drying times and you may be able to choose which points in the program you increase the temperature.
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 none of the above solves the problem it could be time to phone an engineer or even buy a new machine.