Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes?

It turns out getting your dishes dry might really be more arduous for your machine than getting them clean. Dishes and glassware have multiple nooks and crannies that may pool dishwater making it more difficult for it to evaporate, thus as your appliance cools water droplets form out of the steam.

Different machines also make use of a number of methods to dry your dishes. Some opt for a heating coil to heat up the inside of the machine and assist the water to evaporate, some heat up the water to a higher temperature near the end of the cycle, certain models use a fan, and some employ a combination of all of these. There are consequently a variety of reasons why your machine could not be drying plates fully and a number of things you can do to improve the situation.

Plastic items are more difficult to dry than glass or ceramics as it doesn’t retain heat in the same way which helps with the drying process, so it’s worth taking note whether the drying issue is related to the material rather than the machine.

If your dishwasher isn’t drying properly you can hire a dishwasher repair service or first utilize this troubleshooting list to figure out what the problem is and with any luck fix it.

Top Reasons Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Crockery and Cutlery

Few things are more irritating than an 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 cleaning or drying your crockery and cutlery. If you open your dishwasher to discover wet plates here are a number of troubleshooting tips to help you figure out why.

Not all appliances are created equal 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 issues could be the cause.

Inspect How Your Dishwasher Has Been Loaded

It might be that there is no fault with the dishwasher. 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 plastic items are more difficult to dry than metal, glass or ceramics.

Check The Rinse Aid Dispenser

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

Visually inspect the dispenser for damage and ensure that it’s full.

Have a Look at The Heating Coil

Without enough heat your plates will not dry so a broken heating coil might be the reason your dishwasher is not drying dishes. If your plates aren’t hot to touch when they come out of the machine this can be a good indicator that the heating coil isn’t working as it should.

To check the heating element you will need to disconnect the appliance, locate the heating element, you could need the manual to do this, then check for continuity using a multimeter.

Inspect the Thermostat

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

If the heating coil appears to be working as it should but there’s still no heat, then the thermostat might be the issue. Once again you can test this using a multimeter.

Have a Look at The Fan and Vent

Many appliances will utilize a drying fan and vent to suck moist air from the dishwasher. If the fan isn’t operating as is should or the vent is blocked then the water vapor will form droplets on the dishes instead preventing them from drying.

You can use your instruction manual to check if your dishwasher uses a fan and locate it. Don’t forget to double check the appliance is unplugged before attempting to make repairs.

You can look at the fan and vent to check if anything is blocking it that might stop it from functioning correctly. And again testing for continuity using a multimeter.

Tips to Boost Drying Capability

There are a variety of methods you can use to increase your dishwashers effectiveness at drying and prevent you needing to dry them by hand as infrequently as possible.

Allow sufficient space between crockery and cutlery. Overcrowding the appliance stops the circulation of both water and air decreasing the effectiveness of your machine when it comes to both washing and drying your dishes. Although it’s tempting to try and cram everything in, your dishwasher will work better if you leave enough space so that water and air can circulate freely.
Make use of rinse aid. Some detergents include a rinse aid but even so, adding a little extra to the appliance won’t hurt. Rinse aid helps reduce marks and gives your glassware in particular a streak-free shine but it also breaks the bond between water molecules and your dishes helping the water to run off them and consequently speeding up drying times.
Open your dishwasher as soon as the program has completed. Some newer models have this as an automatic function, but if yours doesn’t, opening the door at the end of the cycle allows warm air to evaporate thus preventing water condensing on the contents as the machine cools down.
Check if your appliance uses a heat feature and make sure it’s turned on. The higher the heat the better the drying and you may be able to add more heat at different points in the program.
Empty the lower level before the top. This doesn’t affect how well your machine works, but it does stop water from cups and glasses falling on dishes below.

If this trouble shooting guide hasn’t worked it may be time to phone the professionals or even buy a new machine.