Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes? | Longmont Appliance Repair

It turns out getting your dishes dry could really be more difficult for your dishwasher than removing the dirt. Plates and glasses have multiple crevices that may collect water making it more difficult for it to evaporate, plus as your appliance cools water condenses out of the humid air.

Dishwashers also make use of a variety of approaches to get your crockery and cutlery dry. Some opt for a heating coil to warm the air in the dishwasher and assist with evaporation, some warm the water more approaching the final rinse, certain models have a fan, and others make use of a mix of all three. There are therefore a number of reasons why your dishwasher may not be drying crockery and cutlery optimally and a number of things you can do to rectify the situation.

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

If dishes are coming out wet you can enlist the help of a dishwasher repair service or first employ this troubleshooting guide to help you identify and rectify the problem.

Top Reasons Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Crockery and Cutlery

Few things are more annoying than an appliance that isn’t working as it should, regardless of whether its a tv, washing machine or dishwasher we expect them to do the job they were made for. If you open your dishwasher to discover wet plates here are a few places you can look to help you figure out why.

Not all dishwashers are created equal and you will find that some appliances 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 may be the cause.

Inspect How Your Dishwasher Has Been Loaded

Sometimes there is nothing actually wrong with the appliance. Before assuming the machine is not working 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.

Have a Look at The Rinse Aid Dispenser

Your appliance needs rinse aid to properly dry your crockery and cutlery and so if you’ve forgotten to top up or the rinse aid dispenser is faulty this can stop your dishes coming out properly dry.

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

Check The Heating Element

Heat is essential for drying your crockery and cutlery so a faulty heating element may be the reason your appliance is not working as it should. If your dishes aren’t hot to touch when they come out of the machine this can indicate that the heating element is faulty.

To inspect the heating element you will need to disconnect the machine, locate the heating element, you might need the manual for this, then use a multimeter to check it’s working.

Check the Thermostat

The thermostat ensures your appliance doesn’t overheat, 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 you check the heating coil and do not uncover an fault but there’s still no heat, then the thermostat might be at fault. Again you can check this using a multimeter.

Inspect The Fan and Vent

Many dishwashers will utilize a fan and vent to suck moist air out of the appliance. If either of these elements are broken then the water vapor will remain in the appliance preventing the plates from drying.

You can employ your instruction manual to find out if your dishwasher has a fan and locate it. Don’t forget to double check the machine is disconnected before trying to make repairs.

You can look at the fan and vent to check if there is anything lodged that could stop it from working correctly. And again testing for continuity using a multimeter.

Ideas to Boost Drying Power

There are a variety of methods you can use to boost how well your appliance dries your dishes and prevent you needing to dry them by hand as little as possible.

Allow ample space between plates. Overloading the machine stops the circulation of both water and air decreasing the effectiveness of your machine when it comes to both cleaning and finishing your dishes. Although it’s tempting to try and stuff everything in, your machine will work better if you leave enough space so that water and air can circulate freely.
Employ 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 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 the door at the end of the program. Some new dishwashers have this as an automatic function, but many do not, thus, opening the door at the end of the cycle can help allow the water to evaporate and prevent water condensing on the plates as the dishwasher cools down.
Have a look to see if your dishwasher employs a heat feature and make use of it. The higher the heat the better the drying and it may be possible to choose which points in the cycle you add more heat.
Think about how you empty your machine. 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 dishes below.

If you have checked all the above it could be time to call in an engineer or perhaps upgrade your machine.