Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes?

It turns out getting your crockery and cutlery dry could in actual fact be more arduous for your machine than removing the dirt. Crockery and cutlery and glasses have multiple crevices that could collect water making it more difficult for it to dry out, plus as your machine loses heat water condenses out of the steam.

Different machines also make use of a variety of approaches to get your dishes dry. Some opt for a heating coil to warm the air in the machine and help with evaporation, some heat up the water further nearing the final rinse, certain models use a fan, and some use a combination of all three. There are consequently a number of reasons why your machine may not be drying dishes fully and a variety of things you can do to rectify the situation.

Plastic is less likely to dry fully than glass or ceramics as it doesn’t retain heat in the same way which helps with the drying process, so it’s worth noting 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 make use of this troubleshooting guide to help you identify and rectify the issue.

Top Explanations Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Crockery and Cutlery

There is nothing more annoying than a home 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 removing the dirt from or drying your plates. If you open the dishwasher to wet plates there are a number of 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 superior standard compared to others. But if you notice a change in how effectively your machine is working one of these issues could be the problem.

Inspect the Placement of Your Crockery and Cutlery

Sometimes there is nothing actually wrong with the dishwasher. Before assuming the machine is broken you should first check that you haven’t overloaded it or accidentally stacked items one inside the other. Also be aware that plastics don’t dry as well as metal, glass or ceramics.

Inspect The Rinse Aid Dispenser

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

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

Inspect The Heating Coil

Without enough heat your plates will not dry so a broken heating element may be the reason your dishwasher is not working as it should. 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 inspect the heating element you will need to disconnect the machine, find the heating element, you may need the instruction manual to do this, and check for continuity using a multimeter.

Have a Look at the Thermostat

The thermostat stops your machine getting too hot, regulating the temperature of the water and the drying part of the cycle. 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 discover an issue but your appliance isn’t getting hot, then the thermostat might be the problem. Once again you can check this using a multimeter.

Have a Look at The Drying Fan and Vent

Many dishwashers 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 remain in the appliance preventing the plates from drying.

You can employ your manual to check if your appliance has a fan and find its location. Don’t forget to double check the machine is disconnected before attempting to access the fan.

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

Ideas to Boost Drying Ability

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

Don’t overcrowd the dishwasher. Overfilling the dishwasher limits the flow of air and water making cleaning and drying your crockery and cutlery harder. It may be appealing to cram in as much as possible but your machine will be more effective if you leave enough space so that water and air can circulate freely.
Utilize rinse aid. Some dishwasher tablets include a rinse aid 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 crockery and cutlery, helping water run off quickly, speeding up drying time and giving a spot and streak free finish.
Open your machine as soon as the cycle has finished. Some new models have this as an automatic function, but many do not, thus, opening the door when the program completes can help allow the water to escape and prevent water droplets forming as the appliance cools down.
Find out if your appliance uses a heat feature and use it. Setting a higher temperature will result in improved drying times and it could be possible to choose which points in the program you add more heat.
Think about how you empty your machine. This doesn’t affect how well your dishwasher works, but it prevent and water spilling that has collected in the concave bottoms of cups and glasses.

If you have checked all the above it might be time to call in an engineer or even replace your machine.