No-one wishes to open their dishwasher and discover standing water but, don’t lose it just yet. You might be able to deal with the issue before you have to call a repair person or invest in a new dishwasher.
Standing water in your machine can have multiple of causes a number of which can be easy to rectify. Therefore, before you call a dishwasher repair service try this lineup of probable components you could troubleshoot yourself. A few of which are not even a fault of the dishwasher itself.
Check the program wasn’t cut short
If you’re lucky the fact your dishwasher hasn’t emptied may not be an issue at all. Alternatively, the cycle might have been interrupted.
The program might have been interrupted for a number of of reasons. Kids pushing buttons, mistakenly leaning on the control panel, a power cut or opening the dishwasher mid-program might all interrupt the cycle and mean your machine doesn’t drain.
If you think this might be the circumstance, or you feel it could be worthwhile checking start the dishwasher again on a short program.
Some machines might have a drain program meaning it’s worthwhile checking your owners manual or doing a quick internet search to check.
Check the waste disposal
If your dishwasher is plumbed into the disposal inspect this first as a blocked disposal will prevent your machine from emptying. Turn on the garbage disposal with fast running water to check there are no issues.
If you do find an issue drain unclogger or a plunger could be employed to clear the obstruction and so this could fix the problem.
Inspect the sink waste for clogs
If you kitchen sink is emptying inefficiently this might suggest an issue with the drains as opposed to an error with your machine.
If the kitchen sink is draining slowly you may try putting a little bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar down the plughole, leaving it for a while and then flushing it through with boiling water.
A sink plunger might also be employed to try and dislodge the obstruction.
This might be all you need to do to permit your appliance to drain so start a short cycle now. If this hasn’t worked you could remove the dirty water by hand using a bowl and also a towel and check the next few possible issues.
At this point make sure you unplug the machine to stay safe.
If while you are carrying out any of these investigations you suspect you have discovered and solved the error there is no need to continue to the next issue. Just complete an empty program to check your dishwasher is repaired.
Inspect and wash the filters
Popcorn, paper from tupperware, plastic lids and smashed glass, as well as food debris, can all block the dishwasher filter. Clear plastic lids may also be hard to see if you don’t look carefully.
Take out the filter and give it a good scrub before putting it back in place. Not all filters are obvious and straightforward to remove so you could need to consult the instruction manual for this.
Is the drain pipe obstructed?
The next place to inspect is the waste hose. Stuck food, a kink in the hose or a crushed hose can all impede your dishwasher from emptying.
Contingent upon the location of the hose (generally the ribbed one) you could be able to look at it by removing the kick plate alternatively you may need to pull the dishwasher out from the wall.
Visually examine the hose in the first instance to find out if there are any kinks or it’s been squashed. You could manage fix these issues by hand which should resolve the issue, but it’s worth noting that once this has happened it is much more likely to happen again so you may need to purchase a replacement hose.
If you can’t see any obvious kinks or obstructions you can take off the waste hose from the dishwasher and blow through it to figure out if there are any blockages. Be sure to put down newspaper or towels first as there could still be dirty water in the pipe.
If you are unable to blow through the waste hose this might be the reason your machine isn’t emptying.
Take off the other end of the hose and give it a thorough clean to remove the obstruction. If you are unable to remove the blockage or the waste pipe is cracked or damaged buy a brand-new one. If you could get rid of the obstruction then re-attach the hose and run a short cycle to check that you have solved the fault.
You may also check where the hose connects under your sink. This is a typical place for blockages to occur so if you happen to remove the waste hose give this area a good clean as well.
Check the drain valve
You can manually check the drain valve to check it hasn’t stopped working. The drain valve will often be situated at the base of the dishwasher on the valve bracket. Check your instruction manual if you’re unsure.
Pushing down on the valve or wiggling it a bit will likely be enough to find out if it’s seized. If you are able to see something stopping it from moving carefully extract this. If you can’t, this could be a good time to ring a repair person unless you are undaunted by purchasing and replacing the component on your own.
Inspect your pump is not blocked
Your water pump makes use of impellers that may become blocked by pieces of china or other objects. Check your impellers aren’t blocked by taking off the safety cover and making sure the impellers can rotate freely.
Listen to your dishwasher while it’s on
If it doesn’t sound right your dishwasher pump or motor might be broken and need to be repaired.
Call a repair person
If you have been through the above list and the issue persists, or you have reason to believe the pump, pump valve or motor are not working, it could be time to get the professionals.
At least having tried to investigate what is wrong you have prevented having to pay a hefty repair charge for a clogged filter.
More Dishwasher Problems:
- Dishwasher Being Loud
- Dishwasher Not Turning On
- Dishwasher Leaking
- Dishwasher Not Drying
