Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes? | Houston Appliance Repair

It turns out getting your plates dry may actually be more difficult for your machine than removing the dirt. Crockery and cutlery and glasses have lots of nooks and crannies that can collect water preventing it from evaporating, and as your machine cools down water droplets form out of the steam.

Dishwashers also make use of a number of different means to dry your dishes. Some opt for a heating element to warm the air in the machine and help the water to evaporate, some heat the water more near the final rinse, some employ a fan, and others use a combination of all three. There are consequently a variety of reasons why your machine may not be drying plates fully and a number of things you can do to improve the situation.

Plastic items are 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 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 make use of this troubleshooting guide to figure out what the issue is and with any luck fix it.

Top Explanations Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Plates

Few things are more irritating than a home appliance that doesn’t work as it’s meant to, regardless of whether its a smartspeaker, air conditioner or dishwasher we expect them to do the job they were designed for. If you open your dishwasher to discover wet plates here are a number of troubleshooting tips to help you figure out why.

Not all makes and models are built to the same spec and some appliances perform to a higher standard compared to others. However, if you notice a change in how effectively your machine is working one of these faults may be the cause.

Have a Look at the Placement of Your Crockery and Cutlery

It might be that there is no fault with the appliance. Before assuming the appliance is not working you should look at how it has been stacked, ensuring it isn’t too full. It’s also worth noting that plastics are more difficult to dry than metal, glass or ceramics.

Inspect The Rinse Aid Dispenser

Rinse aid plays a key role in drying your dishes therefore, if you’ve forgotten to top up or your rinse aid dispenser is not working this can mean wet plates at the end of the cycle.

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

Check The Heating Element

Heat is essential for drying your dishes so a faulty heating element might be the reason your appliance is not working as it should. If your plates don’t feel hot when they come out of the machine this can mean that the heating element is faulty.

To check the heating element you will need to disconnect the machine, find the heating element, you could need the manual to do this, then use a multimeter to check it’s working.

Check the Thermostat

The thermostat prevents your appliance overheating, regulating the heat of the water and air during drying. However, if it’s broken this can result in your dishwasher not reaching a high enough temperature.

If the heating element appears to be in working order but there’s still no heat, then the thermostat may be the problem. Once again you can make sure with the help of a multimeter.

Have a Look at The Fan and Vent

Many dishwashers will utilize a drying fan and vent to remove the warm moist air out of the dishwasher. 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 utilize your instruction manual to check if your machine uses a fan and locate it. Don’t forget to ensure the machine is unplugged before trying to access the fan.

First look at the fan and vent to ascertain if there is anything lodged that would prevent it from functioning as it should. If there is nothing obvious you can then test for continuity using a multimeter.

Ways to Increase Drying Power

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

Allow sufficient space between crockery and cutlery. Overloading the appliance limits the flow of both water and air making cleaning and drying your plates more difficult. It may be appealing to cram in as much as possible but your machine will work better if you leave sufficient space so that crockery and cutlery are not touching.
Utilize rinse aid. Some dishwasher tablets include a rinse aid but even if the brand you use says it does, adding a separate rinse aid to the appliance can only improve matters. 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 dishwasher as soon as the cycle has finished. Some new dishwashers do this automatically, but many do not, thus, opening the machine at the end of the program allows warm air to escape and prevent water condensing on the dishes as the dishwasher cools down.
Find out if your appliance uses a heat feature and make use of it. Setting a higher heat will mean better drying times and you might be able to add more heat at different points in the cycle.
Unload the bottom rack before the top. 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 might be a good idea to phone the professionals or perhaps buy a new dishwasher.