Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes?

It may not be the primary function but getting your plates dry could in actual fact be more difficult for your machine than removing the dirt. Crockery and cutlery and cups have lots of nooks and crannies that could collect dishwater stopping it from evaporating, thus as your dishwasher cools water droplets form from the humid air.

Different machines also make use of a variety of approaches to dry your plates. Certain models will have a heating coil to heat up the inside of the machine and help the water to evaporate, some heat up the water more approaching the final rinse, some make use of a fan, and certain models make use of a combination of all three. There are therefore a number of explanations why your machine could not be drying crockery and cutlery fully and a variety of options to rectify the situation.

Plastic items are more difficult to dry than other materials 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 your dishwasher isn’t drying properly you can enlist the help of a dishwasher repair service or first utilize this troubleshooting guide to figure out what the problem is and with any luck fix it.

Top Reasons Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Dishes

Few things are more frustrating 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 cleaning or drying your dishes. If you open your dishwasher to discover wet plates here are a few places you can look to help you figure out the problem.

Not all dishwashers are created equal and some makes and models do a better job of drying your dishes than others. However, if if your dishwasher has always dried your crockery and cutlery in the past one of these faults may be the cause.

Have a Look at How Your Dishwasher Has Been Loaded

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

Inspect The Rinse Aid Dispenser

Your dishwasher needs rinse aid to properly dry your dishes thus, if you’ve forgotten to top up or the rinse aid dispenser is faulty this can stop your plates coming out properly dry.

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

Have a Look at The Heating Coil

Heat is essential for drying your plates so a faulty heating coil might be the explanation your machine is not working as it should. If your plates don’t feel hot to touch at the end of the cycle this can indicate that the heating element isn’t working as it should.

To inspect the heating coil you will need to unplug the appliance, find the heating coil, you might need the owners manual for this, then check for continuity using a multimeter.

Inspect the Thermostat

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

If you check the heating element and do not uncover an fault 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.

Inspect The Fan and Vent

Many appliances will employ a drying fan and vent to suck moist air from the appliance. If either of these elements are broken then the steam will remain in the machine preventing the dishes from drying.

You can make use of your user manual to ascertain if your dishwasher has a fan and find its location. Don’t forget to ensure the machine is unplugged before trying to make repairs.

You can look at the fan and vent to check if anything is blocking it that could prevent it from operating as it is supposed to. And again testing for continuity using a multimeter.

Ideas to Increase Drying Power

There are a variety of methods you can use to improve your dishwashers drying ability and ensure you have to hand dry as little as possible.

Allow sufficient space between dishes. Overloading the machine stops the flow of both water and air decreasing the effectiveness of your machine when it comes to both cleaning and finishing your dishes. Although it’s appealing to try and cram everything in, your dishwasher will work better if you leave sufficient space so that water and air can circulate freely.
Utilize rinse aid. Some detergents include a rinse aid but even so, adding a little extra to the appliance won’t hurt. 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 machines have this as an automatic function, but if yours doesn’t, opening the dishwasher at the end of the cycle can help allow the water to escape thus preventing water droplets forming as the dishwasher cools down.
Check if your appliance has a heat feature and use it. The higher the temperature the better the drying and you might be able to add more heat at different points in the program.
Think about how you unload your machine. This doesn’t affect how effective your dishwasher is, but it stop and water spilling that has collected in the concave bottoms of cups and glasses.

If you have checked all the above it might be a good idea to phone the professionals or perhaps buy a new machine.