Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes? | Perry Appliance Repair

It turns out getting your crockery and cutlery dry might really be harder for your dishwasher than cleaning them. Plates and glasses have lots of crevices that could collect water making it more difficult for it to evaporate, plus as your machine cools down water condenses out of the steam.

Dishwashers also make use of a variety of different methods to get your plates dry. Certain models will employ a heating element to warm the inside of the dishwasher and assist the water to evaporate, some warm the water more near the final rinse, certain models have a fan, and certain models employ a combination of all of these. There are consequently a variety of reasons why your machine could not be drying crockery and cutlery fully and a number of options to rectify the situation.

Plastic items are less likely to dry fully than other materials as it cools down more quickly hindering the drying process, so it’s worth seeing whether the items that aren’t drying are predominantly plastic items.

If your dishwasher isn’t drying properly you can call a dishwasher repair service or first make use of this troubleshooting list to figure out what the problem is and with any luck fix it.

Top Reasons Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Plates

There is nothing more frustrating than a home appliance that isn’t working properly, regardless of whether its a smartphone, tumble dryer 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 dishwashers are built to the same spec and you will find that some appliances do a better job of drying your dishes than others. But if you notice a change in how effectively your dishwasher is working one of these issues could be the cause.

Check the Placement of Your Dishes

It might be that there is no fault with the appliance. Before assuming the dishwasher is faulty you should look at how it has been stacked, ensuring it isn’t too full. It’s also worth noting that plastic items don’t dry as well as metal, glass or ceramics.

Have a Look at The Rinse Aid Dispenser

Rinse aid plays a key role in drying your dishes thus, if you have run out of rinse aid or the rinse aid dispenser is not working this can mean wet plates at the end of the cycle.

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

Have a Look at The Heating Coil

Without enough heat your plates will not dry so a not working heating element might be the reason your machine is not working as it should. If your dishes don’t feel hot when they come out of the machine this can indicate that the heating element isn’t working as it should.

To check the heating coil you will need to disconnect the appliance, locate the heating element, you may need the owners manual to do this, then use a multimeter to check it’s working.

Have a Look at the Thermostat

The thermostat ensures your machine doesn’t get too hot, adjusting the temperature of the water and the drying part of the cycle. Therefore, if it’s broken this can result in your dishwasher not heating up at all.

If the heating element appears to be working as it should but your appliance isn’t getting hot, then the thermostat may be at fault. Once again you can make sure with the help of a multimeter.

Check The Drying Fan and Vent

Many dishwashers will employ a drying fan and vent to suck moist air from the dishwasher. If the fan isn’t operating as is should or the vent is blocked then the water vapor will remain in the machine preventing the plates from drying.

You can employ your manual to ascertain if your dishwasher uses a fan and find its location. Again you need to ensure the dishwasher is disconnected before attempting to access the fan.

First look at the fan and vent to see if there is anything lodged that could stop it from operating as it should. And again testing for continuity using a multimeter.

Ways to Boost Drying Capability

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

Don’t overcrowd the machine. Overfilling the dishwasher limits the circulation of both water and air making cleaning and drying your plates more difficult. It could be tempting to stuff in as much as possible but you will get better results if you leave sufficient space so that plates are not touching.
Use rinse aid. Some detergents include a rinse aid but even so, adding a separate rinse aid to the appliance can only improve matters. Rinse aid helps reduce spotting and gives your glasses a streak-free shine but it also breaks the bond between water molecules and your dishes helping the water to run off them and thus allowing them to dry faster.
Open your machine as soon as the program has completed. Some newer models have this as an automatic function, but if yours doesn’t, opening the machine when the program finishes allows warm air to evaporate thus preventing water droplets forming as the dishwasher cools down.
Have a look to see if your machine employs a heat feature and make sure it’s turned on. Setting a higher temperature will result in improved drying times and you may be able to add more heat at different points in the cycle.
Empty the bottom rack before the top. This doesn’t affect how well your machine works, but it does stop water from cups and glasses falling on dishes below.

If you have checked all the above it could be time to phone an engineer or perhaps upgrade your dishwasher.