Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes?

It turns out drying your dishes may really be harder for your dishwasher than getting them clean. Dishes and glasses have lots of crevices that could pool dishwater preventing it from drying out, plus as your dishwasher cools down water condenses out of the humid air.

Different machines also make use of a number of approaches to dry your dishes. Certain models will use a heating coil to warm the air in the dishwasher and assist the water to evaporate, some warm the water further approaching the end of the cycle, certain models use a fan, and certain models use a mix of all of these. There are consequently a number of reasons why your machine may not be drying crockery and cutlery optimally and a number of options to rectify the situation.

Plastic is 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 dishes are coming out wet you can hire a dishwasher repair service or first use this troubleshooting list to figure out what the issue is and with any luck fix it.

Top Reasons Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Plates

There is nothing more irritating than an appliance that isn’t working as it should, regardless of whether its a tv, air conditioner or dishwasher we expect them to do the job they were made for. If you open your dishwasher to discover wet plates here are a number of troubleshooting tips to help you figure out the issue.

Not all appliances are created equal and you will find that some dishwashers do a better job of drying your dishes than others. However, if you notice a change in how well your machine is working one of these issues may be the problem.

Check How Your Machine Has Been Loaded

Sometimes there is nothing actually wrong with the appliance. Before assuming the machine is not working you should look at how it has been stacked, ensuring it isn’t too full. It’s also worth noting that plastic items are more difficult to dry than metal, glass or ceramics.

Have a Look at The Rinse Aid Dispenser

Your machine 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 mean wet dishes at the end of the cycle.

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

Check The Heating Element

Heat is essential for drying your dishes so a faulty heating coil may be the explanation your machine is not working as it should. If your dishes don’t feel hot at the end of the cycle this can mean that the heating coil is broken.

To inspect the heating coil you will need to unplug the appliance, find the heating coil, you may need the instruction manual to do this, and use a multimeter to check it’s working.

Inspect the Thermostat

The thermostat ensures your machine doesn’t get too hot, regulating the heat of the water and air during drying. Therefore, if it’s not working this can mean your appliance doesn’t heat up at all.

If the heating element seems to be working as it should but there’s still no heat, then the thermostat might be the problem. Once again you can make sure using a multimeter.

Have a Look at The Drying Fan and Vent

Many dishwashers will make use of a fan and vent to remove the warm moist air from the appliance. If either of these elements are broken then the hot air will condense on the dishes instead preventing them from drying.

You can utilize your user manual to check if your appliance has a fan and find its location. Don’t forget to ensure the appliance is unplugged before attempting to access the fan.

You can visually inspect the fan and vent to ascertain if there is anything lodged that might stop it from functioning correctly. And again testing for continuity using a multimeter.

Ideas to Boost Drying Capability

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

Don’t cram the machine. Overcrowding the appliance limits the flow of air and water decreasing the effectiveness of your appliance when it comes to both cleaning and finishing your dishes. It could be tempting to stuff in as much as possible but you will get better results if you leave sufficient space so that water and air can circulate freely.
Make use of rinse aid. Some detergents include a rinse aid but even so, adding a little extra to the machine 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 cycle. Some new dishwashers have this as an automatic option, but if yours doesn’t, opening the door when the program finishes can help allow the water to escape and prevent water droplets forming as the appliance cools down.
Find out if your dishwasher employs a heat feature and make sure it’s turned on. Setting a higher temperature will lead to better drying times and it could be possible to add more heat at different points in the cycle.
Empty 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 plates below.

If none of the above solves the problem it might be necessary to call in the professionals or perhaps upgrade your dishwasher.