Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes?

It may not be the primary function but drying your plates may really be more arduous for your machine than cleaning them. Dishes and glasses have lots of nooks and crannies that could trap water stopping it from drying out, plus as your appliance cools down water condenses out of the steam.

Dishwashers also utilize a number of means to dry your dishes. Certain models will use a heating element to warm the inside of the machine and help with evaporation, some warm the water more approaching the end of the cycle, others use a fan, and certain models make use of a combination of all of these. There are therefore a variety of reasons why your machine might not be drying dishes optimally and a variety 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 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 use this troubleshooting list to help you identify and rectify the issue.

Top Reasons Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Plates

There is nothing more irritating than an appliance that isn’t working as it should, 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 why.

Not all dishwashers are built to the same spec and you will find that some dishwashers do a better job of drying your crockery and cutlery than others. But if if your dishwasher has always dried your dishes in the past one of these issues might be the problem.

Check How Your Dishwasher Has Been Loaded

It might be that there is no fault with the dishwasher. Before assuming the dishwasher is faulty you should first check that you haven’t overfilled it or accidentally stacked items one inside the other. Also be aware that plastics are more difficult to dry than metal, glass or ceramics.

Inspect The Rinse Aid Dispenser

Your appliance needs rinse aid to properly dry your crockery and cutlery thus, if you have run out of rinse aid or the rinse aid dispenser is not working this can result in wet dishes at the end of the cycle.

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

Check The Heating Coil

Heat is essential for drying your plates so a faulty heating coil could be the explanation your appliance is not drying crockery and cutlery. If your crockery and cutlery don’t feel hot to touch at the end of the cycle this can mean that the heating coil isn’t working as it should.

To check the heating coil first unplug the machine, then locate the heating element, you may need the manual for this, and use a multimeter to check it’s working.

Check the Thermostat

The thermostat stops your appliance getting too hot, determining the temperature of the water and the drying part of the cycle. Therefore, if it’s broken this can mean your machine doesn’t heat up at all.

If the heating coil appears to be in working order but your dishwasher isn’t getting hot, then the thermostat may be at fault. Once again you can make sure with the help of a multimeter.

Have a Look at The Drying Fan and Vent

Many machines will utilize 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 condense on the dishes instead preventing them from drying.

You can employ your instruction manual to check if your appliance has a fan and locate it. Don’t forget to ensure the machine is disconnected before attempting to access the fan.

You can visually inspect the fan and vent to see if there is anything lodged that might stop it from working correctly. If there is nothing obvious you can then test for continuity using a multimeter.

Ideas to Boost Drying Capability

There are a variety of things you can do to boost how well your dishwasher dries your dishes and prevent you needing to dry them by hand as infrequently as possible.

Don’t overload the machine. Overloading the machine stops the circulation of both water and air making cleaning and drying your dishes harder. It might be tempting to stuff everything in but your appliance will be more effective if you leave enough space so that water and air can circulate freely.
Use rinse aid. Some detergents include a rinse aid but even if the brand you use says it does, adding a little extra to the dishwasher 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 newer dishwashers have this as an automatic function, but many do not, thus, opening the door at the end of the cycle can help allow the water to escape and stop water condensing on the dishes as the appliance cools down.
Find out if your dishwasher has a heat feature and make sure it’s turned on. Setting a higher heat will lead to better drying times and it could be possible to choose which points in the cycle you add more heat.
Think about how you empty your machine. This doesn’t affect how effective your dishwasher is, but it prevent and water spilling that has collected in the concave bottoms of cups and glasses.

If this trouble shooting guide hasn’t worked it could be time to phone the professionals or even replace your machine.