Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes?

It may not be the primary function but getting your dishes dry might in actual fact be more arduous for your machine than removing the dirt. Plates and glasses have multiple crevices that may collect water preventing it from evaporating, thus as your machine cools water droplets form from the humid air.

Dishwashers also employ a number of methods to dry your dishes. Certain models will use a heating element to warm the inside of the machine and assist the water to evaporate, some warm the water more approaching the end of the cycle, certain models have a fan, and certain models make use of a combination of all three. There are consequently a number of reasons why your dishwasher could not be drying dishes optimally and a number of things you can do to improve the situation.

Plastic is less likely to dry fully than glass or ceramics as it doesn’t retain heat in the same way which helps with the drying process, so it’s worth taking note 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 guide to help you identify and rectify the issue.

Top Explanations Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Crockery and Cutlery

There is nothing more frustrating 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 made for. If you open your dishwasher to discover wet plates there are a few troubleshooting tips to help you figure out the problem.

Not all dishwashers are created equal 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 faults might be the cause.

Have a Look at How Your Machine Has Been Loaded

It might be that there is no fault with the appliance. Before assuming the dishwasher is faulty you should first check that you haven’t overloaded it or accidentally stacked items one inside the other. Also be aware that plastic items 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 thus, if you have run out of rinse aid or your rinse aid dispenser is not working this can stop your plates coming out properly dry.

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

Check The Heating Element

Heat is essential for drying your dishes so a faulty heating coil may be the explanation your machine is not drying plates. If your crockery and cutlery don’t feel hot at the end of the cycle this can indicate that the heating coil is faulty.

To inspect the heating element first unplug the machine, then find the heating element, you may need the manual to do this, then use a multimeter to check it’s working.

Inspect the Thermostat

The thermostat stops your machine getting too hot, regulating 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 element seems to be in working order but your machine isn’t getting hot, then the thermostat might be at fault. Once again you can test this 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 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 make use of your instruction manual to check if your appliance has a fan and locate it. Don’t forget to make sure the appliance is disconnected before trying to make repairs.

First visually inspect the fan and vent to see if there is anything lodged that would stop it from functioning correctly. And again testing for continuity using a multimeter.

Ways to Boost Drying Ability

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

Don’t overload the dishwasher. Overloading the appliance limits the flow of air and water making cleaning and drying your plates harder. Although it’s tempting to try and stuff everything in, your dishwasher will work better if you leave enough space so that crockery and cutlery are not touching.
Utilize rinse aid. Some detergents include a rinse aid but even if the brand you use says it does, adding a separate rinse aid to the machine will do no harm. 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 ended. Some newer machines do this automatically, but many do not, thus, opening the dishwasher when the cycle finishes can help allow the water to evaporate and stop water condensing on the plates as the machine cools down.
Find out if your dishwasher has a heat feature and utilize it. Setting a higher temperature will lead to improved drying times and it may be possible to add more heat at different points in the cycle.
Empty the lower level first. This doesn’t affect how well your dishwasher works, but it prevent and water spilling that has collected in the concave bottoms of cups and glasses.

If you have checked all the above it may be time to call in the professionals or even upgrade your machine.