Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes?

It turns out getting your crockery and cutlery dry may actually be harder for your dishwasher than removing the dirt. Crockery and cutlery and glassware have multiple crevices that may collect dishwater making it more difficult for it to dry out, and as your machine cools down water condenses from the humid air.

Different machines also make use of a number of different means to get your crockery and cutlery dry. Some will have a heating element to heat up the air in the dishwasher and help with evaporation, some heat up the water more nearing the final rinse, some employ a fan, and some make use of a combination of all of these. There are thus a variety of explanations why your machine may not be drying plates fully and a variety of things you can do to improve the situation.

Plastic is less likely to dry fully than other materials as it doesn’t retain heat in the same way which helps with the drying process, so it’s worth noting 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 figure out what the issue is and with any luck fix it.

Top Explanations Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Dishes

Few things are more irritating than an appliance that doesn’t work 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 the dishwasher to wet plates there are a number of places you can look to help you figure out why.

Not all makes and models are created equal and some dishwashers perform to a better standard compared to others. But if if your dishwasher has always dried your crockery and cutlery in the past one of these issues could be the cause.

Check How Your Dishwasher Has Been Loaded

It might be that there is no fault with the dishwasher. Before assuming the machine 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.

Check The Rinse Aid Dispenser

Rinse aid plays a key role in drying your crockery and cutlery thus, if you have run out of rinse aid or your rinse aid dispenser is faulty this can result in wet crockery and cutlery at the end of the cycle.

The best thing to do is inspect the rinse aid dispenser for cracks and ensure that it’s full.

Inspect The Heating Element

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

To inspect the heating coil you will need to disconnect the appliance, find the heating coil, 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 prevents your machine getting too hot, adjusting the heat of the water and air during drying. Therefore, if it’s not working this can mean your dishwasher 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. Again you can check this with the help of a multimeter.

Have a Look at The Fan and Vent

Many dishwashers will utilize a drying fan and vent to suck moist air out of the machine. If either of these elements are faulty then the steam will remain in the machine preventing the dishes from drying.

You can employ your instruction manual to ascertain if your dishwasher has a fan and find its location. Don’t forget to ensure the appliance is unplugged before attempting to access the fan.

First look at the fan and vent to see if there is anything lodged that might stop it from operating as it is supposed to. If there is nothing obvious you can then test for continuity using a multimeter.

Tips to Increase Drying Power

There are a variety of methods you can use to increase how well your machine dries your dishes and make sureyou need to get the drying up cloth out as infrequently as possible.

Allow sufficient space between plates. Overloading the appliance limits the circulation of both water and air making cleaning and drying your crockery and cutlery more difficult. It may be tempting to cram everything in but you will get better results if you leave enough space so that plates are not touching.
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 appliance 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 the door at the end of the program. Some new dishwashers do this automatically, but if yours doesn’t, opening the machine when the cycle finishes allows warm air to evaporate and prevent water condensing on the contents as the machine cools down.
Have a look to see if your appliance has a heat feature and make sure it’s turned on. The higher the temperature the better the drying and it could be possible to choose which points in the cycle you increase the temperature.
Think about how you empty your machine. This doesn’t affect how well your dishwasher works, but it does prevent water from cups and glasses falling on dishes below.

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