Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes?

It may not be the primary function but getting your crockery and cutlery dry may really be more difficult for your dishwasher than cleaning them. Plates and glassware have multiple nooks and crannies that can trap water stopping it from evaporating, thus as your appliance cools water condenses out of the humid air.

Different machines also employ a number of approaches to get your crockery and cutlery dry. Certain models will employ a heating element to heat up the inside of the machine and assist the water to evaporate, some warm the water more approaching the final rinse, some make use of a fan, and certain models use a mix of all of these. There are therefore a variety of explanations why your machine could not be drying crockery and cutlery optimally and a number of options to rectify the situation.

Plastic is more difficult to dry than glass or ceramics as it cools down more quickly hindering the drying process, so it’s worth noting whether the items that aren’t drying are predominantly plastic items.

If your dishwasher doesn’t seem to be drying effectively you can hire a dishwasher repair service or first utilize this troubleshooting list to figure out what the problem is and with any luck fix it.

Top Reasons Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Crockery and Cutlery

There is nothing more annoying than a home appliance that isn’t working as it should, regardless of whether its a smartspeaker, air conditioner 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 few places you can look to help you figure out the problem.

Not all makes and models are created equal and some makes and models do a better job of drying your crockery and cutlery than others. However, if you notice a change in how well your machine is working one of these issues might be the cause.

Inspect the Placement of Your Plates

Sometimes there is nothing actually wrong with the machine. Before assuming the dishwasher is broken you should first check that you haven’t overfilled 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.

Have a Look at The Rinse Aid Dispenser

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

Visually check the rinse aid dispenser for damage and check that it’s full.

Inspect The Heating Coil

Heat is essential for drying your plates so a broken heating coil may be the reason your machine is not drying crockery and cutlery. If your dishes don’t feel hot to touch when they come out of the machine this can be a good indicator that the heating coil is broken.

To check the heating element first disconnect the dishwasher, then find the heating element, you could need the instruction manual for this, then check for continuity using a multimeter.

Have a Look at the Thermostat

The thermostat ensures your machine doesn’t overheat, adjusting the heat of the water and air during drying. However, if it’s faulty this can mean your appliance doesn’t heat up at all.

If you check the heating element and do not discover an issue but your machine isn’t getting hot, then the thermostat may be the issue. Once again you can test this with the help of a multimeter.

Check The Drying Fan and Vent

Many machines will utilize a drying fan and vent to remove the warm moist air from the dishwasher. If either of these elements are broken then the water vapor will remain in the appliance preventing the crockery and cutlery from drying.

You can make use of your manual to find out if your appliance uses a fan and find its location. Again you need to make sure the dishwasher is disconnected before attempting to make repairs.

You can look at the fan and vent to ascertain if anything is blocking it that could 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 Capability

There are a variety of things you can do to increase your dishwashers effectiveness at drying and prevent you needing to dry them by hand as infrequently as possible.

Allow sufficient space between dishes. Overcrowding the machine stops the flow of air and water making removing the dirt from and drying your plates harder. Although it’s tempting to try and cram everything in, your appliance will be more effective if you leave sufficient space so that water and air can circulate freely.
Employ rinse aid. Some detergents already have this but even so, adding a separate rinse aid to the machine won’t hurt. Rinse aid helps reduce spotting and gives your glassware in particular a streak-free finish but it also breaks the bond between water molecules and your plates helping the water to run off them and consequently speeding up drying times.
Open your appliance as soon as the program has completed. Some newer dishwashers have this as an automatic option, but many do not, thus, opening the door when the cycle finishes can help allow the water to evaporate and prevent water droplets forming as the machine cools down.
Find out if your appliance has a heat feature and utilize it. Setting a higher heat will lead to improved drying times and it might be possible to add more heat at different points in the program.
Unload the lower level first. 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 crockery and cutlery below.

If this trouble shooting guide hasn’t worked it might be necessary to phone the professionals or even buy a new dishwasher.