Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes? | Redding Appliance Repair

It turns out getting your crockery and cutlery dry may in actual fact be harder for your dishwasher than cleaning them. Crockery and cutlery and glasses have multiple nooks and crannies that can trap dishwater making it more difficult for it to evaporate, thus as your appliance loses heat water condenses from the steam.

Dishwashers also employ a number of different methods to get your dishes dry. Some opt for a heating coil to heat up the air in the dishwasher and help the water to evaporate, some heat the water more nearing the end of the cycle, certain models use a fan, and others make use of a combination of all three. There are consequently a variety of explanations why your dishwasher might not be drying dishes optimally and a variety of options to rectify 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 your dishwasher doesn’t seem to be drying properly you can enlist the help of a dishwasher repair service or first employ this troubleshooting guide to help you identify and rectify the problem.

Top Reasons Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Dishes

Few things are more annoying 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 there are a number of troubleshooting tips to help you figure out why.

Not all appliances 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 may be the problem.

Inspect How Your Machine Has Been Loaded

It might be that there is no fault with the appliance. Before assuming the appliance is faulty you should look at how it has been loaded, ensuring it isn’t overloaded. It’s also worth noting that plastics don’t dry as well as metal, glass or ceramics.

Have a Look at The Rinse Aid Dispenser

Rinse aid plays a key role in drying your dishes thus, if you’ve forgotten to top up or your rinse aid dispenser is not working this can stop your dishes coming out properly dry.

Visually inspect the dispenser for cracks and check that it’s full.

Have a Look at The Heating Coil

Heat is essential for drying your dishes so a broken heating coil may be the explanation your appliance is not working as it should. If your plates don’t feel hot when they come out of the machine this can mean that the heating element is faulty.

To check the heating coil you will need to disconnect the machine, locate the heating element, you might need the owners manual to do this, and check for continuity using a multimeter.

Check the Thermostat

The thermostat ensures your appliance doesn’t overheat, regulating the heat of the water and air during drying. Therefore, if it’s broken this can mean your dishwasher 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 may be the problem. Again you can make sure using a multimeter.

Check The Drying Fan and Vent

Many dishwashers will employ a drying fan and vent to suck moist air from the machine. If either of these elements are broken then the water vapor will form droplets on the plates instead leaving them wet.

You can employ your manual to ascertain if your machine uses a fan and locate it. Don’t forget to make sure the appliance is unplugged before trying to access the fan.

First visually inspect the fan and vent to check if there is anything lodged 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.

Ways to Increase Drying Power

There are a number of things you can do to improve how well your dishwasher dries your dishes and ensure you need to get the drying up cloth out as little as possible.

Don’t overload the dishwasher. Overloading the machine limits the circulation of air and water making removing the dirt from and drying your dishes more difficult. It could be tempting to cram everything in but your appliance will be more effective if you leave sufficient space so that plates are not touching.
Employ rinse aid. Some dishwasher tablets include a rinse aid but even so, adding a little extra to the appliance will do no harm. Rinse aid helps reduce spotting and gives your glasses a streak-free shine but it also breaks the bond between water molecules and your crockery and cutlery helping the water to run off them and thus speeding up drying times.
Open the door at the end of the cycle. Some newer dishwashers do this automatically, but many do not, thus, opening the door when the cycle finishes can help allow the water to evaporate and stop water condensing on the contents as the machine cools down.
Check if your machine uses a heat feature and make sure it’s turned on. The higher the heat 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 dishwasher. 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 may be necessary to call in an engineer or perhaps buy a new machine.