Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes?

It may not be the primary function but drying your plates could in actual fact be harder for your machine than removing the dirt. Plates and cups have lots of nooks and crannies that could collect dishwater preventing it from evaporating, and as your machine cools water condenses out of the humid air.

Dishwashers also employ a number of approaches to dry your plates. Certain models opt for a heating element to warm the air in the machine and help with evaporation, some heat the water further nearing the final rinse, certain models employ a fan, and some employ a combination of all three. There are therefore a variety of explanations why your dishwasher could not be drying crockery and cutlery fully and a variety of things you can do to rectify the situation.

Plastic items are more difficult to dry than other materials as it cools down more quickly hindering the drying process, so it’s worth taking note whether the drying issue is related to the material rather than the machine.

If dishes are coming out wet you can call a dishwasher repair service or first utilize this troubleshooting guide to figure out what the problem is and with any luck fix it.

Top Explanations Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Crockery and Cutlery

Few things are more frustrating 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 few places you can look 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 dishes than others. But if if your dishwasher has always dried your plates in the past one of these faults could be the problem.

Check the Placement of Your Plates

It might be that there is no fault with the appliance. Before assuming the machine is faulty you should first check that you haven’t overloaded it or accidentally stacked items one inside the other. It’s also worth noting that plastic items 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 plates therefore, if you have run out of rinse aid or the rinse aid dispenser is not working this can result in wet plates at the end of the cycle.

The best thing to do is check the dispenser for damage and ensure that it’s full.

Inspect The Heating Coil

Heat is essential for drying your plates so a broken heating coil might be the explanation your machine is not drying dishes. If your crockery and cutlery don’t feel hot to touch when they come out of the machine this can be a good indicator that the heating element isn’t working as it should.

To inspect the heating element first unplug the appliance, then find the heating coil, you may need the manual to do this, and check for continuity using a multimeter.

Check the Thermostat

The thermostat ensures your dishwasher doesn’t overheat, regulating the temperature of the water and the drying part of the cycle. However, if it’s not working this can result in your machine not heating up at all.

If you check the heating element and do not discover an fault but there’s still no heat, then the thermostat could be the problem. Again you can check this with the help of a multimeter.

Have a Look at The Drying Fan and Vent

Many appliances will make use of a fan and vent to remove the warm moist air from the appliance. If either of these elements are broken then the steam will condense on the dishes instead leaving them wet.

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

First look at the fan and vent to check if anything is blocking it that could stop it from operating as it should. If there is nothing obvious you can then test for continuity using a multimeter.

Ways to Increase Drying Power

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

Allow sufficient space between plates. Overcrowding the dishwasher inhibits the circulation of both water and air making removing the dirt from and drying your crockery and cutlery harder. It may be appealing to stuff in as much as possible but you will get better results if you leave sufficient space so that crockery and cutlery are not touching.
Employ rinse aid. Some detergents include a rinse aid but even if the brand you use says it does, adding a little extra to the machine can only improve matters. Rinse aid helps reduce marks and gives your glassware in particular a streak-free finish but it also breaks the bond between water molecules and your crockery and cutlery helping the water to run off them and consequently allowing them to dry faster.
Open the door at the end of the program. Some newer models have this as an automatic function, but many do not, thus, opening the dishwasher at the end of the cycle can help allow the water to escape and prevent water condensing on the dishes as the machine cools down.
Have a look to see if your dishwasher employs a heat feature and use it. Setting a higher temperature will mean improved drying times and you might be able to choose which points in the program you increase the temperature.
Think about how you empty your machine. This doesn’t affect how effective your machine is, but it does stop water from cups and glasses falling on dishes below.

If this trouble shooting guide hasn’t worked it might be a good idea to phone the professionals or perhaps buy a new machine.