Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes?

It may not be the primary function but getting your plates dry may really be harder for your dishwasher than getting them clean. Crockery and cutlery and glassware have multiple nooks and crannies that could pool water making it more difficult for it to evaporate, and as your appliance loses heat water droplets form from the steam.

Different machines also employ a number of methods to dry your dishes. Some will have a heating element to heat up the inside of the machine and assist the water to evaporate, some heat the water further approaching the end of the cycle, some employ a fan, and others employ a mix of all three. There are thus a variety of explanations why your machine may 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 doesn’t retain heat in the same way which helps with the drying process, so it’s worth seeing 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 Plates

There is nothing more annoying than a home appliance that doesn’t work as it’s meant to, 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 removing the dirt from or drying your crockery and cutlery. If you open the dishwasher to 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 makes and models do a better job of drying your crockery and cutlery than others. However, if if your dishwasher has always dried your crockery and cutlery in the past one of these faults might be the cause.

Inspect the Placement of Your Crockery and Cutlery

It might be that there is no fault with the machine. Before assuming the dishwasher is broken you should look at how it has been stacked, ensuring it isn’t too full. It’s also worth noting that plastic items are more difficult to dry than metal, glass or ceramics.

Inspect The Rinse Aid Dispenser

Your machine needs rinse aid to properly dry your crockery and cutlery thus, if you’ve forgotten to top up or your rinse aid dispenser is broken this can stop your crockery and cutlery coming out properly dry.

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

Check The Heating Coil

Heat is essential for drying your crockery and cutlery so a faulty heating element could be the explanation your dishwasher is not working as it should. If your crockery and cutlery aren’t hot when they come out of the machine this can indicate that the heating coil isn’t working as it should.

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

Have a Look at the Thermostat

The thermostat ensures your dishwasher doesn’t overheat, adjusting the heat of the water and air during drying. Therefore, if it’s broken this can result in your machine not heating up at all.

If you check the heating coil and do not discover an issue 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 machines will use a fan and vent to remove the warm moist air out of the machine. If either of these elements are faulty then the steam will condense on the dishes instead leaving them wet.

You can utilize your instruction manual to ascertain if your machine uses a fan and locate it. Again you need to double check the dishwasher is disconnected before attempting to access the fan.

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

Ideas to Increase Drying Ability

There are a variety of methods you can use to improve your dishwashers drying ability and prevent you needing to dry them by hand as little as possible.

Don’t overfill the dishwasher. Overloading the dishwasher limits the circulation of both water and air decreasing the effectiveness of your appliance when it comes to both cleaning and finishing your dishes. It may be tempting to stuff in as much as possible but your dishwasher will be more effective if you leave enough space so that water and air can circulate freely.
Make use of rinse aid. Some dishwasher tablets already have this but even if the brand you use says it does, adding a little extra to the machine won’t hurt. Rinse aid works by breaking the bond between water molecules and your plates, helping water run off quickly, speeding up drying time and giving a spot and streak free finish.
Open your dishwasher as soon as the program has finished. Some newer machines have this as an automatic option, but many do not, thus, opening the door when the cycle completes allows warm air to escape thus stopping water droplets forming as the appliance cools down.
Check if your appliance employs a heat feature and make sure it’s turned on. The higher the temperature the better the drying and you could be able to choose which points in the program you add more heat.
Unload the lower level before the top. This doesn’t affect how well your dishwasher works, but it stop and water spilling that has collected in the concave bottoms of cups and glasses.

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