Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes?

It turns out getting your crockery and cutlery dry could really be harder for your dishwasher than cleaning them. Crockery and cutlery and glasses have lots of nooks and crannies that may trap water making it more difficult for it to evaporate, thus as your machine cools down water condenses from the humid air.

Dishwashers also utilize a variety of means to dry your crockery and cutlery. Some opt for a heating coil to heat up the air in the dishwasher and help with evaporation, some heat the water more near the end of the cycle, certain models employ a fan, and others employ a combination of all of these. There are consequently a variety of explanations why your dishwasher might not be drying dishes optimally and a variety of things you can do 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 drying issue is related to the material rather than the machine.

If your dishwasher isn’t drying effectively you can call a dishwasher repair service or first make use of this troubleshooting guide to figure out what the problem is and with any luck fix it.

Top Reasons Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Crockery and Cutlery

Few things are more frustrating 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 cleaning or drying your plates. If you open the dishwasher to wet plates here are a few places you can look to help you figure out the issue.

Not all dishwashers are created equal and you will find that some dishwashers do a better job of drying your dishes than others. But if you notice a change in how effectively your dishwasher is working one of these faults may be the problem.

Check the Placement of Your Dishes

Sometimes there is nothing actually wrong with the dishwasher. Before assuming the appliance is not working you should look at how it has been loaded, ensuring it isn’t too full. 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 dishes thus, if you’ve forgotten to top up or your rinse aid dispenser is broken this can result in wet crockery and cutlery at the end of the cycle.

Visually check the rinse aid dispenser for cracks and check that there is rinse aid inside.

Have a Look at The Heating Element

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

To inspect the heating element you will need to unplug the appliance, locate the heating coil, you may need the owners manual to do this, then use a multimeter to check it’s working.

Check the Thermostat

The thermostat stops your machine overheating, adjusting the heat of the water and air during drying. Therefore, if it’s not working this can result in your dishwasher 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 at fault. Once again you can make sure using a multimeter.

Check The Drying Fan and Vent

Many appliances will make use of a fan and vent to remove the warm moist air out of the machine. If either of these elements are faulty then the hot air will form droplets on the crockery and cutlery instead leaving them wet.

You can make use of your instruction manual to check if your machine uses a fan and locate it. Again you need to make sure the dishwasher is disconnected before trying to access the fan.

First look at the fan and vent to ascertain if anything is blocking it that would prevent it from working as it is supposed to. And again testing for continuity using a multimeter.

Tips to Increase Drying Power

There are a number of methods you can use to boost your machines drying ability and ensureyou need to get the drying up cloth out as little as possible.

Allow ample space between plates. Overloading the appliance inhibits the flow of air and water decreasing the effectiveness of your dishwasher when it comes to both washing and finishing your dishes. Although it’s appealing to try and stuff everything in, you will get better results if you leave sufficient space so that crockery and cutlery are not touching.
Make use of rinse aid. Some dishwasher tablets already have this but even so, adding a separate rinse aid 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 machine as soon as the program has completed. Some new models have this as an automatic option, but if yours doesn’t, opening the door at the end of the program can help allow the water to escape thus preventing water droplets forming as the dishwasher cools down.
Have a look to see if your appliance uses a heat feature and use it. Setting a higher temperature will lead to better drying times and it might be possible to choose which points in the program you add more heat.
Empty the bottom rack first. This doesn’t affect how effective your machine is, but it does prevent water from cups and glasses falling on dishes below.

If none of the above solves the problem it may be a good idea to phone the professionals or even buy a new dishwasher.