Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes?

It turns out drying your dishes might in actual fact be harder for your dishwasher than cleaning them. Dishes and glasses have multiple crevices that may collect water preventing it from evaporating, thus as your machine cools water droplets form out of the steam.

Dishwashers also employ a variety of different means to get your dishes dry. Certain models opt for a heating coil to heat up the inside of the machine and help with evaporation, some heat the water more nearing the final rinse, others have a fan, and others make use of a combination of all three. There are therefore a variety of explanations why your dishwasher could not be drying dishes optimally and a number of options to rectify the situation.

Plastic is less likely to dry fully than other materials 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 Explanations Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Dishes

There is nothing more irritating than a home appliance that isn’t working properly, regardless of whether its a tv, washing machine or dishwasher we expect them to do the job they were made for. If you open your dishwasher to discover wet plates there are a number of places you can look to help you figure out why.

Not all dishwashers are built to the same spec and you will find that some makes and models do a better job of drying your dishes than others. However, if if your dishwasher has always dried your dishes in the past one of these faults could be the problem.

Have a Look at How Your Dishwasher Has Been Loaded

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

Check The Rinse Aid Dispenser

Rinse aid plays a key role in drying your crockery and cutlery thus, if you have run out of rinse aid or your rinse aid dispenser is broken this can stop your dishes coming out properly dry.

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

Inspect The Heating Coil

Without enough heat your plates will not dry so a not working heating element could be the explanation your appliance is not drying dishes. If your dishes aren’t hot when they come out of the machine this can indicate that the heating element isn’t working as it should.

To check the heating element first unplug the dishwasher, then locate the heating coil, you could need the manual to do this, and check for continuity using a multimeter.

Inspect the Thermostat

The thermostat ensures your appliance doesn’t get too hot, adjusting the temperature of the water and the drying part of the cycle. Therefore, if it’s not working this can mean your appliance doesn’t heat up at all.

If the heating element appears to be in working order but there’s still no heat, then the thermostat could be at fault. Once again you can make sure using a multimeter.

Inspect The Drying Fan and Vent

Many dishwashers will use a fan and vent to suck moist air out of the appliance. If the fan isn’t operating as is should or the vent is blocked then the hot air will remain in the appliance preventing the dishes from drying.

You can make use of your manual to ascertain if your dishwasher uses a fan and find its location. Don’t forget to make sure the dishwasher is disconnected before trying to make repairs.

You can visually inspect the fan and vent to check if there is anything lodged that might prevent it from operating correctly. 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 boost how well your dishwasher dries your dishes and make sure you have to hand dry as infrequently as possible.

Don’t overfill the machine. Overloading the appliance limits the flow of both water and air decreasing the effectiveness of your machine when it comes to both washing and finishing your dishes. It could be appealing to stuff everything in but your appliance will be more effective if you leave sufficient space so that dishes are not touching.
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 dishwasher can only improve matters. Rinse aid helps reduce marks and gives your glassware in particular 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 making them dry more quickly and evenly.
Open the door at the end of the cycle. Some new machines do this automatically, but if yours doesn’t, opening the door at the end of the cycle can help allow the water to evaporate and prevent water condensing on the dishes as the dishwasher cools down.
Have a look to see if your dishwasher employs a heat feature and use it. Setting a higher heat will result in better drying times and it may be possible to choose which points in the program you increase the temperature.
Think about how you unload your dishwasher. This doesn’t affect how effective your dishwasher is, but it prevent and water spilling that has collected in the concave bottoms of cups and glasses.

If none of the above solves the problem it could be a good idea to phone an engineer or even buy a new machine.