Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes?

It may not be the primary function but drying your crockery and cutlery might in actual fact be harder for your machine than removing the dirt. Crockery and cutlery and cups have lots of crevices that can trap water making it more difficult for it to evaporate, thus as your machine loses heat water condenses from the humid air.

Dishwashers also utilize a number of different approaches to get your dishes dry. Certain models will have a heating element to warm the inside of the machine and assist the water to evaporate, some heat the water to a higher temperature approaching the final rinse, some make use of a fan, and others use a mix of all three. There are therefore a number of explanations why your machine may not be drying plates optimally and a number of options to improve 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 dishes are coming out wet you can hire a dishwasher repair service or first make use of this troubleshooting guide to figure out what the issue is and with any luck fix it.

Top Reasons Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Crockery and Cutlery

There is nothing more frustrating than a home appliance that doesn’t work as it’s meant to, regardless of whether its a smartphone, air conditioner 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 few troubleshooting tips to help you figure out why.

Not all dishwashers are created equal and some appliances 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 areas could be the cause.

Have a Look at How Your Machine Has Been Loaded

Sometimes there is nothing actually wrong with the appliance. Before assuming the machine is broken you should look at how it has been stacked, ensuring it isn’t overloaded. It’s also worth noting that plastics are more difficult to dry than metal, glass or ceramics.

Check The Rinse Aid Dispenser

Rinse aid plays a key role in drying your crockery and cutlery thus, if you’ve forgotten to top up or the rinse aid dispenser is faulty this can mean wet crockery and cutlery at the end of the cycle.

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

Have a Look at The Heating Element

Without enough heat your plates will not dry so a broken heating element might be the explanation your dishwasher is not drying plates. If your crockery and cutlery aren’t hot at the end of the cycle this can be a good indicator that the heating coil isn’t working as it should.

To check the heating coil first unplug the appliance, then find the heating coil, you could need the manual for this, and check for continuity using a multimeter.

Check the Thermostat

The thermostat stops your dishwasher getting too hot, adjusting the heat of the water and air during drying. However, if it’s not working this can result in your machine not reaching a high enough temperature.

If you check the heating element and do not discover an issue but your machine isn’t getting hot, then the thermostat may be at fault. Once again you can make sure with the help of a multimeter.

Inspect The Drying Fan and Vent

Many machines will make use of a drying fan and vent to remove the warm moist air out of the machine. If the fan isn’t operating as is should or the vent is blocked then the steam will remain in the appliance preventing the dishes from drying.

You can make use of your instruction manual to find out if your dishwasher has a fan and find its location. Again you need to ensure the appliance is unplugged before trying to make repairs.

You can visually inspect the fan and vent to check if anything is blocking it that could stop it from operating correctly. And again testing for continuity using a multimeter.

Tips to Boost Drying Ability

There are a number of things you can do to improve how well your machine dries your dishes and make sure you have to hand dry as little as possible.

Allow ample space between crockery and cutlery. Overloading the machine stops the flow of both water and air decreasing the effectiveness of your machine when it comes to both washing and drying your dishes. Although it’s tempting to try and stuff everything in, you will get better results if you leave sufficient space so that water and air can circulate freely.
Employ rinse aid. Some detergents include a rinse aid but even so, adding a separate rinse aid to the dishwasher will do no harm. 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 consequently speeding up drying times.
Open the door at the end of the cycle. Some newer models have this as an automatic option, but many do not, thus, opening the door when the program finishes allows warm air to evaporate thus preventing 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 heat the better the drying and you may be able to choose which points in the cycle you add more heat.
Think about how you empty your machine. This doesn’t affect how effective your dishwasher is, but it does stop water from cups and glasses falling on dishes below.

If this trouble shooting guide hasn’t worked it could be time to phone an engineer or perhaps replace your machine.