Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes?

It turns out drying your dishes could in actual fact be harder for your dishwasher than removing the dirt. Plates and glassware have multiple crevices that may trap water preventing it from evaporating, plus as your dishwasher cools down water condenses out of the steam.

Dishwashers also employ a number of means to get your plates dry. Certain models will use a heating coil to warm the inside of the machine and help the water to evaporate, some heat up the water further near the final rinse, others use a fan, and others have a combination of all of these. There are therefore a number of reasons why your machine may not be drying plates optimally and a variety of options 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 noting 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 list to figure out what the problem is and with any luck fix it.

Top Reasons Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Plates

There is nothing more annoying than an 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 few places you can look to help you figure out the issue.

Not all appliances are created equal and you will find that some makes and models do a better job of drying your plates than others. But if if your dishwasher has always dried your plates in the past one of these faults might be the cause.

Inspect the Placement of Your Plates

Sometimes there is nothing actually wrong with the machine. Before assuming the machine is broken you should look at how it has been loaded, ensuring it isn’t too full. Also be aware that plastic items don’t dry as well as metal, glass or ceramics.

Have a Look at The Rinse Aid Dispenser

Your appliance needs rinse aid to properly dry your dishes and so if you’ve forgotten to top up or the rinse aid dispenser is broken this can mean wet plates at the end of the cycle.

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

Have a Look at The Heating Coil

Without enough heat your dishes will not dry so a not working heating element could be the explanation your machine is not working as it should. If your plates don’t feel hot to touch when they come out of the machine this can be a good indicator that the heating element is faulty.

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

Inspect the Thermostat

The thermostat prevents your appliance overheating, adjusting the heat of the water and air during drying. Therefore, if it’s not working this can mean your appliance doesn’t heat up at all.

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

Inspect The Fan and Vent

Many dishwashers will utilize a fan and vent to remove the warm moist air from the machine. If the fan isn’t operating as is should or the vent is blocked then the hot air will condense on the plates instead preventing them from drying.

You can employ your instruction manual to check if your machine uses a fan and find its location. Don’t forget to make sure the appliance is disconnected before trying to access the fan.

First visually inspect the fan and vent to see if there is anything lodged that would stop it from functioning correctly. And again testing for continuity using a multimeter.

Tips to Increase Drying Ability

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

Don’t overfill the dishwasher. Overcrowding the appliance limits the flow of air and water decreasing the effectiveness of your dishwasher when it comes to both cleaning and drying your dishes. It may be tempting to stuff in as much as possible but your appliance will work better if you leave sufficient space so that water and air can circulate freely.
Make use of rinse aid. Some detergents include a rinse aid 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 dishes, helping water run off quickly, speeding up drying time and giving a spot and streak free finish.
Open your appliance as soon as the program has completed. Some new machines do this automatically, but many do not, thus, opening the machine when the program finishes can help allow the water to escape and stop water droplets forming as the dishwasher cools down.
Find out if your machine uses a heat feature and utilize it. Setting a higher heat will result in improved drying times and it could be possible to add more heat at different points in the program.
Think about how you empty your machine. 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 you have checked all the above it may be a good idea to phone an engineer or perhaps upgrade your dishwasher.