Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes? | Des Moines Appliance Repair

It may not be the primary function but getting your dishes dry could really be harder for your dishwasher than removing the dirt. Dishes and glasses have lots of crevices that can trap dishwater making it more difficult for it to dry out, plus as your appliance cools water droplets form from the humid air.

Different machines also employ a number of different means to get your dishes dry. Some opt for a heating coil to heat up the inside of the machine and help with evaporation, some heat up the water to a higher temperature approaching the final rinse, some use a fan, and some employ a mix of all of these. There are therefore a number of reasons why your machine could not be drying crockery and cutlery fully and a number of things you can do to improve the situation.

Plastic is less likely to dry fully than other materials as it doesn’t retain heat in the same way which helps with the drying process, so it’s worth noting 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 employ 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 irritating than an appliance that isn’t working properly, regardless of whether its a smartphone, washing machine or dishwasher we expect them to do the job they were made for. If you open the dishwasher to wet plates here are a number of places you can look to help you figure out the issue.

Not all appliances are built to the same spec and you will find that some dishwashers do a better job of drying your dishes than others. However, if you notice a change in how effectively your machine is working one of these issues might be the cause.

Have a Look at the Placement of Your Dishes

It might be that there is no fault with the appliance. Before assuming the machine is broken you should first check that you haven’t overfilled it or accidentally stacked items one inside the other. It’s also worth noting that plastics are more difficult to dry than metal, glass or ceramics.

Have a Look at The Rinse Aid Dispenser

Rinse aid plays a key role in drying your crockery and cutlery therefore, 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.

The best thing to do is inspect the dispenser for cracks and check that it’s full.

Check The Heating Coil

Without enough heat your crockery and cutlery will not dry so a not working heating element may be the explanation your appliance is not drying plates. If your plates don’t feel hot at the end of the cycle this can indicate that the heating coil isn’t working as it should.

To inspect the heating element you will need to disconnect the dishwasher, find the heating coil, you might need the instruction manual to do this, then check for continuity using a multimeter.

Inspect the Thermostat

The thermostat ensures your dishwasher doesn’t get too hot, adjusting the heat of the water and air during drying. Therefore, if it’s faulty this can mean your appliance doesn’t heat up at all.

If the heating coil seems to be in working order but there’s still no heat, then the thermostat may be at fault. Again you can make sure with the help of a multimeter.

Check The Fan and Vent

Many appliances will make use of a drying fan and vent to remove the warm moist air out of the dishwasher. If either of these elements are broken then the water vapor will remain in the machine preventing the plates from drying.

You can make use of your instruction manual to check if your machine has a fan and locate it. Don’t forget to ensure the machine is disconnected before attempting to make repairs.

First look at the fan and vent to check if there is anything lodged that would stop it from operating as it should. If there is nothing obvious you can then test for continuity using a multimeter.

Ways to Increase Drying Ability

There are a number of methods you can use to boost how well your dishwasher dries your dishes and prevent you needing to dry them by hand as infrequently as possible.

Don’t overfill the dishwasher. Overcrowding the appliance inhibits the circulation of both water and air making removing the dirt from and drying your plates more difficult. It could be tempting to stuff in as much as possible but you will get better results if you leave sufficient space so that water and air can circulate freely.
Make use of rinse aid. Some dishwasher tablets include a rinse aid but even if the brand you use says it does, adding a little extra to the appliance 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 the door at the end of the program. Some new dishwashers do this automatically, but many do not, thus, opening the door at the end of the program can help allow the water to evaporate and stop water condensing on the dishes as the machine cools down.
Check if your machine employs a heat feature and utilize it. The higher the temperature the better the drying and it may be possible to choose which points in the cycle you increase the temperature.
Think about how you empty your machine. This doesn’t affect how effective your machine is, 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 time to call in an engineer or perhaps replace your machine.