Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes?

It turns out drying your crockery and cutlery may actually be more arduous for your dishwasher than getting them clean. Crockery and cutlery and glasses have multiple crevices that may trap dishwater stopping it from evaporating, thus as your appliance loses heat water droplets form out of the humid air.

Dishwashers also utilize a number of approaches to dry your dishes. Certain models opt for a heating element to warm the air in the dishwasher and help the water to evaporate, some heat up the water further near the final rinse, some make use of a fan, and certain models use a mix of all three. There are consequently a number of explanations why your machine could not be drying plates optimally and a number of options to rectify the situation.

Plastic is less likely to dry fully than glass or ceramics as it doesn’t retain heat in the same way which helps with the drying process, so it’s worth taking note whether the drying issue is related to the material rather than the machine.

If your dishwasher isn’t drying properly you can hire a dishwasher repair service or first utilize this troubleshooting guide to figure out what the issue is and with any luck fix it.

Top Explanations Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Plates

Few things are more frustrating 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 cleaning or drying your dishes. If you open your dishwasher to discover wet plates here are a number of troubleshooting tips to help you figure out the issue.

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 plates than others. But if you notice a change in how effectively your dishwasher is working one of these issues could be the problem.

Have a Look at the Placement of Your Plates

Sometimes there is nothing actually wrong 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 plastic items are more difficult to dry than metal, glass or ceramics.

Inspect The Rinse Aid Dispenser

Your machine needs rinse aid to properly dry your crockery and cutlery thus, if you have run out of rinse aid or your rinse aid dispenser is not working this can stop your dishes coming out properly dry.

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

Have a Look at The Heating Element

Heat is essential for drying your crockery and cutlery 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 be a good indicator that the heating element is faulty.

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

Inspect the Thermostat

The thermostat stops your dishwasher getting too hot, determining the heat of the water and air during drying. Therefore, if it’s faulty this can result in your machine not heating up at all.

If the heating element seems to be in working order but your machine isn’t getting hot, then the thermostat might be the problem. Again you can make sure with the help of a multimeter.

Check The Fan and Vent

Many machines will employ 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 form droplets on the crockery and cutlery instead leaving them wet.

You can use your user manual to find out if your machine has a fan and locate it. Don’t forget to ensure the machine is disconnected before attempting to access the fan.

First look at the fan and vent to check if anything is blocking it that could stop it from functioning as it is supposed to. And again testing for continuity using a multimeter.

Tips to Increase Drying Capability

There are a number of things you can do to increase how well your appliance dries your dishes and ensure you have to hand dry as little as possible.

Don’t overload the dishwasher. Overcrowding the appliance limits the circulation of both water and air making removing the dirt from and drying your plates more difficult. It might be tempting to stuff in as much as possible but your machine will be more effective if you leave sufficient space so that plates are not touching.
Employ rinse aid. Some dishwasher tablets include a rinse aid but even so, adding a separate rinse aid to the appliance can only improve matters. Rinse aid helps reduce marks and gives your glasses a streak-free finish but it also breaks the bond between water molecules and your plates helping the water to run off them and therefore speeding up drying times.
Open the door at the end of the program. Some newer machines have this as an automatic function, but many do not, thus, opening the dishwasher at the end of the program allows warm air to escape and stop water droplets forming as the appliance cools down.
Check if your machine uses a heat feature and utilize it. The higher the temperature the better the drying and you might be able to add more heat at different points in the program.
Think about how you unload your machine. This is simply because cups and glasses that are upside down on the top shelf often have a concave bottom where water can pool. Emptying the bottom rack first stops you spilling this water onto the crockery and cutlery below.

If none of the above solves the problem it may be a good idea to call in an engineer or even upgrade your machine.