Why is My Dishwasher Not Draining? | Greeley Appliance Repair

Although it’s never a pleasant sight to open your machine and find out the machine hasn’t emptied fully, try not to overreact just yet. You may manage solve the issue by yourself, without having to call a repair person or acquire a new dishwasher.

Standing water in your dishwasher could have a number of of causes a few of which are straightforward to solve. Therefore, before you call a dishwasher repair service try this lineup of probable issues you may identify by yourself. A few of which aren’t even related to the dishwasher itself.

Check the cycle wasn’t cut short

It is probable that there is nothing preventing your dishwasher from draining. Rather, the cycle may have been stopped mid-way.

The cycle could have been interrupted for a number of of reasons. Little fingers pressing buttons, inadvertently pushing on the buttons, a power cut or opening the machine mid-program may all stop the program from completing and mean your machine doesn’t empty.

If you believe this may be the case, or you just want to be sure it’s not the issue run the dishwasher again on a short program.

A number appliances could have an empty capacity so it’s well worth consulting your instruction manual or doing a quick internet search to check.

Inspect the waste disposal

If you have a waste disposal examine this first as an obstructed disposal will block the dishwasher from draining. Run the garbage disposal with lots of water to make sure there are no issues.

If you do find an obstruction drain cleaner or a plunger can be used to unclog the blockage and this could resolve the problem.

Inspect the plumbing for issues

If you kitchen sink is draining reluctantly this might suggest a plumbing issue instead of an issue with your machine.

If the kitchen sink is emptying slowly you can attempt putting some bicarb and white vinegar down the plughole, leaving it for a while, then rinsing it through with boiling water.

A sink plunger could also be used to attempt to remove the obstruction.

This could be all you need to do to let your machine to empty so start a quick rinse and empty cycle at this point. If this hasn’t sorted the issue you could remove the standing water by hand using a bowl as well as a towel and check a few more areas.

At this point make sure you turn off the machine to stay safe.

If while you are carrying out any of these examinations you suspect you have found and fixed the error you don’t need to go through the remaining issues. Just complete an empty cycle to ensure your dishwasher is once again emptying as it should.

Inspect and wash the filters

Popcorn, paper from food jars, plastic covers and broken glass, plus food debris, can all block the dishwasher filter. Clear glass can also be hard to see if you aren’t looking for it.

Remove the filter then scrub it thoroughly before replacing it. Not all filters are obvious and simple to remove so you could need to consult the owners manual for this.

Is the drain pipe blocked?

The next area to inspect is the drain pipe. Stuck food, a kink in the hose or a crushed hose could all stop your dishwasher from emptying.

Contingent upon the location of the waste hose (generally the corrugated one) you could manage view it simply by removing the base or you could have to move the machine away from under the counter.

Visually examine the pipe first to discover if there are any kinks or it’s been squashed. You could be able to manually straighten out any kinks which should fix the issue, but be aware that once this has occurred it is much more inclined to happen again so you may wish to buy a spare hose.

If you are unable to find an issue you could disconnect the waste water hose from the pump and blow through it to discover any blockages. Be sure to line the floor with newspaper or towels first as even if you have emptied the machine there may still be waste water in the hose.

If you are unable to blow air through the hose this might be the issue.

Take off the other end of the hose and give it a good flush through to get rid of the obstruction. If you can’t shift the obstruction or the waste pipe is cracked or damaged invest in a brand-new one. If you may get rid of the obstruction then replace the hose and run a quick program to find out if you have repaired the fault.

You may also inspect the point where the pipe attaches to the waste disposal. This is a likely place for blockages to occur so if you do remove the waste pipe give this connection a good clean as well.

Inspect the drain valve

You may inspect the drain valve by hand to make sure it isn’t stopped working. The drain valve will most often be situated at the base of the machine on the valve bracket. Examine your instruction manual if you’re not sure.

Depressing the valve or wiggling it a bit should be sufficient to let you know if it’s seized. If you can see something blocking it carefully extract this. If you are unable to, this could be a good time to ring a repair person unless you are happy in ordering and swapping out the valve yourself.

Check your pump is not blocked

Your appliance pump uses impellers that could become blocked by broken china or other objects. Check your pump isn’t broken by taking off the safety cover and making sure the impellers can be easily rotated.

Listen to your dishwasher while it’s on

If the dishwasher sounds unusual your dishwasher pump or motor may be damaged and need replacing.

Call a repair person

If none of the above examinations has repaired the issue, or you have reason to believe the pump, pump valve or motor are damaged, it could be a good time to get the professionals.

This way though you will at least have the means to give them more information and have prevented having to pay a hefty repair charge for a blocked hose.