Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes? | Greeley Appliance Repair

It may not be the primary function but drying your crockery and cutlery may actually be more difficult for your machine than removing the dirt. Dishes and glasses have multiple nooks and crannies that may pool dishwater making it more difficult for it to dry out, and as your machine cools down water droplets form from the humid air.

Different machines also utilize a number of different means to get your crockery and cutlery dry. Certain models will use a heating coil to warm the air in the machine and help the water to evaporate, some heat up the water more near the final rinse, others use a fan, and others make use of a mix of all three. There are thus a variety of explanations why your machine could not be drying dishes optimally and a number of options to improve the situation.

Plastic items are less likely to dry fully than other materials as it cools down more quickly hindering 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 issue is and with any luck fix it.

Top Reasons Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Dishes

There is nothing more frustrating than an appliance that doesn’t work as it should, 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 why.

Not all makes and models are built to the same spec and some makes and models perform to a superior standard compared to others. But if you notice a change in how effectively your dishwasher is working one of these issues might be the cause.

Inspect the Placement of Your Crockery and Cutlery

Sometimes there is nothing actually wrong with the dishwasher. Before assuming the dishwasher is faulty you should first check that you haven’t overloaded 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.

Check The Rinse Aid Dispenser

Rinse aid plays a key role in drying your dishes therefore, if you’ve forgotten to top up or the rinse aid dispenser is not working this can stop your plates coming out properly dry.

The best thing to do is check the rinse aid dispenser for damage and check that there is rinse aid inside.

Inspect The Heating Coil

Heat is essential for drying your crockery and cutlery so a faulty heating element might be the reason your dishwasher is not drying dishes. If your dishes aren’t hot to touch when they come out of the machine this can indicate that the heating coil isn’t working as it should.

To inspect the heating element first disconnect the appliance, then find the heating coil, you might need the instruction manual for this, then check for continuity using a multimeter.

Check the Thermostat

The thermostat stops your appliance getting too hot, regulating the temperature of the water and the drying part of the cycle. Therefore, if it’s faulty this can mean your appliance doesn’t heat up at all.

If you check the heating element and do not discover an issue but there’s still no heat, then the thermostat could be the issue. Again you can test this using a multimeter.

Inspect The Drying Fan and Vent

Many appliances will make use of a fan and vent to suck moist air from the appliance. If either of these elements are faulty then the steam will form droplets on the plates instead leaving them wet.

You can utilize your manual to ascertain if your appliance has a fan and locate it. Again you need to double check the dishwasher is unplugged before trying to access the fan.

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

Ways to Increase Drying Power

There are a number of things you can do to increase how well your dishwasher dries your dishes and ensureyou have to hand dry as infrequently as possible.

Don’t overload the dishwasher. Overcrowding the machine limits the circulation of air and water decreasing the effectiveness of your machine when it comes to both washing and drying your dishes. Although it’s appealing to try and stuff everything in, your dishwasher will be more effective if you leave sufficient space so that water and air can circulate freely.
Make use of rinse aid. Some detergents already have this but even if the brand you use says it does, adding a separate rinse aid to the appliance won’t hurt. Rinse aid works by breaking the bond between water molecules and your crockery and cutlery, helping water run off quickly, speeding up drying time and giving a spot and streak free finish.
Open your appliance as soon as the cycle has finished. Some new models do this automatically, but many do not, thus, opening the door when the cycle completes can help allow the water to evaporate and stop water condensing on the contents as the dishwasher cools down.
Have a look to see if your machine employs a heat feature and make use of it. The higher the heat the better the drying and it could be possible to add more heat at different points in the program.
Think about how you unload your dishwasher. 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 could be necessary to phone the professionals or even upgrade your dishwasher.