Why is My Dishwasher Not Draining? - Hawthorne Appliance Repair

Although it’s never a welcome sight to open your machine and find out the machine is still full of water, don’t lose it just yet. You may be able to deal with the error without having to call a plumber or acquire a new machine.

Your dishwasher declining to drain may be caused by a number of issues a proportion of which are easy to fix. Therefore, in advance of calling a dishwasher repair service here is a list of probable components you could identify by yourself. A few of which aren’t even a fault of the dishwasher itself.

Check the dishwasher wasn’t stopped mid-cycle

If you’re lucky the fact your dishwasher hasn’t drained may not be an issue at all. Instead, the program might have been stopped mid-way.

The program could have been cut short for multiple of reasons. Little fingers pushing controls, mistakenly pressing against the buttons, a power outage or opening the machine mid-cycle might all interrupt the program and mean your dishwasher doesn’t drain.

If you believe this could be the case, or you feel it might be a good idea to check run your machine again on a short program.

A proportion dishwashers may have a drain program meaning it’s well worth having a look at your owners manual or doing a quick internet search to find out.

Examine the disposal

If you have a garbage disposal inspect this before you move on as an obstructed garbage disposal will stop the dishwasher from draining. Turn on the waste disposal using lots of water to ensure there are no blockages.

If you do find an issue drain cleaner or a plunger can be sought after to unclog the blockage and so this might fix the error.

Examine the plumbing for blockages

If you kitchen sink is emptying inefficiently this might suggest a plumbing issue rather than an error with your machine.

If the kitchen sink is emptying inefficiently you can try putting a little bicarb and white vinegar down the drain, letting it sit for a few minutes, then rinsing it away with boiling water.

A plunger could also be used to attempt to dislodge the obstruction.

This might be sufficient to let your machine to empty so start a short cycle to check. If not you may manually remove the water using a jug and also a towel and troubleshoot a few more areas.

Make certain to unplug the dishwasher to prevent electrocution.

If while you are carrying out one of these examinations you suspect you may have detected and fixed the error you don’t have to go through the remaining steps. Just run an empty program to check your dishwasher is repaired.

Check and wash the filters

Corn Kernels, labels from food jars, film covers and broken glass, plus scraps of food, may all obstruct the machine filter. Clear glass can also be difficult to see if you aren’t looking for it.

Take out the filter and give it a thorough scrub before putting it back in place. Not all filters are obvious and straightforward to remove so you could need to look at the instructions for this.

Is the waste pipe obstructed?

The next place to inspect is the waste water hose. Many things could cause a blockage including a build up of food debris, a kink in the hose, or a crushed hose. All of which may all impede your dishwasher from emptying.

Contingent upon the position of the waste pipe (generally the corrugated one) you could be able to view it simply by lifting away the kick board or you could need to move the dishwasher out from the wall.

Have a look at the hose first to discover if it has been crushed or kinked. You might manage fix these issues by hand which should rectify the issue, but be aware that when this has occurred the chance of it occurring again is greatly increased so you could wish to buy a spare hose.

If you are unable to find anything you could remove the waste hose from the machine and blow through it to figure out if there are any blockages. Make sure you line the floor with newspaper or towels before you remove the hose as even if you have emptied the machine there may still be dirty water in the hose.

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

Remove the hose at the sink end in order to give it a thorough clean to remove the blockage. If you can’t shift the blockage or the waste pipe is slit or worn acquire a new one. If you can get rid of the blockage then put the hose back and start a short program to check that you have solved the issue.

You can also checkthe point where the waste hose attaches to the waste disposal as well. This is a typical place for a build-up of gunk so if you happen to take off the hose give this area a good clean as well.

Examine the drain valve

You may check the drain valve by hand to check it isn’t seized. The drain valve will usually be located at the base of the machine on the valve bracket. Check your instruction manual if you can’t see it.

Pressing down on the valve or wiggling it a bit will likely be adequate to find out if it’s seized. If you can see anything blocking it remove this. If you are unable to, this might be when you should ring a repair person unless you are undaunted by purchasing and swapping out the part on your own.

Check your pump is not broken

Your appliance pump makes use of impellers that can become obstructed by pieces of china or other objects. Check your impellers aren’t broken by removing the cover and checking that the impellers are free to move.

Listen to your dishwasher while it’s running

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

Call a repair person

If none of the above checks has repaired the fault, or you suspect the pump, pump valve or motor are broken, it could be the moment you need to call for help.

This way though you will at least manage give them more information and have prevented needing to pay a big repair fee for a blocked hose.