Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes? - Hawthorne Appliance Repair

It turns out drying your dishes may really be harder for your dishwasher than getting them clean. Plates and cups have lots of crevices that can trap dishwater making it more difficult for it to evaporate, thus as your dishwasher cools down water condenses from the steam.

Different machines also employ a number of different means to get your dishes dry. Some will have a heating coil to warm the inside of the machine and help the water to evaporate, some heat up the water further nearing the end of the cycle, certain models use a fan, and some employ a mix of all three. There are therefore a variety of explanations why your dishwasher could not be drying plates optimally and a variety of things you can do to rectify the situation.

Plastic is more difficult to dry than glass or ceramics as it cools down more quickly hindering the drying process, so it’s worth seeing whether the drying issue is related to the material rather than the machine.

If dishes are coming out wet you can hire a dishwasher repair service or first make use of this troubleshooting list to help you identify and rectify the problem.

Top Explanations Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Crockery and Cutlery

Few things are more irritating than an appliance that doesn’t work as it’s meant to, regardless of whether its a smartspeaker, tumble dryer or dishwasher we expect them to do the job they were made for. If you open your dishwasher to discover wet plates there are a number of troubleshooting tips to help you figure out why.

Not all appliances are created equal and some makes and models perform to a better standard compared to others. However, if you notice a change in how effectively your machine is working one of these issues may be the problem.

Check the Placement of Your Dishes

It might be that there is no fault with the appliance. Before assuming the dishwasher is not working you should look at how it has been stacked, ensuring it isn’t too full. It’s also worth noting that plastic items don’t dry as well as metal, glass or ceramics.

Inspect The Rinse Aid Dispenser

Rinse aid plays a key role in drying your dishes thus, if you’ve forgotten to top up or the rinse aid dispenser is broken this can stop your plates coming out properly dry.

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

Inspect The Heating Element

Without enough heat your dishes will not dry so a faulty heating element could be the reason your machine is not working as it should. If your crockery and cutlery aren’t hot to touch when they come out of the machine this can indicate that the heating coil is faulty.

To check the heating element you will need to disconnect the dishwasher, locate the heating element, you could need the owners manual for this, then check for continuity using a multimeter.

Have a Look at the Thermostat

The thermostat prevents your machine getting too hot, determining the heat of the water and air during drying. However, if it’s broken this can mean your appliance doesn’t heat up at all.

If you check the heating coil and do not uncover an fault but your appliance isn’t getting hot, then the thermostat may be at fault. Again you can test this with the help of a multimeter.

Inspect The Fan and Vent

Many appliances will make use of a fan and vent to remove the warm moist air from the dishwasher. If either of these elements are broken then the hot air will form droplets on the crockery and cutlery instead preventing them from drying.

You can employ your manual to find out if your appliance uses a fan and find its location. Don’t forget to double check the appliance is disconnected before trying to access the fan.

First look at the fan and vent to check if anything is blocking it that would stop it from working correctly. And again testing for continuity using a multimeter.

Tips to Increase Drying Ability

There are a variety of things you can do to improve how well your appliance dries your dishes and ensureyou have to hand dry as infrequently as possible.

Allow ample space between crockery and cutlery. Overfilling the dishwasher inhibits the circulation of both water and air decreasing the effectiveness of your appliance when it comes to both cleaning and drying your dishes. It may be tempting to cram in as much as possible but your machine will work better if you leave enough space so that dishes are not touching.
Make use of rinse aid. Some dishwasher tablets already have this 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 crockery and cutlery, 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 cycle. Some new models do this automatically, but many do not, thus, opening the dishwasher when the program finishes allows warm air to evaporate thus preventing water condensing on the plates as the appliance cools down.
Find out if your appliance has a heat feature and make sure it’s turned on. Setting a higher heat will lead to better drying times and it might be possible to add more heat at different points in the program.
Empty the bottom rack first. 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 this trouble shooting guide hasn’t worked it may be necessary to call in the professionals or even replace your dishwasher.