It may not be the primary function but getting your dishes dry might in actual fact be more difficult for your dishwasher than cleaning them. Plates and glassware have lots of crevices that can collect dishwater stopping it from drying out, plus as your appliance loses heat water condenses out of the steam.
Dishwashers also utilize a variety of different means to dry your crockery and cutlery. Certain models will use a heating element to heat up the inside of the dishwasher and assist with evaporation, some heat the water more near the end of the cycle, certain models use a fan, and some employ a combination of all of these. There are consequently a variety of reasons why your machine could not be drying crockery and cutlery fully and a variety of options to improve the situation.
Plastic is less likely to dry fully than glass or ceramics as it cools down more quickly hindering the drying process, so it’s worth taking note 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 list to help you identify and rectify the problem.
There is nothing more irritating than an appliance that isn’t working properly, 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 dishes. If you open the dishwasher to wet plates here are a number of places you can look to help you figure out the problem.
Not all makes and models are created equal and some makes and models perform to a better standard compared to others. But if you notice a change in how well your dishwasher is working one of these faults may be the cause.
It might be that there is no fault with the machine. Before assuming the dishwasher is faulty you should first check that you haven’t overfilled it or accidentally stacked items one inside the other. Also be aware that plastic items are more difficult to dry than metal, glass or ceramics.
Your appliance needs rinse aid to properly dry your plates and so if you have run out of rinse aid or the rinse aid dispenser is broken this can result in wet crockery and cutlery at the end of the cycle.
Visually check the dispenser for damage and check that it’s full.
Without enough heat your plates will not dry so a broken heating coil may be the reason your dishwasher is not drying crockery and cutlery. If your dishes don’t feel hot to touch at the end of the cycle this can mean that the heating element isn’t working as it should.
To inspect the heating coil you will need to disconnect the machine, find the heating element, you could need the manual to do this, and check for continuity using a multimeter.
The thermostat ensures your machine doesn’t get too hot, regulating the temperature of the water and the drying part of the cycle. Therefore, if it’s not working this can mean your appliance doesn’t heat up at all.
If you check the heating element and do not find an fault but your appliance isn’t getting hot, then the thermostat may be at fault. Once again you can make sure with the help of a multimeter.
Many dishwashers will make use of a fan and vent to suck moist air out of the machine. If either of these elements are broken then the hot air will remain in the machine preventing the dishes from drying.
You can use your manual to ascertain if your dishwasher uses a fan and locate it. Don’t forget to make sure the dishwasher is disconnected before trying to make repairs.
First look at the fan and vent to see if anything is blocking it that could prevent it from working correctly. And again testing for continuity using a multimeter.
There are a variety of methods you can use to increase your machines effectiveness at drying and ensureyou have to hand dry as little as possible.
If none of the above solves the problem it could be a good idea to call in an engineer or even buy a new dishwasher.
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