Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes?

It may not be the primary function but getting your crockery and cutlery dry may in actual fact be harder for your machine than getting them clean. Plates and cups have lots of crevices that can pool dishwater preventing it from evaporating, plus as your dishwasher loses heat water condenses from the humid air.

Different machines also utilize a variety of different approaches to dry your plates. Some opt for a heating element to warm the air in the dishwasher and help with evaporation, some heat up the water to a higher temperature near the end of the cycle, others employ a fan, and some make use of a mix of all three. There are therefore a number of explanations why your dishwasher might not be drying crockery and cutlery fully and a variety of things you can do to rectify the situation.

Plastic is more difficult to dry than other materials as it doesn’t retain heat in the same way which helps with 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 enlist the help of a dishwasher repair service or first use this troubleshooting guide to figure out what the problem is and with any luck fix it.

Top Explanations Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Crockery and Cutlery

Few things are more frustrating than a home appliance that isn’t working as it should, regardless of whether its a tv, tumble dryer or dishwasher we expect them to do the job they were made for. If you open the dishwasher to wet plates there are a number of places you can look to help you figure out the issue.

Not all appliances are created equal and some dishwashers perform to a superior standard compared to others. But if you notice a change in how well your machine is working one of these issues might be the problem.

Have a Look at the Placement of Your Crockery and Cutlery

It might be that there is no fault with the machine. Before assuming the machine is faulty you should look at how it has been stacked, ensuring it isn’t overloaded. It’s also worth noting that plastic items are more difficult to dry than metal, glass or ceramics.

Have a Look at The Rinse Aid Dispenser

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

Visually check the dispenser for damage and check that it’s full.

Have a Look at The Heating Coil

Without enough heat your crockery and cutlery will not dry so a faulty heating element might be the explanation your appliance is not working as it should. If your crockery and cutlery don’t feel hot at the end of the cycle this can indicate that the heating element is broken.

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

Inspect the Thermostat

The thermostat ensures your dishwasher doesn’t get too hot, adjusting the temperature of the water and the drying part of the cycle. However, if it’s broken this can result in your machine not reaching a high enough temperature.

If the heating element seems to be working as it should but there’s still no heat, then the thermostat might be at fault. Again you can make sure with the help of a multimeter.

Inspect The Drying Fan and Vent

Many appliances will use a fan and vent to remove the warm moist air from the appliance. If the fan isn’t operating as is should or the vent is blocked then the hot air will remain in the dishwasher preventing the crockery and cutlery from drying.

You can utilize your manual to ascertain if your machine uses a fan and locate it. Don’t forget to ensure the appliance is unplugged before trying to make repairs.

First visually inspect the fan and vent to ascertain if there is anything lodged that might stop it from functioning correctly. And again testing for continuity using a multimeter.

Ideas to Increase Drying Ability

There are a number of things you can do to boost your dishwashers drying ability and prevent you needing to dry them by hand as infrequently as possible.

Allow ample space between dishes. Overcrowding the dishwasher inhibits the flow of air and water making cleaning and drying your crockery and cutlery more difficult. It might be appealing to stuff everything in but you will get better results if you leave enough space so that dishes are not touching.
Use rinse aid. Some detergents already have this but even so, adding a separate rinse aid to the machine will do no harm. Rinse aid helps reduce marks and gives your glasses a streak-free finish but it also breaks the bond between water molecules and your dishes helping the water to run off them and therefore speeding up drying times.
Open the door at the end of the cycle. Some new machines do this automatically, but if yours doesn’t, opening the door when the cycle completes allows warm air to evaporate thus preventing water condensing on the plates as the machine cools down.
Have a look to see if your appliance uses a heat feature and utilize it. Setting a higher temperature will mean improved drying times and it might be possible to choose which points in the program you increase the temperature.
Unload the bottom rack before the top. 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 might be necessary to phone an engineer or even replace your dishwasher.