Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes?

It may not be the primary function but drying your crockery and cutlery could really be more arduous for your dishwasher than getting them clean. Crockery and cutlery and glassware have lots of crevices that could pool water making it more difficult for it to dry out, thus as your dishwasher loses heat water condenses out of the humid air.

Dishwashers also make use of a number of means to get your plates 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 to a higher temperature nearing the final rinse, certain models use a fan, and some employ a combination of all of these. There are thus a variety of explanations why your dishwasher might not be drying crockery and cutlery optimally and a variety of things you can do to rectify the situation.

Plastic items are more difficult to dry than glass or ceramics as it doesn’t retain heat in the same way which helps with the drying process, so it’s worth taking note whether the drying issue is related to the material rather than the machine.

If your dishwasher doesn’t seem to be drying effectively you can hire a dishwasher repair service or first use this troubleshooting guide to figure out what the issue is and with any luck fix it.

Top Explanations Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Plates

Few things are more frustrating than an appliance that isn’t working properly, regardless of whether its a smartphone, washing machine or dishwasher we expect them to do the job they were made for. If you open the dishwasher to wet plates here are a number of places you can look to help you figure out why.

Not all appliances are built to the same spec and you will find that some appliances perform to a better standard compared to others. However, if if your dishwasher has always dried your crockery and cutlery in the past one of these areas may be the problem.

Inspect the Placement of Your Crockery and Cutlery

It might be that there is no fault with the dishwasher. Before assuming the appliance is not working you should look at how it has been loaded, ensuring it isn’t too full. Also be aware that plastics don’t dry as well as metal, glass or ceramics.

Have a Look at The Rinse Aid Dispenser

Your dishwasher needs rinse aid to properly dry your crockery and cutlery and so if you’ve forgotten to top up or your rinse aid dispenser is not working this can stop your plates coming out properly dry.

Visually check the rinse aid dispenser for cracks and ensure that it’s full.

Have a Look at The Heating Element

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

To check the heating element you will need to unplug the dishwasher, find the heating element, you could need the manual for this, and use a multimeter to check it’s working.

Have a Look at the Thermostat

The thermostat ensures your dishwasher doesn’t get too hot, adjusting the heat of the water and air during drying. Therefore, if it’s not working this can mean your machine doesn’t heat up at all.

If the heating coil appears to be in working order but your machine isn’t getting hot, then the thermostat may be the issue. Once again you can make sure using a multimeter.

Check The Drying Fan and Vent

Many dishwashers will make use of a drying fan and vent to suck moist air from the appliance. If the fan isn’t operating as is should or the vent is blocked then the steam will form droplets on the crockery and cutlery instead leaving them wet.

You can make use of your user manual to ascertain if your dishwasher has a fan and locate it. Again you need to double check the appliance is disconnected before attempting to access the fan.

First visually inspect the fan and vent to check if there is anything lodged that would stop it from functioning as it is supposed to. If there is nothing obvious you can then test for continuity using a multimeter.

Ways to Boost Drying Capability

There are a variety of methods you can use to increase your dishwashers effectiveness at drying and prevent you needing to dry them by hand as little as possible.

Allow ample space between dishes. Overcrowding the appliance inhibits the circulation of both water and air decreasing the effectiveness of your dishwasher when it comes to both washing and drying your dishes. Although it’s appealing to try and cram everything in, your dishwasher will work better if you leave enough space so that water and air can circulate freely.
Make use of rinse aid. Some dishwasher tablets include a rinse aid but even so, adding a separate rinse aid to the dishwasher won’t hurt. Rinse aid helps reduce spotting and gives your glassware in particular a streak-free shine but it also breaks the bond between water molecules and your crockery and cutlery helping the water to run off them and therefore speeding up drying times.
Open your dishwasher as soon as the program has completed. Some new machines do this automatically, but many do not, thus, opening the dishwasher at the end of the cycle allows warm air to escape and stop water droplets forming as the appliance cools down.
Have a look to see if your machine uses a heat feature and make use of it. The higher the temperature the better the drying and you could be able to choose which points in the cycle you increase the temperature.
Empty the bottom rack first. This doesn’t affect how well your machine works, but it does stop water from cups and glasses falling on dishes below.

If none of the above solves the problem it might be a good idea to call in an engineer or perhaps upgrade your machine.