Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes?

It may not be the primary function but drying your crockery and cutlery might really be harder for your dishwasher than removing the dirt. Plates and glassware have multiple nooks and crannies that can collect water preventing it from drying out, thus as your dishwasher loses heat water condenses out of the humid air.

Different machines also utilize a number of different means to dry your plates. Certain models opt for a heating coil to heat up the air in the dishwasher and help with evaporation, some heat the water to a higher temperature approaching the final rinse, certain models make use of a fan, and some employ a combination of all three. There are thus a variety of explanations why your machine could not be drying crockery and cutlery optimally and a variety of things you can do to improve the situation.

Plastic is 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 noting whether the drying issue is related to the material rather than the machine.

If your dishwasher isn’t drying properly you can call a dishwasher repair service or first use this troubleshooting list to help you identify and rectify the issue.

Top Reasons Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Crockery and Cutlery

Few things are more annoying than a home appliance that doesn’t work as it should, regardless of whether its a smartspeaker, 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 few troubleshooting tips to help you figure out the issue.

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

Check the Placement of Your Crockery and Cutlery

Sometimes there is nothing actually wrong with the machine. Before assuming the dishwasher is faulty you should first check that you haven’t overloaded it or accidentally stacked items one inside the other. It’s also worth noting that plastic items are more difficult to dry than metal, glass or ceramics.

Inspect The Rinse Aid Dispenser

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

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

Inspect The Heating Coil

Heat is essential for drying your plates so a broken heating element might be the reason your appliance is not drying crockery and cutlery. If your crockery and cutlery aren’t hot at the end of the cycle this can mean that the heating coil isn’t working as it should.

To check the heating coil you will need to disconnect the dishwasher, find the heating element, you may need the instruction manual to do this, and check for continuity using a multimeter.

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. However, if it’s faulty this can mean your machine doesn’t heat up at all.

If the heating coil appears to be in working order but your appliance isn’t getting hot, then the thermostat could be at fault. Again you can check this with the help of a multimeter.

Check The Drying Fan and Vent

Many appliances will utilize a fan and vent to suck moist air from the appliance. If either of these elements are faulty then the hot air will remain in the dishwasher preventing the plates from drying.

You can utilize your instruction manual to check if your dishwasher has a fan and find its location. Again you need to make sure the appliance is disconnected before trying to access the fan.

First look at the fan and vent to ascertain if there is anything lodged that would prevent it from functioning correctly. If there is nothing obvious you can then test for continuity using a multimeter.

Tips to Boost Drying Capability

There are a number of methods you can use to boost how well your machine dries your dishes and prevent you needing to dry them by hand as little as possible.

Don’t overload the dishwasher. Overcrowding the machine limits the circulation of air and water decreasing the effectiveness of your machine when it comes to both washing and finishing your dishes. Although it’s appealing to try and cram everything in, you will get better results if you leave sufficient space so that crockery and cutlery are not touching.
Employ rinse aid. Some dishwasher tablets already have this but even if the brand you use says it does, adding a separate rinse aid to the dishwasher can only improve matters. Rinse aid works by breaking the bond between water molecules and your plates, 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 machines do this automatically, but many do not, thus, opening the machine at the end of the program can help allow the water to escape thus stopping water droplets forming as the appliance cools down.
Check if your dishwasher uses a heat feature and utilize it. Setting a higher heat will mean improved drying times and it may be possible to add more heat at different points in the cycle.
Think about how you unload your dishwasher. 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 plates below.

If none of the above solves the problem it may be time to call in an engineer or perhaps upgrade your machine.