Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes?

It may not be the primary function but drying your crockery and cutlery might really be more arduous for your machine than getting them clean. Dishes and glasses have lots of nooks and crannies that can trap water making it more difficult for it to dry out, thus as your dishwasher cools water droplets form out of the humid air.

Different machines also make use of a variety of methods to get your plates dry. Some 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 employ a fan, and some use a mix of all of these. There are therefore a number of explanations why your machine could not be drying plates fully and a number of options to rectify the situation.

Plastic is less likely to dry fully than other materials as it doesn’t retain heat in the same way which helps with the drying process, so it’s worth taking note whether the items that aren’t drying are predominantly plastic items.

If your dishwasher isn’t drying properly you can enlist the help of a dishwasher repair service or first use this troubleshooting guide to help you identify and rectify the problem.

Top Explanations Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Plates

There is nothing more irritating than a home 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 the dishwasher to wet plates here are a number of troubleshooting tips to help you figure out why.

Not all appliances are created equal and you will find that some makes and models perform to a superior standard compared to others. However, if if your dishwasher has always dried your dishes in the past one of these issues could be the cause.

Inspect How Your Dishwasher Has Been Loaded

It might be that there is no fault with the dishwasher. Before assuming the dishwasher is broken you should first check that you haven’t overfilled it or accidentally stacked items one inside the other. Also be aware that plastics don’t dry as well as metal, glass or ceramics.

Have a Look at The Rinse Aid Dispenser

Rinse aid plays a key role in drying your crockery and cutlery thus, if you’ve forgotten to top up or your rinse aid dispenser is faulty this can mean wet plates at the end of the cycle.

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

Inspect The Heating Element

Heat is essential for drying your plates so a not working heating element could be the reason your appliance is not drying crockery and cutlery. If your dishes don’t feel hot at the end of the cycle this can mean that the heating element is faulty.

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

Inspect the Thermostat

The thermostat prevents your appliance overheating, regulating the temperature of the water and the drying part of the cycle. However, if it’s broken this can result in your appliance not reaching a high enough temperature.

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

Inspect The Drying Fan and Vent

Many machines will use a drying fan and vent to remove the warm moist air from the dishwasher. If the fan isn’t operating as is should or the vent is blocked then the steam will form droplets on the dishes instead leaving them wet.

You can employ your manual to ascertain if your machine uses a fan and locate it. Again you need to ensure the dishwasher is disconnected before attempting to make repairs.

First look at the fan and vent to check if anything is blocking it that could stop 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 increase your machines effectiveness at drying and prevent you needing to dry them by hand as infrequently as possible.

Don’t overfill the machine. Overloading the dishwasher limits the flow of both water and air making removing the dirt from and drying your dishes harder. It might be tempting to cram in as much as possible but you will get better results if you leave enough space so that water and air can circulate freely.
Employ rinse aid. Some detergents already have this but even if the brand you use says it does, adding a separate rinse aid to the machine 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 program. Some new dishwashers have this as an automatic function, but many do not, thus, opening the machine at the end of the program allows warm air to escape and stop water droplets forming as the machine cools down.
Have a look to see if your dishwasher uses a heat feature and make sure it’s turned on. Setting a higher temperature will lead to improved drying times and it could be possible to add more heat at different points in the program.
Think about how you unload your machine. This doesn’t affect how well your dishwasher works, but it does stop water from cups and glasses falling on dishes below.

If none of the above solves the problem it may be necessary to call in the professionals or perhaps buy a new dishwasher.