It turns out that drying dishes and cutlery can be more difficult for the machine than removing dirt. Dishes and glassware have many gaps and corners that can take in water and prevent evaporation, and as the machine loses heat, the water condenses out of the steam.
Different machines also use a variety of different methods to dry your dishes. Some opt for a heating coil to heat the inside of the machine and help the water evaporate, others heat the water to a higher temperature towards the end of the cycle, others use a fan, and certain models use a combination of all three. Consequently, there are a number of reasons why your machine might not dry your dishes completely, and a number of options to improve the situation.
Plastic items are more difficult to dry than glass or ceramic because they cool faster and make the drying process more challenging. Therefore, it is important to note whether the non-drying items are mainly plastic items.
If the dishes come out soaked, you can call a dishwasher repair service or use this troubleshooting guide first to find out the problem and hopefully fix it all by yourself.
Top Reasons Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Dishes
Nothing is more annoying than an appliance not doing its job perfectly, whether it’s a smart speaker, washing machine or dishwasher. We expect them to do the work they were designed to accomplish which reduces human effort. If you open the dishwasher to find soaking wet plates, there are a few areas you can check to find out why.
Not all appliances are built to the same specifications and some appliances perform at a higher level compared to others. However, if you’ve dried your dishes in the past, one of those areas could be the problem.
Have a Look at How Your Machine Has Been Loaded
There’s a good chance that there’s no problem with the appliance. Before accepting that the machine is broken, you should first check that you haven’t overloaded it or accidentally stacked items inside. Also, remember that plastic items are more challenging to dry than metal, glass or ceramic items.
Check the Rinse Aid Dispenser
Your dishwasher requires rinse aid to properly dry your dishes. So, if you forget to refill rinse aid or your rinse aid dispenser is defective, it could only mean that your dishes and cutlery are soaked at the end of the cycle.
Visually inspect the rinse aid dispenser for any damages and make sure there is rinse aid in it.
Check the Heating Element
Without adequate heat, your dishes and cutlery won’t dry completely. So, a malfunctioning heating element can be the reason behind your dishwasher not being able to dry dishes and cutlery. If your dishes and cutlery aren’t reasonably hot after they’re processed in and out of the machine, this may indicate that the heating coil isn’t working as it should.
To check the heating coil, first unplug the appliance, then locate the heating coil, refer to the instruction manual, and then use a multimeter to check for continuity.
Take a Look at the Thermostat
The thermostat protects your dishwasher from overheating by determining the temperature of the water and the drying portion of the cycle. However, if it’s defective, your machine won’t likely reach a sufficiently high temperature.
If the heating coil seems to be working just fine, but isn’t heating up the appliance, then the thermostat could be the problem. You can check that again with a multimeter.
Check the Drying Fan and Vent
Numerous machines use a fan and vent to pull moist air out of the dishwasher. If the fan is not working properly or the vent is clogged, hot air will remain inside the machine and will prevent dishes from drying out.
You can use the instruction manual to verify if your machine uses a fan and if so, you should be able to locate it. Don’t forget to double-check if the dishwasher is unplugged before attempting to repair it.
You can visually inspect the fan and vent to see if there is anything blocking it which could prevent it from working properly. Then again, check for continuity with a multimeter.
Tips to Increase Drying Capacity
There are quite a number of effective methods you can use to increase the proficiency of your appliance at drying, reduceing the need to dry them by hand as little as possible.
- Do not overload the Overloading the dishwasher impedes the smooth flow of water and air, reducing your appliance’s efficiency in washing and drying dishes. It may be tempting to jam in as much dishes as you can, but your machine won’t be able to do its job properly. It’ll be more effective if you leave enough space, so the dishes won’t be adjacent enough to one other.
- Use rinse aid. Some dishwasher tabs include rinse aid, but even if the brand you use says so, there’s no harm in adding separate rinse aid to your Rinse aid helps to reduce stains and gives glasses in particular a streak-free shine, but it also breaks the bond between water molecules and dishes and cutlery, helping water to drain and thus speeding up drying process.
- Open the appliance once the cycle is complete. Some newer machines have this as an automatic option, but many don’t. Opening the machine at the end of the cycle allows hot air to escape and prevents water droplets from forming as the
machine - Find out if your device uses a heating function and if so, make sure it is turned The higher the temperature, the better the drying and you can choose where in the cycle the temperature increases.
- Unload the bottom rack before the This will not affect the operation of your dishwasher but will prevent water spillage that has collected in the concave bottoms of cups and glasses.
Once you’ve checked out all of the above, it might be a good idea to get in touch with your local appliance repair or perhaps replace your dishwasher.