Why is My Dishwasher Not Draining?

Although it’s never a pleasant sight to open a machine and realize it hasn’t drained fully, try not to lose it just yet. You might have the means to figure out the fault by yourself, without having to call a repair person or purchase a brand-new machine.

Standing water in your dishwasher can be caused by a number of components a proportion of which can be simple to resolve. So, before you call a dishwasher repair service try this selection of possible components you could identify yourself. A proportion of which aren’t even a fault of the dishwasher itself.

Ensure the dishwasher wasn’t stopped mid-cycle

It is possible that there is nothing stopping your dishwasher from emptying. Alternatively, the cycle may have been cut short.

The cycle might have been cut short for a number of of reasons. Little fingers pushing buttons, accidentally leaning on the control panel, a power outage or opening the dishwasher mid-cycle could all stop the program from completing and mean your dishwasher doesn’t empty.

If you think this might be the situation, or you just want to be sure it’s not the issue start the machine again on a short cycle.

A number machines could have a drain cycle meaning it’s worth consulting your owners manual or doing a quick internet search to find out.

Check the garbage disposal

If you have a waste disposal inspect this before you do anything else as an obstructed disposal will block the machine from emptying. Turn on the garbage disposal with lots of water to ensure there are no obstructions.

If you do uncover an obstruction drain cleaner or a plunger could be used to unclog the blockage and this could fix the issue.

Inspect the plumbing for blockages

If you kitchen sink is draining inefficiently this could signify a plumbing issue rather than a fault with your dishwasher.

If the sink is draining inefficiently you can try putting a little bicarb and white vinegar down the drain, leaving it for a few minutes and subsequently rinsing it away with boiling water.

A plunger could also be used to try and shift the obstruction.

This might be all you need to do to permit your appliance to work again so start a quick rinse and empty program to check. If this hasn’t sorted the issue you could remove the water by hand using a bowl as well as a towel and troubleshoot the next few possible issues.

Make sure you unplug the dishwasher to stay safe.

If during one of these examinations you believe you have found and solved the error there is no need to continue to the next issue. Just start an empty cycle to make sure the dishwasher is repaired.

Check and wash the filters

Any number of things could block the filters including popcorn, labels from containers, plastic film covers and smashed glass. Clear glass may also be hard to spot if you aren’t looking for it.

Remove the filter then give it a thorough scrub before replacing it. Not all machines have their filter in the same place so you may need to consult the instructions for this.

Is the waste hose obstructed?

The next area to examine is the waste water hose. Stuck food, a kink in the hose or a crushed hose may all impede your dishwasher from draining.

Contingent upon the position of the hose (usually the ribbed one) you may manage look at it by means of lifting away the kick plate alternatively you might need to move the machine away from under the counter.

Visually examine the hose in the first instance to discover if it has been crushed or kinked. You might manage manually straighten out any kinks which will most likely solve the issue, but be aware that when this has occurred the chance of it happening again is greatly increased so you may need to purchase a replacement hose.

If you can’t find anything you could disconnect the waste water pipe from the pump and blow into it to check for any blockages. Be sure to put down newspaper or towels first as even if you have emptied the machine there might still be waste water in the hose.

If you can’t blow air through the pipe this could be the problem.

Take off the other end of the hose and give it a thorough clean to clear the obstruction. If you can’t remove the blockage or the hose is slit or worn invest in a brand-new one. If you can get rid of the blockage then replace the hose and run a quick program to check that you have solved the error.

You can also examine the point where the hose connects under your sink. This is a likely place for blockages to occur so if you happen to take off the waste hose give this connection a thorough scrub as well.

Inspect the drain valve

You may examine the drain valve by hand to check it isn’t got stuck. The drain valve will generally be found at the base of the machine on the valve bracket. Check your instruction manual if you can’t see it.

Depressing the valve or giving it a wiggle should be adequate to find out if it’s seized. If you are able to see anything blocking it carefully extract this. If you can’t, this could be when you should get in touch with a plumber unless you are confident in purchasing and swapping out the component yourself.

Check your pump is not broken

Your water pump uses impellers that may get blocked by pieces of glass or other debris. Check your pump isn’t obstructed by taking off the safety cover and making sure the impellers can be easily rotated.

Listen to your dishwasher while it’s on

If it sounds unusual your dishwasher pump or motor may be broken and need to be repaired.

Call a repair person

If none of the above investigations has solved the issue, or you think the pump, pump valve or motor are damaged, it may be the moment you need to call for help.

This way though you will at least manage give them more information and have prevented needing to pay a big repair charge for a clogged filter.

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