Why is My Dishwasher Not Draining?

Although it’s always irritating to open your dishwasher and realize it hasn’t drained fully, don’t panic just yet. You may manage rectify the error before you have to call a plumber or invest in a brand-new machine.

Your dishwasher declining to empty may have a number of of causes a number of which can be easy to deal with. Therefore, in advance of calling a dishwasher repair service here is a selection of possible things you can correct by yourself. A proportion of which aren’t even caused by the machine itself.

Check the dishwasher wasn’t stopped mid-cycle

If you’re fortunate the standing water you have discovered may not be a fault at all. Alternatively, the cycle may have been cut short.

The cycle may have been interrupted for any number of of reasons. Little fingers pushing buttons, mistakenly leaning against the buttons, a power surge or opening the machine mid-cycle may all prevent the program from completing and mean your dishwasher doesn’t drain.

If you think this could be the circumstance, or you just want to be sure it’s not the issue run the dishwasher again on a short cycle.

A number machines might have an empty cycle so it’s worth having a look at your instruction manual or consulting google to make sure.

Check the waste disposal

If your dishwasher is plumbed into your waste disposal inspect this before you do anything else as a blocked garbage disposal will prevent your dishwasher from draining. Run the disposal with lots of water to check there are no obstructions.

If you do find an issue drain unclogger or a plunger may be employed to clear the blockage and so this may resolve the issue.

Examine the plumbing for issues

If you sink is draining reluctantly this might signify a plumbing issue instead of a fault with your machine.

If the sink is emptying slowly you may try putting a little bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar down the plughole, letting it sit for a few minutes and then washing it away with hot water.

A plunger may also be employed to attempt to shift the blockage.

This could be sufficient to let the machine to drain so run a short rinse and drain program now. If not you may remove the standing water by hand using a cup and a towel and have a look at the next few possible issues.

At this point make sure you disconnect the machine to stay safe.

If during any of these checks you believe you may have detected and solved the fault you don’t have to go through the rest of the steps. Just complete an empty program to ensure the dishwasher is fixed.

Check and wash the filters

Popcorn, paper from containers, plastic covers and smashed glass, as well as food debris, could all block the machine filter. Clear glass can also be difficult to spot if you don’t look closely.

Remove the filter and clean it thoroughly before putting it back in place. Not all filters are obvious and simple to remove so you could need to consult the instructions for this.

Is the waste water pipe blocked?

The next component to inspect is the waste water pipe. Many things could cause an obstruction including a build up of food debris, a kink in the hose, or a crushed hose. All of which can all prevent your machine from emptying.

Depending on the location of the waste hose (normally the ribbed one) you could manage view it simply by lifting away the base alternatively you might need to move the dishwasher out from under the counter.

Have a look at the pipe first to discover if there are any kinks or it’s been squashed. You might be able to manually straighten out any kinks which is likely to fix the issue, but it’s worth noting that once this has happened the probability of it happening again is greatly increased so you could wish to buy a replacement hose.

If you are unable to find an issue you could disconnect the waste hose from the dishwasher and blow into it to figure out if there are any blockages. Be sure to line the floor with newspaper or towels before you remove the hose as there could still be waste water in the pipe.

If you are unable to blow through the waste hose this might be the reason your dishwasher isn’t draining.

Take off the other end of the hose in order to give it a thorough flush through to get rid of the obstruction. If you can’t remove the obstruction or the waste pipe is split or degraded acquire a new one. If you can remove the blockage then re-attach the hose and start a quick program to find out if you have repaired the fault.

You may also check where the waste hose attaches under your sink. This is a common spot for blockages to occur so if you do take off the pipe give this point a good clean as well.

Examine the drain valve

You can manually examine the drain valve to make sure it hasn’t got stuck. The drain valve will most often be found at the base of the dishwasher on the valve bracket. Check your manual if you’re not sure.

Pushing down on the valve or giving it a jiggle should be adequate to find out if it’s stuck. If you are able to see any debris blocking it get rid of this. If you can’t, this may be a good time to call a repair person unless you are confident in ordering and swapping out the component on your own.

Check your pump is not broken

Your appliance pump uses impellers that may get blocked by pieces of glass or other debris. Check your pump isn’t blocked by removing the safety cover and making sure the impellers can rotate freely.

Listen to your dishwasher while it’s running

If it doesn’t sound right your pump or motor might be broken and need to be repaired.

Call a repair person

If none of the above examinations has solved the problem, or you think the pump, pump valve or motor are not working, it could be a good time to call a plumber.

At least having done your best to fix the problem yourself you have avoided needing to pay a big repair fee for a clogged filter.