Why is My Dishwasher Not Draining?

Although it’s never a pleasant sight to open a dishwasher and realize the machine is still full of water, try not to lose it just yet. You might have the means to deal with the issue before you have to call a repair person or buy a new dishwasher.

Your dishwasher failing to drain may be bought about by multiple issues some of which are easy to resolve. So, in advance of calling a dishwasher repair service try this selection of probable things you may identify yourself. A few of which are not even caused by the dishwasher itself.

Ensure the dishwasher wasn’t stopped mid-program

If you’re fortunate the fact your dishwasher hasn’t drained may not be an issue at all. Instead, the cycle could have been cut short.

The cycle might have been cut short for any number of of reasons. Children pressing controls, accidentally pushing against the buttons, a power outage or opening the machine mid-cycle may all interrupt the cycle and mean your dishwasher doesn’t drain.

If you believe this might be the situation, or you feel it may be worthwhile checking run the machine again on a quick program.

Some machines may have a drain capacity meaning it’s worthwhile checking your owners manual or doing a quick internet search to check.

Inspect the waste disposal

If you have a waste disposal examine this first as an obstructed disposal will stop your dishwasher from emptying. Run the disposal using lots of water to ensure there are no issues.

If you do uncover a blockage drain cleaner or a plunger can be sought after to clear the obstruction and so this could solve the problem.

Inspect the plumbing for clogs

If you sink is emptying slowly this may signify an issue with the plumbing rather than an error with your machine.

In the case that the kitchen sink is draining inefficiently you can attempt putting some bicarb and vinegar down the plughole, leaving it for a while and then rinsing it through with boiling water.

A plunger could also be utilized to attempt to dislodge the obstruction.

This may be enough to let your machine to drain so run a short rinse and drain program now. If not you may remove the standing water by hand using a jug as well as a sponge and have a look at a few more areas.

Make sure you unplug the dishwasher to stay safe.

If during any one of these investigations you believe you may have detected and solved the problem there is no need to continue to the next issue. Just start an empty program to check your dishwasher is once again emptying as it should.

Check and scrub the filters

Any number of things could block the filters including popcorn, labels from containers, plastic film lids and broken glass. Clear plastic lids can also be difficult to see if you aren’t looking for it.

Take out the filter then clean it thoroughly before putting it back in place. Not all dishwashers have their filter in the same location so you might need to refer to the instructions for this.

Is the drain hose obstructed?

The next area to inspect is the drain hose. 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 impede your dishwasher from draining.

Depending on the position of the waste hose (generally the ribbed one) you might be able to inspect it by means of taking off the kick board or you could need to move the dishwasher out from the wall.

Visually inspect the pipe in the first instance to see if it has been crushed or kinked. You might manage manually remove any kinks which should deal with the issue, but be aware that once this has happened the chance of it occurring again is massively increased so you might need to buy a new hose.

If you can’t see an issue you can remove the drain pipe from the pump and blow through it to check for any blockages. Make sure you put down newspaper or towels before you remove the hose as there may still be dirty water in the hose.

If you are unable to blow through the pipe this might be the reason your machine isn’t emptying.

Disconnect the other end of the hose in order to give it a good clean to clear the blockage. If you are unable to dislodge the blockage or the waste pipe is split or worn acquire a brand-new one. If you may get rid of the blockage then re-attach the hose and start a quick cycle to check that you have repaired the problem.

You can also checkthe point where the hose connects to the waste disposal as well. This is a likely point for a build-up of gunk so if you happen to remove the pipe give this area a thorough scrub as well.

Examine the drain valve

You could manually inspect the drain valve to make sure it isn’t stopped working. The drain valve will usually be located at the base of the dishwasher on the valve bracket. Check your instructions if you can’t see it.

Pushing down on the valve or giving it a jiggle will likely be enough to find out if it’s stuck. If you are able to see any debris blocking it remove this. If you can’t, this might be the right time to ring a plumber unless you are undaunted by purchasing and repairing the valve on your own.

Check your pump is not blocked

Your water pump uses impellers that could become blocked by pieces of glass or other debris. Check your impellers aren’t obstructed by taking off the cover and ensuring that the impellers can be easily rotated.

Listen to your dishwasher while it’s on

If the dishwasher doesn’t sound right your pump or motor could be broken and need replacing.

Call a repair person

If you have been through the above list and the issue persists, or you think the pump, pump valve or motor are not working, it may be a good time to call your local repair person.

This way though you will at least have the means to give them more information and have prevented having to pay a hefty repair fee for a blocked drain.

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