Why is My Dishwasher Not Draining?

Although it’s never a pleasant sight to open your machine and discover it is still full of water, don’t lose it just yet. You could manage solve the fault by yourself, without having to call a repair person or buy a new machine.

Standing water in your machine could be bought about by multiple things a proportion of which can be easy to resolve. So, before you call a dishwasher repair service try this list of possible things you could identify yourself. A few of which aren’t even related to the machine itself.

Check the dishwasher wasn’t interrupted mid-cycle

If you’re fortunate the fact your dishwasher hasn’t emptied may not be an issue at all. Rather, the cycle might have been interrupted.

The program may have been cut short for a number of of reasons. Children pushing buttons, accidentally pushing on the buttons, a power cut or opening the dishwasher mid-program might all stop the program from completing and mean your dishwasher doesn’t empty.

If you believe this might be the case, or you just want to be sure it’s not the issue run the dishwasher again on a quick program.

Some dishwashers could have an empty program so it’s worthwhile having a look at your instruction manual or consulting google to find out.

Inspect the garbage disposal

If you have a waste disposal examine this before you move on as a blocked waste disposal will stop the machine from emptying. Turn on the disposal with fast running water to make sure there are no blockages.

If you do discover an issue drain unclogger or a natural alternative may be employed to remove the blockage and this may deal with the fault.

Check the sink waste for issues

If you sink is draining reluctantly this could suggest an issue with the drains instead of an error with your machine.

If the sink is draining slowly you may attempt putting some bicarbonate of soda and vinegar down the plughole, leaving it for a while and then flushing it away with boiling water.

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

This could be sufficient to let your appliance to empty so start a short rinse and drain program now. If this hasn’t solved the problem you may manually get rid of the standing water using a cup and also a sponge and have a look at the next few possible issues.

Make sure you turn off the dishwasher to stay safe.

If in the process of one of these checks you think you have found and solved the error you don’t need to go through the rest of the issues. Just complete an empty cycle to check the machine is repaired.

Inspect and rinse the filters

Corn Kernels, labels from containers, film covers and smashed glass, plus scraps of food, may all block the dishwasher filter. Clear film can also be difficult to spot if you don’t look carefully.

Remove the filter then give it a thorough clean before replacing it. Not all machines have their filter in the same place so you may need to look at the owners manual for this.

Is the waste pipe obstructed?

The next component to check is the waste water pipe. Many things could cause a blockage including a build up of food debris, a kink in the hose, or a crushed hose. All of which could all stop your dishwasher from draining.

Depending on the location of the hose (usually the corrugated one) you might have the means to inspect it simply by taking off the base or you could need to move the machine out from the wall.

Have a look at the pipe first to find out if there are any kinks or it’s been squashed. You may be able to manually fix any kinks which should fix the issue, but it’s worth noting that once this has occurred it is significantly more inclined to happen again so you may need to purchase a replacement hose.

If you can’t find an issue you can disconnect the waste hose from the pump 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 even if you have emptied the dishwasher there could still be dirty water in the pipe.

If you can’t blow air through the hose this could be the reason your dishwasher isn’t emptying.

Remove the hose at the sink end in order to give it a thorough clean to get rid of the blockage. If you can’t get rid of the blockage or the waste pipe is cracked or degraded invest in a brand-new one. If you can remove the obstruction then put the hose back and start a short program to make sure you have repaired the error.

You may also inspect the point where the pipe connects to the waste disposal as well. This is a likely point for blockages to occur so if you do remove the pipe give this point a thorough clean as well.

Examine the drain valve

You may manually examine the drain valve to ensure it hasn’t seized. The drain valve will often be located in the bottom of the dishwasher on the valve bracket. Examine your manual if you’re unsure.

Depressing the valve or wiggling it a bit will likely be adequate to let you know if it’s seized. If you are able to see an object stopping it from moving carefully extract this. If you are unable to, this might be when you should call a plumber unless you are undaunted by purchasing and swapping out the part yourself.

Check your pump is not broken

Your appliance pump makes use of impellers that could be blocked by pieces of glass or other debris. Check your pump isn’t blocked by taking off the safety cover and making sure the impellers are free to move.

Listen to your dishwasher while it’s running

If your dishwasher is making funny noises your pump or motor may be faulty and need to be repaired.

Call a repair person

If you have been through the above list and the fault remains, or you have reason to believe the pump, pump valve or motor are not working, it might be a good time to call your local repair person.

At least having attempted to troubleshoot you have avoided having to pay a hefty repair fee for a blocked hose.