Why is My Dishwasher Not Draining?

No-one wishes to open their dishwasher and discover standing water but, don’t lose it just yet. You might be able to fix the fault without having to call a repair person or acquire a brand-new machine.

Your dishwasher failing to empty may have multiple of causes some of which are simple to solve. So, before you call a dishwasher repair service try this lineup of potential things you may troubleshoot by yourself. A few of which aren’t even caused by the machine itself.

Ensure the dishwasher wasn’t interrupted mid-program

If you’re lucky the fact your dishwasher hasn’t drained may not be a problem at all. Instead, the program might have been stopped mid-way.

The cycle might have been cut short for any number of of reasons. Children pressing buttons, inadvertently leaning on the controls, a power surge or opening the dishwasher mid-cycle may all stop the cycle from completing and mean your dishwasher doesn’t drain.

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

A few machines might have an empty program so it’s well worth checking your instruction manual or checking online to make sure.

Inspect the disposal

If your dishwasher is attached to a disposal examine this first as an obstructed garbage disposal will stop your machine from draining. Turn on the garbage disposal with lots of water to make sure there are no obstructions.

If you do uncover a blockage drain cleaner or a plunger can be used to unclog the blockage and this might solve the error.

Check the sink for clogs

If you kitchen sink is emptying reluctantly this could indicate an issue with the plumbing as opposed to a problem with your machine.

If the sink is emptying slowly you can attempt putting a little bicarbonate of soda and vinegar down the drain, leaving it for a few minutes and then flushing it through with hot water.

A plunger might also be utilized to try and remove the obstruction.

This may be sufficient to permit the machine to drain so run a quick rinse and drain cycle now. If this hasn’t worked you could manually drain the dishwasher using a jug as well as a towel and have a look at a few more areas.

Make certain to disconnect the dishwasher to prevent electrocution.

If during any of these examinations you believe you may have found and solved the issue you don’t have to go through the remaining steps. Just start an empty program to check your dishwasher is now draining as it should.

Check and wash the filters

Popcorn, labels from containers, film covers and smashed glass, plus scraps of food, may all obstruct the dishwasher filter. Clear glass may also be difficult to see if you don’t look carefully.

Take out the filter then wash it thoroughly before putting it back in place. Not all filters are obvious and simple to remove so you may need to consult the owners manual for this.

Is the drain hose blocked?

The next component to inspect is the drain 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 may all stop your machine from emptying.

Depending on the position of the hose (normally the corrugated one) you might manage look at it by taking off the kick plate or you may be required to pull the machine away from the wall.

Visually examine the pipe in the first instance to see if there are any kinks or it’s been squashed. You could be able to fix these issues by hand which will most likely rectify the issue, but it’s worth noting that once this has occurred it is much more likely to happen again so you could need to buy a spare hose.

If you can’t find any obvious kinks or obstructions you may remove the waste water pipe from the dishwasher and blow into it to figure out if there are any blockages. Make sure you put down newspaper or towels first as there might still be water in the hose.

If you can’t blow air through the waste pipe this might be the issue.

Remove the hose at the sink end in order to give it a good flush through to get rid of the obstruction. If you are unable to dislodge the blockage or the hose is cracked or worn acquire a new one. If you can remove the blockage then put the hose back and run a quick cycle to make sure you have repaired the error.

You can also check where the hose attaches under your sink. This is a common point for debris to build up so if you do remove the hose give this point a good clean as well.

Check the drain valve

You can inspect the drain valve by hand to check it hasn’t seized. The drain valve will often be found in the bottom of the dishwasher on the valve bracket. Examine your instruction manual if you’re unsure.

Depressing the valve or wiggling it a bit should be sufficient to let you know if it’s stuck. If you can see any debris blocking it carefully extract this. If you can’t, this might be the right time to ring a repair person unless you are confident in purchasing and repairing the component yourself.

Check your pump is not blocked

Your appliance pump makes use of impellers that could get blocked by pieces of china or other objects. Check your impellers aren’t obstructed by removing the cover and ensuring that the impellers can be easily rotated.

Listen to your dishwasher while it’s running

If the dishwasher is making funny noises your dishwasher pump or motor could be damaged and need replacing.

Call a plumber

If none of the above investigations has repaired the error, or you think the pump, pump valve or motor are broken, it may be a good time to call a plumber.

This way though you will at least manage give them more information and have prevented needing to pay a big call-out fee for a blocked hose.