Why is My Dishwasher Not Draining?

Although it’s never a pleasant sight to open the dishwasher and discover it is still full of water, try not to panic just yet. You could be able to rectify the fault before you have to call a repair person or purchase a brand-new dishwasher.

Standing water in your machine could be bought about by a number of things a proportion of which are easy to deal with. So, before you call a dishwasher repair service try this selection of probable components you could identify by yourself. A few of which aren’t even a fault of the machine itself.

Ensure the program wasn’t interrupted

If you’re lucky the fact your dishwasher hasn’t emptied may not be a fault at all. Instead, the cycle may have been interrupted.

The program could have been cut short for a number of of reasons. Children pressing controls, mistakenly pressing against the buttons, a power outage or opening the dishwasher mid-program could all interrupt the cycle and mean your dishwasher doesn’t drain.

If you suspect this could be the situation, or you just want to be sure it’s not the issue run your dishwasher again on a short program.

Some dishwashers might have a drain program so it’s worth having a look at your instruction manual or checking online to check.

Check the garbage disposal

If you have a waste disposal examine this before you do anything else as a blocked waste disposal will prevent your dishwasher from emptying. Turn on the disposal using lots of water to ensure there are no issues.

If you do uncover an issue drain unclogger or a plunger can be used to unclog the obstruction and this might deal with the issue.

Inspect the sink for blockages

If you sink is emptying inefficiently this could indicate a plumbing issue instead of a fault with your machine.

In the case that the sink is emptying reluctantly you may try putting some bicarb and vinegar down the plughole, letting it sit for a while, then flushing it through with hot water.

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

This might be all you need to do to let your dishwasher to drain so start a short rinse and empty cycle now. If not you could manually empty the dishwasher using a cup and also a sponge and check the next few possible issues.

At this point make certain to turn off the machine to stay safe.

If in the process of any of these investigations you think you have found and fixed the problem there is no need to continue to the next step. Just complete an empty cycle to make sure your machine is fixed.

Examine and rinse the filters

Popcorn, paper from tupperware, plastic covers and smashed glass, plus food debris, can all block the dishwasher filter. Clear plastic lids may also be hard to see if you don’t look carefully.

Take out the filter and give it a thorough wash before putting it back in place. Not all dishwashers have their filter in the same place so you may need to consult the manual for this.

Is the drain pipe blocked?

The next place to examine 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 dishwasher from draining.

Contingent upon the location of the waste hose (generally the ribbed one) you may be able to inspect it simply by removing the kick plate alternatively you might have to move the dishwasher away from under the counter.

Look at the hose in the first instance to find out if there are any kinks or it’s been squashed. You could have the means to manually straighten out any kinks which is likely to resolve the issue, but it’s worth noting that once this has happened the chance of it occurring again is massively increased so you might wish to purchase a new hose.

If you can’t see anything you could remove the waste pipe from the dishwasher and blow through it to check for any blockages. Be sure to line the floor with newspaper or towels first as there could still be waste water in the pipe.

If you are unable to blow air through the hose this may be the reason your machine isn’t emptying.

Remove the hose at the sink end and give it a good clean to get rid of the obstruction. If you are unable to get rid of the obstruction or the waste pipe is split or worn buy a new one. If you could clear the obstruction then put the hose back and start a quick program to double check that you have fixed the fault.

You can also inspect where the pipe connects under your sink as well. This is a likely spot for a build-up of gunk so if you happen to remove the hose give this area a thorough clean as well.

Examine the drain valve

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

Pressing down on the valve or giving it a jiggle will likely be sufficient to find out if it’s stuck. If you can see something stopping it from moving remove this. If you can’t, this might be the right time to ring a repair person unless you are undaunted by ordering and swapping out the component yourself.

Check your pump is not blocked

Your dishwasher pump makes use of impellers that can be obstructed by broken china or other debris. Check your pump isn’t obstructed by removing the cover and checking that the impellers can be easily rotated.

Run your dishwasher and listen for any unusual sounds

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

Call a plumber

If none of the above examinations has solved the problem, or you think the pump, pump valve or motor are broken, it could be the moment you need to get the professionals.

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