Why is My Dishwasher Not Draining?

Although it’s never a welcome sight to open your dishwasher and find out it is still full of water, try not to overreact just yet. You could be able to fix the fault without having to call a repair person or acquire a new machine.

Your dishwasher failing to drain may be bought about by any number of things a number of which are simple to deal with. Therefore, in advance of calling a dishwasher repair service try this selection of probable components you can identify by yourself. A few of which are not even caused by the machine itself.

Ensure the program wasn’t cut short

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

The program might have been stopped mid-way for a number of of reasons. Children pushing controls, accidentally pressing on the buttons, a power cut or opening the machine mid-program might all interrupt the program and mean your machine doesn’t empty.

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

A number dishwashers may have an empty program meaning it’s well worth consulting your instructions or consulting google to check.

Inspect the disposal

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

If you do find an obstruction drain cleaner or a plunger could be used to remove the blockage and so this might deal with the issue.

Check the plumbing for blockages

If you kitchen sink is emptying reluctantly this may indicate an issue with the drains instead of a problem with your machine.

If the sink is draining inefficiently you could attempt putting some bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar down the plughole, leaving it for a while, then rinsing it through with boiling water.

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

This could be sufficient to permit your machine to empty so run a quick rinse and drain cycle to check. If not you can manually remove the dirty water using a cup and also a towel and check the next few possible issues.

At this point make sure you disconnect the dishwasher to prevent electrocution.

If during one of these examinations you suspect you have discovered and fixed the fault you don’t need to go through the remaining steps. Just run an empty program to make sure your machine is repaired.

Inspect and rinse the filters

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

Take out the filter and give it a thorough clean before putting it back in place. Not all filters are obvious and straightforward to remove so you may need to consult the instruction manual for this.

Is the waste pipe blocked?

The next place to inspect 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 may all prevent your machine from emptying.

Depending on the position of the waste hose (normally the ribbed one) you could manage inspect it simply by taking off the kick board or you might need to pull the dishwasher away from under the counter.

Look at the hose first to discover if there are any kinks or it’s been squashed. You might manage manually straighten out any kinks which will most likely deal with the issue, but it’s worth noting that when this has occurred the chance of it happening again is significantly increased so you may wish to order a new hose.

If you can’t see any obvious kinks or obstructions you may take off the waste water pipe from the machine and blow into it to discover any blockages. Be sure to line the floor with newspaper or towels before you remove the hose as even if you have emptied the machine there may still be water in the pipe.

If you are unable to blow air through the pipe this might be the problem.

Disconnect the hose at the sink end and give it a good clean to get rid of the blockage. If you can’t shift the blockage or the pipe is slit or damaged acquire a new one. If you can remove the obstruction then re-attach the hose and run a short program to find out if you have fixed the fault.

You could also examine where the pipe attaches under your sink. This is a likely point for blockages to occur so if you do take off the waste pipe give this point a thorough clean as well.

Examine the drain valve

You could manually inspect the drain valve to ensure it hasn’t seized. The drain valve will most often be located in the bottom of the machine on the valve bracket. Check your owners manual if you can’t see it.

Pushing down on the valve or giving it a jiggle should be enough to tell you if it’s seized. If you are able to see anything blocking it get rid of this. If you can’t, this could be when you should ring a plumber unless you are confident in procuring and swapping out the component yourself.

Examine your pump is not broken

Your appliance pump uses impellers that may become blocked by pieces of china or other debris. Check your pump isn’t broken by removing the cover and ensuring that the impellers are free to move.

Run your machine and listen for any unusual noises

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

Call a repair person

If none of the above investigations has repaired the issue, or you suspect the pump, pump valve or motor are broken, it might be the right time to get the professionals.

This way though you will at least manage give them more information and have prevented having to pay a big repair charge for a clogged filter.