Why is My Dishwasher Not Draining? | Boston Appliance Repair

Although it’s always annoying to open a dishwasher and find out it is still full of water, try not to overreact just yet. You could manage deal with the fault by yourself, without having to call a plumber or acquire a brand-new dishwasher.

Your dishwasher failing to empty can have any number of of causes a proportion of which can be simple to resolve. So, before you call a dishwasher repair service try this selection of potential issues you may troubleshoot on your own. Some of which are not even caused by the dishwasher itself.

Check the cycle wasn’t cut short

It is probable that there is nothing stopping your dishwasher from emptying. Rather, the program might have been interrupted.

The cycle may have been stopped mid-way for any number of of reasons. Little fingers pressing controls, accidentally leaning on the buttons, a power surge or opening the machine mid-cycle may all stop the program from completing and mean your dishwasher doesn’t drain.

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

A few appliances may have a drain function meaning it’s worth checking your instruction manual or checking online to check.

Examine the waste disposal

If your dishwasher is plumbed into your disposal check this before you do anything else as a blocked garbage disposal will stop the machine from draining. Run the disposal with plenty of water to make sure there are no issues.

If you do find a blockage drain un-blocker or a plunger could be sought after to unclog the obstruction and so this may deal with the problem.

Examine the sink for issues

If you sink is emptying slowly this could signify a plumbing issue instead of an issue with your dishwasher.

If the kitchen sink is emptying slowly you can attempt putting a little bicarb and white vinegar down the drain, leaving it for a few minutes, then rinsing it away with boiling water.

A sink plunger might also be utilized to attempt to remove the blockage.

This may be all you need to do to let your appliance to empty so start a short rinse and empty cycle to check. If not you could remove the dirty water by hand using a bowl as well as a towel and check the next few possible issues.

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

If during one of these investigations you believe you may have discovered and repaired the error you don’t have to go through the remaining steps. Just complete an empty program to ensure the machine is once again emptying as it should.

Inspect and clean the filters

Any number of things could block the filters including corn kernels, paper from jars, film lids and broken glass. Clear plastic lids could also be difficult to see if you don’t look closely.

Take out the filter and clean it thoroughly before replacing it. Not all filters are obvious and straightforward to remove so you could need to consult the instruction manual for this.

Is the drain pipe obstructed?

The next area to inspect is the waste hose. Stuck food, a kink in the hose or a crushed hose could all prevent your machine from draining.

Subject to the position of the hose (normally the ribbed one) you might be able to inspect it by means of lifting away the base or you could have to pull the machine away from under the counter.

Have a look at the pipe first to see if it has been crushed or kinked. You may manage fix these issues by hand which should rectify the issue, but it’s worth noting that once this has happened the chance of it occurring again is massively increased so you could wish to order a spare hose.

If you are unable to see anything you can disconnect the drain pipe from the dishwasher 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 might still be dirty water in the hose.

If you are unable to blow through the hose this might be the issue.

Disconnect the other end of the hose in order to give it a thorough flush through to get rid of the obstruction. If you are unable to remove the blockage or the hose is cracked or worn purchase a new one. If you could get rid of the blockage then put the hose back and start a short program to double check that you have fixed the fault.

You can also inspect where the waste pipe attaches to the waste disposal. This is a common spot for debris to build up so if you happen to remove the waste pipe give this area a good scrub as well.

Examine the drain valve

You can manually check the drain valve to make sure it isn’t got stuck. The drain valve will generally be located in the bottom of the dishwasher on the valve bracket. Consult your manual if you can’t see it.

Pressing down on the valve or wiggling it a bit will likely be enough to find out if it’s stuck. If you can see any debris blocking it carefully extract this. If you are unable to, this could be when you should ring a repair person unless you are confident in purchasing and repairing the part yourself.

Check your pump is not broken

Your water pump makes use of impellers that may be obstructed by broken china or other objects. Check your impellers aren’t blocked by removing the safety cover and making sure the impellers can rotate freely.

Listen to your dishwasher while it’s on

If your dishwasher doesn’t sound right your dishwasher pump or motor could be faulty and need to be repaired.

Call a repair person

If none of the above checks has solved the fault, or you have reason to believe the pump, pump valve or motor are broken, it could be the moment you need to get the professionals.

At least having done your best to fix the problem yourself you have managed to avoid needing to pay a hefty repair fee for a blocked hose.