Why is My Dishwasher Not Draining? | Kent Appliance Repair

No-one wishes to open their machine and discover it hasn’t emptied correctly but, try not to overreact just yet. You could manage fix the error before you have to call a repair person or invest in a new machine.

Your machine declining to drain can have any number of of causes a proportion of which are straightforward to resolve. Therefore, in advance of calling a dishwasher repair service try this list of potential things you may troubleshoot yourself. A proportion of which aren’t even caused by the dishwasher itself.

Check the program wasn’t cut short

It is probable that there is nothing preventing your dishwasher from emptying. Alternatively, the program could have been interrupted.

The cycle could have been stopped mid-way for multiple of reasons. Little fingers pushing controls, mistakenly pushing against the buttons, a power outage or opening the dishwasher mid-program might all interrupt the cycle and mean your machine doesn’t empty.

If you think this might be the circumstance, or you just want to be sure it’s not the issue start your dishwasher again on a quick cycle.

A number dishwashers might have an empty program meaning it’s well worth consulting your manual or checking online to find out.

Check the waste disposal

If your dishwasher is attached to a disposal inspect this before you do anything else as a blocked disposal will block your machine from emptying. Run the garbage disposal with lots of water to check there are no blockages.

If you do discover an issue drain unclogger or a plunger could be used to remove the blockage and this could solve the error.

Examine the plumbing for blockages

If you sink is emptying reluctantly this could signify a plumbing issue as opposed to a fault with your machine.

If the sink is emptying reluctantly you could try putting some bicarbonate of soda and vinegar down the plughole, leaving it for a while, then rinsing it away with hot water.

A sink plunger may also be utilized to try and shift the obstruction.

This might be sufficient to let the machine to work again so start a quick program to check. If not you can remove the standing water by hand using a jug and a towel and check a few more areas.

At this point make sure you turn off the dishwasher to stay safe.

If during one of these checks you suspect you may have discovered and solved the issue there is no need to continue to the next step. Just run an empty program to check the dishwasher is now emptying as it used to.

Inspect and wash the filters

Any number of things could block the filters including popcorn, paper from food jars, plastic covers and smashed glass. Clear film could also be hard to see if you aren’t looking for it.

Remove the filter and give it a thorough scrub before putting it back in place. Not all dishwashers have their filter in the same place so you may need to consult the instructions for this.

Is the waste hose obstructed?

The next place to examine is the waste hose. Stuck food, a kink in the hose or a crushed hose may all prevent your dishwasher from emptying.

Depending on the position of the hose (normally the ribbed one) you might manage inspect it by taking off the base or you could be required to pull the machine out from the wall.

Visually inspect the pipe first to find out if it has been squashed or kinked. You might have the means to fix these issues by hand which is likely to fix the issue, however, it’s worth noting that when this has happened the probability of it occurring again is greatly increased so you might wish to buy a new hose.

If you are unable to find an issue you can remove the waste hose from the dishwasher and blow into it to figure out if there are any blockages. Be sure to put down newspaper or towels first as there may still be waste water in the hose.

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

Remove the hose at the sink end and then give it a thorough clean to remove the blockage. If you are unable to remove the blockage or the hose is slit or degraded purchase a brand-new one. If you could get rid of the blockage then re-attach the hose and run a quick cycle to make sure you have repaired the problem.

You can also examinethe point where the pipe connects to the waste disposal. This is a typical place for blockages to occur so if you happen to remove the waste pipe give this area a good scrub as well.

Examine the drain valve

You can inspect the drain valve by hand to make sure it isn’t stopped working. The drain valve will most often be situated at the base of the dishwasher on the valve bracket. Check your manual if you’re unsure.

Pressing down on the valve or wiggling it a bit should be enough to find out if it’s seized. If you are able to see any debris stopping it from moving carefully extract this. If you can’t, this may be a good time to get in touch with a plumber unless you are happy in ordering and repairing the valve yourself.

Examine your pump is not blocked

Your appliance pump uses impellers that could get obstructed by pieces of china or other debris. Check your pump isn’t obstructed by taking off the safety cover and ensuring that the impellers can rotate freely.

Run your machine and listen for any unusual noises

If it doesn’t sound normal your pump or motor might be faulty and need to be repaired.

Call a plumber

If you have been through the above list and the problem persists, or you think the pump, pump valve or motor are not working, it could be time to call for help.

At least having tried to fix the problem yourself you have avoided needing to pay a hefty repair charge for a blocked hose.