Why is My Dishwasher Not Draining?

No-one wishes to open their machine and discover it hasn’t drained fully but, try not to panic just yet. You could manage rectify the error before you have to call a repair person or buy a new machine.

Your dishwasher refusing to drain could be induced by any number of components a few of which are simple to rectify. Therefore, in advance of calling a dishwasher repair service here is a lineup of possible things you may troubleshoot on your own. A number of which aren’t even related to the machine itself.

Ensure the cycle wasn’t stopped mid-way

If you’re fortunate the standing water you have discovered may not be a fault at all. Instead, the cycle may have been stopped mid-way.

The cycle could have been cut short for any number of of reasons. Children pressing buttons, inadvertently pushing against the controls, a power cut or opening the dishwasher mid-cycle might all prevent the program from completing and mean your dishwasher doesn’t drain.

If you suspect this may be the case, or you just want to be sure it’s not the issue start your dishwasher again on a short cycle.

A proportion appliances could have an empty function meaning it’s worth checking your instructions or checking online to check.

Check the garbage disposal

If you have a garbage disposal inspect this first as a blocked waste disposal will block your machine from emptying. Run the waste disposal using lots of water to check there are no obstructions.

If you do discover an issue drain un-blocker or a plunger may be used to remove the obstruction and so this may rectify the error.

Examine the sink for blockages

If you sink is draining inefficiently this may indicate an issue with the pipes as opposed to an error with your dishwasher.

In the case that the sink is draining slowly you could try putting some bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar down the plughole, leaving it for a while and subsequently rinsing it through with hot water.

A sink plunger may also be employed to attempt to dislodge the obstruction.

This might be all you need to do to allow your appliance to drain so start a short cycle to check. If not you can remove the dirty water by hand using a jug and a towel and troubleshoot a few more likely causes.

At this point make certain to unplug the dishwasher to prevent electrocution.

If during one of these investigations you think you may have detected and solved the problem you don’t need to go through the rest of the issues. Just start an empty program to make sure the dishwasher is repaired.

Check and wash the filters

Any number of things could block the filters including popcorn, paper from containers, film covers and broken glass. Clear film can also be difficult to spot if you don’t look closely.

Take out the filter then clean it thoroughly before replacing it. Not all dishwashers have their filter in the same place so you might need to look at the instructions for this.

Is the waste pipe obstructed?

The next component to examine is the waste water hose. 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 dishwasher from draining.

Contingent upon the location of the waste pipe (usually the corrugated one) you may manage inspect it by taking off the base alternatively you might need to pull the machine out from under the counter.

Look at the hose first to find out if it has been squashed or kinked. You could have the means to manually straighten out any kinks which will most likely rectify the issue, however, it’s worth noting that once this has occurred the probability of it happening again is significantly increased so you might need to purchase a spare hose.

If you can’t see any obvious kinks or obstructions you may remove the waste water hose from the pump and blow into it to check for 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 through the hose this may be the problem.

Disconnect the hose at the sink end and give it a thorough clean to get rid of the blockage. If you can’t dislodge the obstruction or the pipe is slit or damaged buy a new one. If you can get rid of the blockage then put the hose back and run a quick program to check that you have solved the problem.

You could also inspect where the hose connects to the sink as well. This is a typical place for blockages to occur so if you happen to remove the pipe give this connection a thorough clean as well.

Check the drain valve

You may manually examine the drain valve to ensure it hasn’t got stuck. The drain valve will usually be situated in the bottom of the dishwasher on the valve bracket. Check your instruction manual if you can’t see it.

Depressing the valve or wiggling it a bit should be adequate to find out if it’s seized. If you are able to see an object stopping it from moving carefully extract this. If you can’t, this could be the right time to ring a plumber unless you are confident in procuring and repairing the component yourself.

Inspect your pump is not broken

Your water pump makes use of impellers that could get obstructed by broken glass or other objects. Check your pump isn’t broken by removing the cover and checking that the impellers can rotate freely.

Run your machine and listen for any unusual noises

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

Call a repair person

If none of the above investigations has fixed the error, or you have reason to believe the pump, pump valve or motor are not working, it could be time to call for help.

This way though you will at least have the means to give them more information and have avoided needing to pay a big repair fee for a blocked hose.

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