Why is My Dishwasher Not Draining?

No-one is happy to open their dishwasher and discover standing water but, don’t panic just yet. You could manage solve the issue by yourself, without having to call a plumber or buy a new machine.

Standing water in your dishwasher can have a number of of causes a number of which are simple to deal with. Therefore, before you call a dishwasher repair service here is a selection of probable things you could troubleshoot yourself. A few of which are not even caused by the dishwasher itself.

Check the dishwasher wasn’t interrupted mid-cycle

If you’re lucky the fact your dishwasher hasn’t drained may not be an issue at all. Alternatively, the program might have been cut short.

The cycle could have been stopped mid-way for a number of of reasons. Children pushing buttons, accidentally pressing against the buttons, a power surge or opening the dishwasher mid-program might all prevent the program from completing and mean your dishwasher doesn’t empty.

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

A proportion dishwashers might have an empty cycle so it’s worth consulting your instruction manual or doing a quick internet search to check.

Inspect the waste disposal

If you have a disposal inspect this before you do anything else as an obstructed garbage disposal will stop the machine from draining. Run the garbage disposal with lots of water to check there are no issues.

If you do find an issue drain unclogger or a natural alternative can be employed to remove the obstruction and this may rectify the fault.

Check the plumbing for blockages

If you sink is draining slowly this could indicate a plumbing issue rather than a fault with your machine.

In the case that the kitchen sink is emptying slowly you could attempt putting a little bicarbonate of soda and vinegar down the drain, letting it sit for a few minutes and subsequently flushing it away with hot water.

A sink plunger could also be utilized to try and dislodge the obstruction.

This could be all you need to do to let your appliance to drain so start a quick rinse and empty cycle now. If this hasn’t worked you may manually drain the dishwasher using a bowl as well as a towel and troubleshoot a few more areas.

Make certain to turn off the machine to stay safe.

If while you are carrying out any of these examinations you suspect you may have discovered and solved the fault you don’t have to go through the remaining issues. Just run an empty cycle to check the machine is repaired.

Check and scrub the filters

Any number of things could block the filters including corn kernels, labels from jars, plastic covers and broken glass. Clear film can also be difficult to spot if you aren’t looking for it.

Remove the filter then give it a thorough wash before replacing it. Not all dishwashers have their filter in the same location so you could need to refer to the owners manual for this.

Is the drain pipe obstructed?

The next area to inspect 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 machine from emptying.

Subject to the position of the waste hose (normally the corrugated one) you might be able to look at it by lifting away the base or you may be required to pull the dishwasher away from under the counter.

Visually inspect the hose in the first instance to see if it has been crushed or kinked. You may manage fix these issues by hand which is likely to resolve the issue, but be aware that once this has occurred the probability of it happening again is significantly increased so you may wish to buy a replacement hose.

If you can’t find an issue you can disconnect the drain pipe from the machine and blow through it to discover any blockages. Be sure to put down newspaper or towels first as there could still be water in the hose.

If you can’t blow through the waste pipe this could be the problem.

Disconnect the other end of the hose and then give it a good flush through to remove the blockage. If you are unable to remove the blockage or the hose is slit or degraded acquire a brand-new one. If you can remove the blockage then re-attach the hose and start a quick cycle to make sure you have fixed the error.

You could also examine where the pipe connects under your sink as well. This is a typical point for a build-up of gunk so if you happen to remove the hose give this area a good clean as well.

Examine the drain valve

You could manually check the drain valve to make sure it hasn’t seized. The drain valve will generally be found at the base of the machine on the valve bracket. Consult your owners manual if you can’t see it.

Depressing the valve or wiggling it a bit should be enough to let you know if it’s stuck. If you can see something stopping it from moving get rid of this. If you can’t, this could be when you should ring a repair person unless you are happy in purchasing and replacing the valve on your own.

Examine your pump is not broken

Your water pump uses impellers that can become obstructed by pieces of glass or other debris. Check your pump isn’t obstructed by removing the safety cover and making sure the impellers can be easily rotated.

Listen to your dishwasher while it’s running

If the dishwasher sounds unusual your pump or motor could be broken and need to be repaired.

Call a repair person

If none of the above investigations has repaired the fault, or you have reason to believe the pump, pump valve or motor are broken, it may be the right time to get the professionals.

At least having tried to investigate what is wrong you have avoided needing to pay a hefty call-out fee for a clogged filter.