Why is My Dishwasher Not Draining?

Although it’s never a welcome sight to open the machine and discover it hasn’t drained fully, try not to panic just yet. You could have the means to fix the issue by yourself, without having to call a repair person or buy a brand-new machine.

Standing water in your machine could have multiple of causes some of which are straightforward to fix. Therefore, before you call a dishwasher repair service here is a list of potential issues you can correct yourself. A proportion of which aren’t even a fault of the machine itself.

Check the program wasn’t stopped mid-way

It is possible that there is nothing preventing your machine from draining. Alternatively, the cycle might have been stopped mid-way.

The cycle could have been interrupted for any number of of reasons. Children pushing buttons, accidentally pressing against the control panel, a power cut or opening the machine mid-cycle could all stop the program from completing and mean your dishwasher doesn’t empty.

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

A proportion dishwashers might have a drain function meaning it’s worthwhile consulting your instruction manual or doing a quick internet search to check.

Check the waste disposal

If your dishwasher is attached to a garbage disposal examine this first as an obstructed waste disposal will stop your dishwasher from emptying. Run the garbage disposal using lots of water to ensure there are no issues.

If you do discover a blockage drain cleaner or a plunger could be employed to clear the obstruction and so this may fix the fault.

Examine the sink for issues

If you sink is draining slowly this might indicate a plumbing issue rather than an error with your dishwasher.

If the sink is draining inefficiently you could try putting some bicarbonate of soda and vinegar down the plughole, letting it sit for a few minutes and then flushing it away with boiling water.

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

This might be all you need to do to allow the machine to drain so run a quick program at this point. If this hasn’t solved the problem you may remove the dirty water by hand using a jug and also a towel and have a look at the next few possible issues.

At this point make certain to disconnect the machine to stay safe.

If in the process of one of these investigations you suspect you may have discovered and fixed the problem you don’t need to go through the rest of the steps. Just run an empty cycle to make sure the dishwasher is now draining as it used to.

Check and wash the filters

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

Take out the filter then give it a good scrub before putting it back in place. Not all filters are obvious and straightforward to remove so you may need to look at the owners manual for this.

Is the drain hose blocked?

The next area to inspect is the waste water pipe. Many things could cause an obstruction 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.

Depending on the position of the waste hose (normally the ribbed one) you might have the means to view it by removing the base alternatively you may be required to pull the machine away from the wall.

Look at the pipe in the first instance to see if there are any kinks or it’s been squashed. You could manage fix these issues by hand which should deal with the issue, but be aware that once this has happened it is significantly more likely to happen again so you might need to buy a spare hose.

If you can’t see anything you can take off the waste pipe from the dishwasher and blow through it to discover any blockages. Be sure to put down newspaper or towels before you remove the hose as even if you have emptied the machine there could still be water in the pipe.

If you are unable to blow air through the waste hose this could be the issue.

Remove the other end of the hose and then give it a thorough clean to remove the obstruction. If you are unable to get rid of the blockage or the pipe is slit or degraded purchase a brand-new one. If you can clear the obstruction then re-attach the hose and run a quick program to check that you have solved the problem.

You may also check the point where the hose connects under your sink as well. This is a typical place for debris to build up so if you do take off the waste pipe give this point a good scrub as well.

Examine 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. Consult your instructions if you’re unsure.

Pushing down on the valve or giving it a jiggle should be adequate to let you know if it’s stuck. If you are able to see something blocking it remove this. If you are unable to, this may be a good time to get in touch with a repair person unless you are happy in purchasing and repairing the component on your own.

Examine your pump is not broken

Your appliance pump makes use of impellers that could become obstructed by pieces of china or other objects. Check your pump isn’t obstructed by removing the safety cover and making sure the impellers can rotate freely.

Listen to your dishwasher while it’s on

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

Call a plumber

If none of the above checks has fixed the fault, or you suspect the pump, pump valve or motor are not working, it might be the right time to call for help.

This way though you will at least be able to give them more information and have prevented having to pay a big repair charge for a blocked drain.

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