Why is My Dishwasher Not Draining?

Although it’s always irritating to open a dishwasher and discover the machine hasn’t emptied properly, don’t lose it just yet. You may have the means to solve the fault by yourself, without having to call a repair person or buy a brand-new dishwasher.

Standing water in your machine may have multiple of causes a number of which can be easy to resolve. Therefore, in advance of calling a dishwasher repair service here is a selection of possible issues you can correct on your own. Some of which aren’t even a fault of the machine itself.

Check the dishwasher wasn’t interrupted mid-program

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

The cycle may have been interrupted for a number of of reasons. Children pressing buttons, mistakenly pushing on the controls, a power outage or opening the dishwasher mid-program could all interrupt the program and mean your machine doesn’t empty.

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

Some appliances might have an empty cycle meaning it’s well worth having a look at your instruction manual or doing a quick internet search to make sure.

Inspect the garbage disposal

If your dishwasher is plumbed into the waste disposal examine this first as a blocked waste disposal will block the machine from emptying. Run the waste disposal with lots of water to ensure there are no blockages.

If you do discover an issue drain unclogger or a plunger could be sought after to clear the blockage and this may solve the error.

Examine the plumbing for clogs

If you kitchen sink is draining slowly this might suggest a plumbing issue as opposed to a problem with your dishwasher.

In the case that the kitchen sink is draining inefficiently you could try putting some bicarb and white vinegar down the drain, leaving it for a few minutes and subsequently rinsing it away with boiling water.

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

This may be all you need to do to allow your appliance to drain so start a quick rinse and drain program now. If this hasn’t solved the problem you can remove the water by hand using a jug and a towel and troubleshoot the next few possible issues.

Make certain to unplug the dishwasher to prevent electrocution.

If while you are carrying out any of these investigations you think you may have discovered and solved the fault there is no need to continue to the next step. Just complete an empty cycle to check the dishwasher is repaired.

Check and scrub the filters

Any number of things could block the filters including popcorn, labels from food jars, film covers and smashed glass. Clear glass may also be hard to see if you don’t look carefully.

Take out the filter and scrub it thoroughly before replacing it. Not all filters are obvious and straightforward to remove so you might need to refer to the instructions for this.

Is the drain hose obstructed?

The next component to check is the drain pipe. Stuck food, a kink in the hose or a crushed hose can all impede your machine from emptying.

Contingent upon the location of the waste pipe (usually the ribbed one) you might manage view it by means of lifting away the kick board alternatively you could have to pull the dishwasher away from the wall.

Have a look at the pipe in the first instance to see if it has been squashed or kinked. You may have the means to fix these issues by hand which is likely to fix the issue, however, it’s worth noting that once this has happened the chance of it happening again is massively increased so you may wish to order a replacement hose.

If you can’t see an issue you may take off the waste water hose from the pump and blow through it to check for any blockages. Make sure you line the floor with newspaper or towels before you remove the hose as there may still be dirty water in the hose.

If you can’t blow air through the hose this could be the reason your dishwasher isn’t emptying.

Take off the hose at the sink end in order to give it a thorough flush through to get rid of the obstruction. If you are unable to dislodge the obstruction or the waste pipe is split or damaged acquire a new one. If you could clear the blockage then put the hose back and start a short cycle to find out if you have solved the issue.

You can also examine the point where the hose connects under your sink as well. This is a common point for debris to build up so if you happen to take off the hose give this connection a good scrub as well.

Examine the drain valve

You may manually inspect the drain valve to ensure it hasn’t stopped working. The drain valve will usually be located in the bottom of the machine on the valve bracket. Consult your manual if you can’t see it.

Pushing down on the valve or wiggling it a bit will likely be sufficient to find out if it’s stuck. If you are able to see anything stopping it from moving remove this. If you can’t, this might be when you should call a repair person unless you are happy in procuring and repairing the valve on your own.

Examine your pump is not broken

Your dishwasher pump makes use of impellers that may be obstructed by broken china or other debris. Check your impellers aren’t broken by taking off the safety cover and making sure the impellers are free to move.

Listen to your dishwasher while it’s on

If it sounds unusual your pump or motor might be broken and need replacing.

Call a repair person

If none of the above checks has fixed the problem, or you suspect the pump, pump valve or motor are broken, it might be the right time to call your local repair person.

This way though you will at least manage give them more information and have avoided having to pay a big call-out charge for a blocked hose.

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