Why is My Dishwasher Not Draining?

No-one wishes to open their dishwasher and discover it hasn’t drained correctly but, try not to overreact just yet. You may manage fix the fault by yourself, without having to call a plumber or purchase a new dishwasher.

Your machine refusing to drain may be caused by multiple issues some of which can be simple to deal with. Therefore, before you call a dishwasher repair service try this selection of possible things you can troubleshoot by yourself. A number of which aren’t even caused by the dishwasher itself.

Check the cycle wasn’t cut short

If you’re fortunate the fact your dishwasher hasn’t emptied may not be a fault at all. Rather, the cycle might have been cut short.

The program might have been cut short for a number of of reasons. Children pushing buttons, mistakenly pressing on the control panel, a power outage or opening the machine mid-program might all interrupt the program and mean your machine 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 few appliances may have a drain cycle so it’s worth having a look at your manual or doing a quick internet search to check.

Inspect the disposal

If you have a garbage disposal examine this before you do anything else as a blocked waste disposal will prevent your machine from emptying. Run the waste disposal with fast running water to make sure there are no blockages.

If you do discover an issue drain unclogger or a plunger may be employed to unclog the blockage and so this might solve the issue.

Check the sink for issues

If you sink is draining slowly this might signify an issue with the pipes instead of a fault with your machine.

In the case that the sink is draining inefficiently you can try putting a little bicarbonate of soda and vinegar down the plughole, leaving it for a few minutes and then washing it through with boiling water.

A plunger may also be employed to try and dislodge the obstruction.

This might be sufficient to permit the appliance to drain so start a short program now. If this hasn’t sorted the issue you may manually empty the dishwasher using a jug as well as a towel and troubleshoot a few more likely causes.

Make certain to turn off the dishwasher to stay safe.

If during one of these examinations you think you may have found and fixed the problem you don’t have to go through the remaining issues. Just start an empty program to ensure your machine is fixed.

Inspect and clean the filters

Corn Kernels, labels from food jars, plastic covers and smashed glass, plus scraps of food, may all obstruct the machine filter. Clear film could also be difficult to see if you don’t look carefully.

Remove the filter and scrub it thoroughly before replacing it. Not all filters are obvious and easy to remove so you may need to consult the manual for this.

Is the waste hose obstructed?

The next place to examine is the waste pipe. 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 could all prevent your dishwasher from draining.

Depending on the position of the waste hose (generally the ribbed one) you may be able to look at it by means of taking off the kick plate or you may need to move the dishwasher out from under the counter.

Have a look at the hose in the first instance to discover if it has been crushed or kinked. You may manage fix these issues by hand which should resolve the issue, however, it’s worth noting that when this has happened it is much more inclined to happen again so you could need to buy a new hose.

If you are unable to see any obvious kinks or obstructions you can take off the waste water hose 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 there may still be dirty water in the pipe.

If you can’t blow air through the waste pipe this might be the reason your dishwasher isn’t draining.

Remove the hose at the sink end and give it a thorough clean to remove the blockage. If you are unable to get rid of the obstruction or the hose is slit or damaged invest in a new one. If you may remove the obstruction then replace the hose and run a quick program to find out if you have fixed the problem.

You may also examine the point where the hose attaches to the sink. This is a typical spot for a build-up of gunk so if you do remove the hose give this connection a thorough clean as well.

Check the drain valve

You can inspect the drain valve by hand to ensure it isn’t got stuck. The drain valve will most often be situated in the bottom of the dishwasher on the valve bracket. Check your instructions if you’re not sure.

Pushing down on the valve or giving it a wiggle should be sufficient to let you know if it’s stuck. If you are able to see an object stopping it from moving remove this. If you can’t, this could be when you should ring a repair person unless you are happy in purchasing and swapping out the part on your own.

Check your pump is not broken

Your appliance pump makes use of impellers that can be blocked by pieces of glass or other debris. Check your pump isn’t blocked by taking off the cover and checking that the impellers can rotate freely.

Run your machine and listen for any unusual sounds

If it sounds unusual your dishwasher pump or motor might be broken and need to be repaired.

Call a plumber

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

At least having attempted to investigate what is wrong you have managed to avoid needing to pay a hefty repair charge for a blocked drain.

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