Why is My Dishwasher Not Draining?

Although it’s always irritating to open the dishwasher and find out it hasn’t drained properly, try not to panic just yet. You might manage solve the problem without having to call a repair person or purchase a new dishwasher.

Your dishwasher failing to empty may have any number of of causes a number of which are easy to solve. Therefore, in advance of calling a dishwasher repair service try this selection of potential things you may troubleshoot by yourself. A few of which aren’t even related to the machine itself.

Check the cycle wasn’t interrupted

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

The cycle might have been cut short for any number of of reasons. Children pressing controls, mistakenly leaning against the controls, a power outage or opening the dishwasher mid-cycle could all stop the cycle from completing and mean your dishwasher doesn’t empty.

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

A few machines could have a drain cycle so it’s worthwhile consulting your owners manual or consulting google to check.

Inspect the garbage disposal

If your dishwasher is connected to your disposal inspect this before you move on as a blocked waste disposal will block your machine from emptying. Run the garbage disposal using fast running water to make sure there are no issues.

If you do uncover a blockage drain cleaner or a plunger may be sought after to unclog the obstruction and so this could rectify the fault.

Inspect the sink waste for blockages

If you kitchen sink is draining inefficiently this might indicate an issue with the drains as opposed to a fault with your machine.

In the case that the sink is emptying slowly you may attempt putting some bicarb and white vinegar down the plughole, letting it sit for a while and subsequently flushing it through with hot water.

A sink plunger might also be used to attempt to dislodge the obstruction.

This might be sufficient to let the dishwasher to drain so start a quick rinse and drain cycle at this point. If not you can remove the water by hand using a bowl and a sponge and troubleshoot a few more likely causes.

Make sure you turn off the machine to stay safe.

If during any of these checks you think you may have detected and fixed the error you don’t have to go through the rest of the steps. Just start an empty program to check your dishwasher is fixed.

Examine and wash the filters

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

Remove the filter and scrub it thoroughly before putting it back in place. Not all filters are obvious and easy to remove so you might need to look at the manual for this.

Is the waste water hose obstructed?

The next area to check is the drain pipe. Stuck food, a kink in the hose or a crushed hose may all stop your machine from emptying.

Subject to the location of the hose (usually the corrugated one) you could have the means to view it simply by taking off the kick board alternatively you might need to move the machine away from the wall.

Look at the pipe in the first instance to find out if there are any kinks or it’s been squashed. You could manage fix these issues by hand which is likely to rectify the issue, but it’s worth noting that when this has occurred the probability of it occurring again is significantly increased so you could need to buy a new hose.

If you can’t see an issue you could remove the waste water pipe from the machine and blow through it to discover any blockages. Be sure to line the floor with newspaper or towels first as even if you have emptied the machine there might still be water in the pipe.

If you can’t blow through the waste hose this might be the issue.

Disconnect the other end of the hose in order to give it a good flush through to remove the blockage. If you can’t dislodge the obstruction or the hose is slit or worn acquire a brand-new one. If you can clear the obstruction then replace the hose and run a short program to make sure you have repaired the issue.

You may also examine where the waste pipe connects under your sink. This is a common spot for blockages to occur so if you happen to take off the waste hose give this connection a good scrub as well.

Inspect the drain valve

You could manually examine the drain valve to make sure it isn’t got stuck. The drain valve will generally be situated at the base of the dishwasher on the valve bracket. Examine your owners manual if you can’t see it.

Depressing the valve or giving it a wiggle should be sufficient to tell you if it’s stuck. If you can see anything blocking it carefully extract this. If you can’t, this might be the right time to get in touch with a plumber unless you are happy in ordering and replacing the valve yourself.

Examine your pump is not broken

Your water pump uses impellers that could get blocked by broken china or other objects. Check your impellers aren’t broken by taking off the safety cover and checking that the impellers can be easily rotated.

Listen to your dishwasher while it’s running

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

Call a plumber

If you have been through the above list and the error remains, or you think the pump, pump valve or motor are damaged, it may be the right time to call for help.

This way though you will at least manage give them more information and have managed to avoid needing to pay a hefty repair charge for a blocked drain.