Why is My Dishwasher Not Draining?

No-one wants to open their machine and discover standing water but, try not to panic just yet. You might manage deal with the error without having to call a plumber or invest in a brand-new dishwasher.

Standing water in your machine can have multiple of causes a proportion of which are simple to figure out. Therefore, before you call a dishwasher repair service try this selection of possible components you may identify by yourself. A number of which aren’t even caused by the machine itself.

Ensure the dishwasher wasn’t interrupted mid-program

It is possible that there is nothing stopping your dishwasher from draining. Rather, the cycle might have been stopped mid-way.

The program may have been cut short for any number of of reasons. Kids pushing controls, accidentally pushing against the buttons, a power cut or opening the dishwasher mid-program may all interrupt the program and mean your machine doesn’t empty.

If you think this could be the case, or you feel it could be a good idea to check run the dishwasher again on a quick cycle.

A few appliances could have an empty program meaning it’s worthwhile checking your manual or doing a quick internet search to make sure.

Check the waste disposal

If you have a waste disposal inspect this first as a blocked disposal will block your dishwasher from draining. Turn on the waste disposal with plenty of water to make sure there are no obstructions.

If you do uncover an issue drain unclogger or a natural alternative can be used to unclog the blockage and this may solve the issue.

Examine the plumbing for clogs

If you sink is draining reluctantly this could suggest an issue with the drains rather than a problem with your dishwasher.

In the case that the sink is draining reluctantly you may try putting some bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar down the drain, letting it sit for a few minutes, then flushing it through with hot water.

A plunger could also be used to attempt to remove the blockage.

This could be enough to permit the appliance to drain so run a short rinse and empty cycle now. If this hasn’t worked you can manually remove the standing water using a cup and also a towel and have a look at a few more areas.

Make certain to disconnect the machine to stay safe.

If while you are carrying out one of these examinations you suspect you may have detected and repaired the error there is no need to continue to the next issue. Just run an empty program to make sure the dishwasher is repaired.

Inspect and wash the filters

Popcorn, labels from tupperware, film lids and broken glass, plus scraps of food, could all block the machine filter. Clear plastic lids can also be hard to spot if you don’t look closely.

Take out the filter and give it a thorough 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 waste pipe obstructed?

The next area to examine is the waste water hose. Stuck food, a kink in the hose or a crushed hose can all impede your dishwasher from emptying.

Contingent upon the position of the hose (usually the corrugated one) you may be able to inspect it by lifting away the base or you could be required to move the machine out from the wall.

Visually inspect the pipe first to see if there are any kinks or it’s been squashed. You may manage fix these issues by hand which is likely to rectify the issue, but it’s worth noting that once this has happened it is much more inclined to happen again so you may wish to order a new hose.

If you can’t see any obvious kinks or obstructions you could disconnect the waste pipe from the pump and blow through it to figure out if there are any blockages. Be sure to line the floor with newspaper or towels first as there might still be waste water in the hose.

If you are unable to blow air through the waste pipe this might be the reason your machine isn’t draining.

Remove the other end of the hose and then give it a good flush through to remove the blockage. If you can’t remove the blockage or the waste pipe is cracked or degraded purchase a brand-new one. If you could get rid of the obstruction then put the hose back and run a quick program to make sure you have fixed the problem.

You could also inspect the point where the waste hose connects to the waste disposal as well. This is a likely spot for blockages to occur so if you do remove the waste pipe give this area a good scrub as well.

Examine the drain valve

You could manually examine the drain valve to make sure it isn’t got stuck. The drain valve will often be located in the bottom of the dishwasher on the valve bracket. Check your owners manual if you’re unsure.

Depressing the valve or giving it a jiggle should be enough to find out if it’s seized. If you can see an object blocking it remove this. If you can’t, this could be the right time to ring a repair person unless you are undaunted by purchasing and swapping out the valve on your own.

Inspect your pump is not broken

Your water pump makes use of impellers that could get blocked by pieces of china or other objects. Check your impellers aren’t obstructed by removing the safety cover and checking that the impellers can be easily rotated.

Listen to your dishwasher while it’s on

If the dishwasher is making funny noises your pump or motor might be faulty and need to be repaired.

Call a plumber

If you have been through the above list and the issue persists, or you suspect the pump, pump valve or motor are not working, it could be a good time to call a plumber.

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