Why is My Dishwasher Not Draining?

No-one wants to open their machine and discover it hasn’t emptied fully but, try not to lose it just yet. You may be able to figure out the problem by yourself, without having to call a plumber or purchase a new dishwasher.

Standing water in your dishwasher could be induced by any number of issues a few of which can be simple to deal with. So, in advance of calling a dishwasher repair service try this lineup of probable components you may troubleshoot on your own. A proportion of which aren’t even caused by the dishwasher itself.

Check the cycle wasn’t cut short

It is probable that there is nothing preventing your dishwasher from emptying. Rather, the program could have been interrupted.

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

If you believe this may be the case, or you feel it may be a good idea to check run your dishwasher again on a quick program.

A few machines might have an empty cycle so it’s well worth checking your instructions or checking online to check.

Examine the waste disposal

If your dishwasher is plumbed into a garbage disposal check this before you move on as an obstructed disposal will block your dishwasher from emptying. Turn on the garbage disposal with plenty of water to check there are no obstructions.

If you do uncover an issue drain cleaner or a natural alternative could be used to remove the blockage and so this might deal with the fault.

Check the sink waste for issues

If you sink is draining slowly this may indicate an issue with the plumbing instead of a problem with your machine.

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

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

This could be enough to let your appliance to empty so start a quick cycle at this point. If this hasn’t sorted the issue you may remove the dirty water by hand using a cup and a sponge and troubleshoot the next few possible issues.

Make certain to unplug the machine to stay safe.

If in the process of any one of these checks you think you may have discovered and repaired the error you don’t need to go through the remaining steps. Just start an empty cycle to make sure the machine is once again draining as it used to.

Examine and scrub the filters

Popcorn, paper from containers, film lids and broken glass, plus food debris, may all obstruct the machine filter. Clear plastic lids may also be difficult to spot if you aren’t looking for it.

Take out the filter then wash it thoroughly before putting it back in place. Not all dishwashers have their filter in the same location so you may need to refer to the manual for this.

Is the waste hose blocked?

The next component to inspect is the drain hose. Stuck food, a kink in the hose or a crushed hose could all prevent your dishwasher from draining.

Contingent upon the position of the waste pipe (generally the ribbed one) you could be able to look at it simply by lifting away the kick board alternatively you could need to move the dishwasher away from the wall.

Have a look at the pipe in the first instance to discover if it has been crushed or kinked. You may have the means to manually fix any kinks which is likely to deal with the issue, but it’s worth noting that when this has occurred the probability of it happening again is greatly increased so you may wish to buy a replacement hose.

If you are unable to find an issue you could take off the waste pipe from the pump and blow into it to figure out if there are any blockages. Be sure to put down newspaper or towels before you remove the hose as even if you have emptied the dishwasher there could still be waste water in the pipe.

If you are unable to blow through the pipe this may be the issue.

Remove the hose at the sink end in order to give it a thorough clean to remove the blockage. If you can’t dislodge the obstruction or the waste pipe is cracked or worn invest in a brand-new one. If you could remove the blockage then put the hose back and start a short program to make sure you have solved the problem.

You may also check the point where the waste hose connects to the waste disposal as well. This is a likely place for debris to build up so if you happen to remove the waste pipe give this point a thorough scrub as well.

Check the drain valve

You can manually check the drain valve to make sure it hasn’t got stuck. The drain valve will generally be situated at the base of the machine on the valve bracket. Check your instruction manual if you can’t see it.

Depressing the valve or wiggling it a bit should be adequate to tell you if it’s stuck. If you can see an object blocking it remove this. If you are unable to, this may be a good time to get in touch with a plumber unless you are confident in ordering and swapping out the valve on your own.

Examine your pump is not broken

Your water pump uses impellers that may get obstructed by pieces of glass or other objects. Check your pump isn’t blocked by removing the safety cover and making sure the impellers can be easily rotated.

Listen to your dishwasher while it’s on

If your dishwasher doesn’t sound right your pump or motor may be broken and need to be repaired.

Call a repair person

If none of the above examinations has fixed the fault, or you think the pump, pump valve or motor are broken, it might be time to call a plumber.

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

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