Why is My Dishwasher Not Draining?

Although it’s never a pleasant sight to open the machine and discover the machine is still full of water, don’t overreact just yet. You might have the means to fix the problem before you have to call a repair person or acquire a new dishwasher.

Your machine failing to drain can have a number of of causes a proportion of which are straightforward to deal with. Therefore, before you call a dishwasher repair service here is a selection of possible components you can identify yourself. Some of which are not even caused by the dishwasher itself.

Ensure the dishwasher wasn’t interrupted mid-cycle

It is possible that there is nothing preventing your dishwasher from draining. Instead, the program may have been interrupted.

The program may have been interrupted for multiple of reasons. Little fingers pushing controls, inadvertently pressing against the buttons, a power cut or opening the dishwasher mid-program may all stop the cycle from completing and mean your machine doesn’t empty.

If you believe this may be the circumstance, or you feel it might be worthwhile checking start the dishwasher again on a short program.

Some dishwashers could have a drain program so it’s worthwhile consulting your instruction manual or consulting google to make sure.

Inspect the waste disposal

If you have a garbage disposal examine this first as an obstructed waste disposal will block the machine from emptying. Run the disposal with lots of water to make sure there are no obstructions.

If you do find a blockage drain un-blocker or a plunger can be used to clear the obstruction and this could rectify the fault.

Examine the sink for issues

If you kitchen sink is emptying reluctantly this might indicate a plumbing issue instead of an issue with your machine.

In the case that the sink is draining slowly you may attempt putting a little bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar down the drain, letting it sit for a while and subsequently flushing it away with boiling water.

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

This may be enough to allow your dishwasher to work again so run a quick rinse and drain program at this point. If not you can remove the standing water by hand using a jug as well as a sponge and check the next few possible issues.

Make sure you unplug the machine to prevent electrocution.

If while you are carrying out one of these examinations you suspect you may have found and solved the fault there is no need to continue to the next issue. Just start an empty cycle to check the machine is now emptying as it should.

Examine and scrub the filters

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

Remove the filter and give it a thorough clean before putting it back in place. Not all dishwashers have their filter in the same place so you might need to look at the instructions for this.

Is the drain pipe blocked?

The next component to examine is the waste water pipe. Many things could cause an obstruction including a build up of food debris, a kink in the hose, or a crushed hose. All of which could all prevent your machine from draining.

Depending on the location of the hose (usually the ribbed one) you may manage view it by removing the kick board alternatively you may have to move the machine away from under the counter.

Visually inspect the pipe first to discover if there are any kinks or it’s been squashed. You may be able to fix these issues by hand which is likely to deal with the issue, however, it’s worth noting that once this has occurred it is much more likely to happen again so you might need to purchase a replacement hose.

If you are unable to find an issue you may disconnect the drain hose from the pump and blow through it to check for any blockages. Make sure you put down newspaper or towels before you remove the hose as even if you have emptied the dishwasher there might still be water in the pipe.

If you are unable to blow air through the waste hose this could be the problem.

Remove the hose at the sink end and give it a good clean to remove the blockage. If you are unable to dislodge the blockage or the hose is slit or worn acquire a brand-new one. If you can get rid of the obstruction then replace the hose and start a quick program to double check that you have fixed the error.

You could also check where the waste hose connects to the sink. This is a typical place for blockages to occur so if you do take off the pipe give this area a good clean as well.

Examine the drain valve

You may manually inspect the drain valve to ensure it isn’t got stuck. The drain valve will often be situated at the base of the machine on the valve bracket. Check your instructions if you’re unsure.

Depressing the valve or wiggling it a bit will likely be sufficient to let you know if it’s stuck. If you are able to see anything blocking it remove this. If you are unable to, this might be a good time to get in touch with a plumber unless you are undaunted by procuring and swapping out the part yourself.

Examine your pump is not blocked

Your water pump uses impellers that could be blocked by broken glass or other objects. Check your impellers aren’t obstructed by removing the cover and ensuring that the impellers are free to move.

Run your machine and listen for any unusual noises

If the dishwasher sounds unusual your pump or motor may be damaged and need replacing.

Call a plumber

If none of the above checks has fixed the issue, or you suspect the pump, pump valve or motor are damaged, it might be the moment you need to call for help.

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

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