Why is My Dishwasher Not Draining?

No-one is happy to open their dishwasher and discover standing water but, don’t overreact just yet. You may manage solve the fault before you have to call a plumber or purchase a new machine.

Standing water in your dishwasher can have a number of of causes some of which can be straightforward to resolve. Therefore, before you call a dishwasher repair service try this list of possible components you can correct by yourself. A number of which aren’t even a fault of the dishwasher itself.

Ensure the cycle wasn’t cut short

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

The program could have been interrupted for a number of of reasons. Little fingers pushing buttons, mistakenly pushing against the control panel, a power cut or opening the dishwasher mid-cycle might all interrupt the program and mean your dishwasher doesn’t empty.

If you think this may be the circumstance, or you just want to be sure it’s not the issue start the machine again on a short program.

A proportion machines may have a drain program meaning it’s worthwhile having a look at your instructions or checking online to find out.

Check the garbage disposal

If you have a garbage disposal inspect this before you do anything else as an obstructed waste disposal will prevent the machine from draining. Run the disposal with plenty of water to make sure there are no blockages.

If you do discover an issue drain cleaner or a plunger may be used to clear the blockage and so this may solve the problem.

Examine the sink waste for blockages

If you sink is emptying reluctantly this may suggest a plumbing issue rather than a fault with your dishwasher.

If the kitchen sink is emptying slowly you can try putting some bicarb and vinegar down the drain, leaving it for a while and subsequently flushing it away with hot water.

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

This may be enough to allow your appliance to empty so start a short rinse and drain program to check. If not you may remove the dirty water by hand using a jug and also a sponge and troubleshoot the next few possible issues.

Make certain to turn off the dishwasher to stay safe.

If while you are carrying out any one of these checks you believe you may have found and repaired the error you don’t have to go through the remaining issues. Just start an empty cycle to ensure the machine is repaired.

Examine and wash the filters

Popcorn, paper from containers, film covers and smashed glass, as well as scraps of food, could all obstruct the machine filter. Clear plastic lids can also be difficult to see if you don’t look closely.

Remove the filter and wash it thoroughly before replacing it. Not all dishwashers have their filter in the same location so you may need to look at the instructions for this.

Is the waste water pipe blocked?

The next component to examine is the drain hose. 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 stop your machine from emptying.

Depending on the position of the hose (generally the corrugated one) you may manage look at it by taking off the kick board alternatively you might be required to pull the dishwasher out from the wall.

Visually inspect the pipe first to find out if it has been squashed or kinked. You might be able to manually remove any kinks which is likely to rectify the issue, but it’s worth noting that once this has occurred it is significantly more likely to happen again so you may need to order a replacement hose.

If you are unable to find anything you could disconnect the waste pipe from the dishwasher and blow into it to discover any blockages. Be sure to put down newspaper or towels first as even if you have emptied the dishwasher there might still be water in the hose.

If you can’t blow through the hose this could be the problem.

Take off the other end of the hose and give it a good flush through to remove the blockage. If you can’t get rid of the blockage or the waste hose is split or worn buy a new one. If you could remove the obstruction then put the hose back and start a short program to make sure you have fixed the fault.

You may also check where the waste pipe attaches to the waste disposal. This is a typical point for blockages to occur so if you happen to remove the pipe give this area a good clean as well.

Inspect the drain valve

You could manually examine the drain valve to make sure it isn’t stopped working. The drain valve will most often be situated at the base of the machine on the valve bracket. Consult your owners manual if you’re unsure.

Pushing down on the valve or wiggling it a bit should be enough to let you know if it’s seized. If you can see an object stopping it from moving remove this. If you are unable to, this might be when you should ring a repair person unless you are undaunted by purchasing and replacing the valve yourself.

Inspect your pump is not blocked

Your appliance pump makes use of impellers that may become obstructed by broken china or other objects. Check your impellers aren’t blocked by removing the safety cover and checking that the impellers can be easily rotated.

Listen to your dishwasher while it’s on

If your dishwasher doesn’t sound normal your dishwasher pump or motor might be broken and need replacing.

Call a repair person

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

At least having tried to investigate what is wrong you have avoided having to pay a hefty repair charge for a clogged filter.

More Dishwasher Problems:

CLICK-TO-CALL