Why is My Dishwasher Not Draining? | Dearborn Appliance Repair

Although it’s never a welcome sight to open your machine and find out the machine hasn’t drained fully, try not to lose it just yet. You may have the means to figure out the issue without having to call a repair person or buy a new dishwasher.

Your dishwasher refusing to empty may be caused by multiple things a few of which are simple to figure out. Therefore, before you call a dishwasher repair service here is a lineup of potential things you may correct by yourself. Some of which are not even a fault of the machine itself.

Check the program wasn’t interrupted

It is probable that there is nothing preventing your dishwasher from emptying. Alternatively, the program might have been stopped mid-way.

The cycle could have been cut short for a number of of reasons. Children pushing controls, accidentally pushing on the controls, a power outage or opening the machine mid-cycle may all interrupt the cycle and mean your machine doesn’t empty.

If you believe this may be the situation, or you feel it might be a good idea to check run the machine again on a quick cycle.

A few dishwashers may have an empty function meaning it’s well worth consulting your instruction manual or doing a quick internet search to find out.

Examine the garbage disposal

If your dishwasher is connected to your garbage disposal examine this before you do anything else as an obstructed disposal will block your machine from emptying. Run the disposal using plenty of water to check there are no obstructions.

If you do uncover a blockage drain unclogger or a plunger could be sought after to unclog the blockage and so this could deal with the error.

Check the sink for blockages

If you kitchen sink is draining reluctantly this may signify a plumbing issue as opposed to a problem with your machine.

If the sink is draining slowly you could attempt putting some bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar down the plughole, letting it sit for a while and subsequently washing it away with hot water.

A sink plunger could also be utilized to try and shift the obstruction.

This may be all you need to do to let your appliance to empty so run a short cycle now. If this hasn’t solved the problem you may manually empty the dishwasher using a cup and also a sponge and have a look at the next few possible issues.

Make certain to turn off the machine to avoid electrocution.

If while you are carrying out any one of these checks you believe you have detected and fixed the problem you don’t need to go through the remaining issues. Just run an empty cycle to make sure the machine is fixed.

Inspect and clean the filters

Any number of things could block the filters including corn kernels, labels from jars, plastic film covers and smashed glass. Clear film can also be hard to see if you don’t look closely.

Remove the filter and wash it thoroughly before replacing it. Not all filters are obvious and easy to remove so you might need to look at the instructions for this.

Is the waste water hose obstructed?

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

Contingent upon the position of the hose (normally the corrugated one) you might manage view it by lifting away the kick plate or you could need to move the dishwasher away from under the counter.

Look at the pipe first to see if there are any kinks or it’s been squashed. You may be able to manually fix any kinks which should solve the issue, however, be aware that once this has occurred it is much more likely to happen again so you could need to buy a new hose.

If you are unable to find anything you could remove the waste hose from the machine and blow into it to check for any blockages. Make sure you put down newspaper or towels first as even if you have emptied the dishwasher there may still be waste water in the hose.

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

Take off the other end of the hose in order to give it a good clean to clear the blockage. If you can’t get rid of the obstruction or the waste pipe is slit or worn purchase a new one. If you may get rid of the obstruction then replace the hose and start a short cycle to double check that you have solved the fault.

You could also examine where the waste hose connects under your sink. This is a common point for blockages to occur so if you do take off the hose give this connection a good clean as well.

Examine the drain valve

You can check the drain valve by hand to ensure it hasn’t seized. The drain valve will most often be found in the bottom of the dishwasher on the valve bracket. Consult your instructions if you can’t see it.

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 an object blocking it carefully extract this. If you are unable to, this might be when you should ring a plumber unless you are undaunted by procuring and replacing the valve on your own.

Inspect your pump is not broken

Your dishwasher pump uses impellers that could become blocked by pieces of china or other objects. Check your impellers aren’t obstructed by taking off the safety cover and making sure the impellers can rotate freely.

Run your machine and listen for any unusual sounds

If it is making funny noises your dishwasher pump or motor might be faulty and need replacing.

Call a plumber

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

At least having done your best to fix the problem yourself you have prevented having to pay a big repair charge for a blocked drain.