Why is My Dishwasher Not Draining?

No-one wants to open their dishwasher and discover standing water but, don’t lose it just yet. You might be able to deal with the issue before you have to call a plumber or invest in a brand-new machine.

Your dishwasher failing to drain may have any number of of causes a number of which are straightforward to rectify. Therefore, before you call a dishwasher repair service try this selection of potential things you could troubleshoot by yourself. Some of which aren’t even related to the dishwasher itself.

Check the program wasn’t cut short

If you’re lucky the fact your dishwasher hasn’t emptied may not be a problem at all. Instead, the cycle could have been stopped mid-way.

The program may have been stopped mid-way for any number of of reasons. Kids pushing controls, mistakenly pressing on the control panel, a power outage or opening the dishwasher mid-cycle might all interrupt the program and mean your dishwasher doesn’t drain.

If you believe this may be the case, or you just want to be sure it’s not the issue start the dishwasher again on a quick program.

A few dishwashers could have an empty capacity meaning it’s worthwhile checking your manual or consulting google to find out.

Inspect the waste disposal

If your dishwasher is plumbed into your waste disposal examine this before you move on as an obstructed garbage disposal will stop the machine from emptying. Turn on the garbage disposal with lots of water to ensure there are no issues.

If you do uncover an obstruction drain unclogger or a natural alternative could be sought after to clear the blockage and this might fix the problem.

Examine the sink for issues

If you kitchen sink is emptying inefficiently this may indicate a plumbing issue instead of a fault with your machine.

If the kitchen sink is emptying reluctantly you may try putting some bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar down the plughole, leaving it for a while and subsequently flushing it through with hot water.

A plunger could also be used to attempt to shift the obstruction.

This might be enough to let the appliance to drain so run a short rinse and empty program at this point. If this hasn’t solved the problem you could manually remove the standing water using a jug and also a sponge and troubleshoot a few more possible issues.

Make sure you unplug the dishwasher to avoid electrocution.

If in the process of any one of these checks you think you have detected and fixed the fault there is no need to continue to the next issue. Just complete an empty cycle to check the dishwasher is repaired.

Inspect and rinse the filters

Any number of things could block the filters including popcorn, paper from tupperware, plastic film covers and broken glass. Clear plastic lids could also be difficult to spot if you don’t look closely.

Take out the filter and give it a good wash before replacing it. Not all filters are obvious and straightforward to remove so you may need to consult the manual for this.

Is the waste water hose obstructed?

The next place to inspect is the drain hose. Stuck food, a kink in the hose or a crushed hose can all stop your dishwasher from emptying.

Subject to the location of the waste pipe (usually the ribbed one) you may be able to look at it by means of taking off the base alternatively you may need to pull the dishwasher away from the wall.

Visually examine the pipe first to find out if it has been squashed or kinked. You may manage fix these issues by hand which is likely to deal with the issue, but be aware that once this has occurred it is significantly more likely to happen again so you could wish to purchase a spare hose.

If you can’t see an issue you may take off the drain pipe from the machine and blow through it to discover any blockages. Make sure you 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 hose.

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

Take off the hose at the sink end in order to give it a good clean to clear the blockage. If you can’t get rid of the blockage or the waste pipe is slit or degraded invest in a new one. If you could remove the blockage then put the hose back and run a short cycle to check that you have solved the problem.

You can also inspect the point where the pipe attaches under your sink as well. This is a common place for a build-up of gunk so if you happen to take off the waste pipe give this connection a good clean as well.

Check the drain valve

You could manually check the drain valve to check it isn’t got stuck. The drain valve will most often be found at the base of the dishwasher on the valve bracket. Consult your owners manual if you’re unsure.

Depressing the valve or giving it a wiggle should be adequate to find out if it’s stuck. If you can see any debris blocking it remove this. If you are unable to, this could be the right time to get in touch with a plumber unless you are happy in purchasing and swapping out the component on your own.

Examine your pump is not blocked

Your dishwasher pump makes use of impellers that could be obstructed by pieces of china or other debris. Check your impellers aren’t broken by taking off the cover and ensuring that the impellers can be easily rotated.

Listen to your dishwasher while it’s on

If the dishwasher is making funny noises your dishwasher pump or motor may be damaged and need replacing.

Call a plumber

If none of the above investigations has fixed the problem, or you have reason to believe the pump, pump valve or motor are damaged, it might be time to get the professionals.

This way though you will at least be able to give them more information and have prevented having to pay a hefty repair charge for a blocked drain.