Why is My Dishwasher Not Draining?

Although it’s always annoying to open your machine and realize the machine is still full of water, don’t overreact just yet. You may have the means to deal with the fault without having to call a repair person or buy a brand-new machine.

Your machine declining to drain can have a number of of causes a number of which are simple to solve. Therefore, before you call a dishwasher repair service here is a list of possible components you may correct on your own. A proportion of which aren’t even a fault of the machine itself.

Check the program wasn’t stopped mid-way

If you’re lucky the standing water you have discovered may not be an issue at all. Alternatively, the cycle might have been interrupted.

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

If you suspect this might be the circumstance, or you feel it could be worthwhile checking run your dishwasher again on a short cycle.

Some appliances could have a drain program so it’s worth having a look at your instruction manual or checking online to make sure.

Check the disposal

If your dishwasher is plumbed into your garbage disposal check this before you move on as an obstructed disposal will block the dishwasher from draining. Run the waste disposal using lots of water to ensure there are no obstructions.

If you do find an issue drain un-blocker or a natural alternative can be employed to remove the obstruction and this may fix the fault.

Check the sink waste for issues

If you kitchen sink is draining reluctantly this might indicate an issue with the plumbing rather than a fault with your machine.

In the case that the sink is draining slowly you could attempt putting some bicarb and vinegar down the plughole, letting it sit for a while and then rinsing it away with hot water.

A plunger might also be used to attempt to dislodge the blockage.

This could be all you need to do to permit your dishwasher to drain so run a quick rinse and empty program to check. If this hasn’t worked you may manually remove the dirty water using a bowl and a sponge and check the next few possible issues.

Make sure you unplug the dishwasher to stay safe.

If during any of these investigations you believe you may have detected and solved the issue you don’t need to go through the remaining issues. Just complete an empty cycle to ensure the machine is repaired.

Examine and scrub the filters

Corn Kernels, paper from tupperware, plastic lids and broken glass, plus food debris, may all block the dishwasher filter. Clear plastic lids could also be hard to see if you aren’t looking for it.

Remove the filter and give it a good wash before putting it back in place. Not all filters are obvious and straightforward to remove so you might need to look at the owners manual for this.

Is the waste water hose blocked?

The next place to check is the waste hose. 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 impede your dishwasher from draining.

Depending on the location of the waste hose (normally the corrugated one) you might be able to view it by means of taking off the base or you could be required to pull the machine out from the wall.

Look at the hose in the first instance to find out if it has been squashed or kinked. You might be able to fix these issues by hand which is likely to fix the issue, however, be aware that once this has happened the chance of it occurring again is significantly increased so you might wish to buy a replacement hose.

If you are unable to see anything you may take off the waste water pipe from the pump and blow through it to figure out if there are any blockages. Make sure you line the floor with newspaper or towels first as even if you have emptied the machine there may still be water in the pipe.

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

Take off the other end of the hose in order to give it a good flush through to clear the blockage. If you are unable to dislodge the obstruction or the waste pipe is cracked or degraded buy a new one. If you can get rid of the obstruction then put the hose back and run a quick program to find out if you have solved the issue.

You may also check where the waste hose attaches to the waste disposal as well. This is a likely point for a build-up of gunk so if you happen to take off the waste hose give this area a thorough clean as well.

Check the drain valve

You can manually inspect the drain valve to make sure it hasn’t stopped working. The drain valve will usually be located at the base of the dishwasher on the valve bracket. Examine your owners manual if you can’t see it.

Depressing the valve or giving it a jiggle will likely be sufficient to let you know if it’s stuck. If you are able to see something blocking it get rid of this. If you can’t, this may be a good time to get in touch with a repair person unless you are happy in ordering and repairing the part yourself.

Inspect 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 pump isn’t blocked by removing the cover and checking that the impellers are free to move.

Listen to your dishwasher while it’s running

If your dishwasher sounds unusual your pump or motor might be broken and need to be repaired.

Call a repair person

If none of the above checks has repaired the fault, or you have reason to believe the pump, pump valve or motor are broken, it might be the right time to call for help.

At least having attempted to fix the problem yourself you have avoided having to pay a big repair fee for a blocked drain.