Dishwasher Won’t Dry

It’s time to empty the dishwasher and put away the clean dishes. Now imagine your surprise when you find that the dishes are still wet. You discover that the problem is not your rinsing agent or drying settings. It could be the dishwasher unit itself.

In this brief article, we will show you four things to check for. In the event that you don’t get results inspecting these, then your best option would be to contact us for dishwasher repair so we can tend to the problem and fix it.

WHY A DISHWASHER  STOPS DRYING

HIGH-LIMIT THERMOSTAT

The high-limit thermostat (HLT) is an important component in keeping your dishwasher from overheating. If the water inside during operation reaches a specific temperature, it automatically shuts off the heating element so your unit will not overheat. But if the HLT fails, the dishwasher will operate cooler, due to the premature shut off of the heating element.

For testing, use a multimeter to see if electricity is running through it. If it does not show this, the HLT is inoperable, and you will have to replace it. But as long as you have electricity running through it, the high-limit thermostat is okay.

HEATING ELEMENT

The heating element does two things:

• It heats the dishwasher tub to help clean the dishes
• It assists in drying your dishes at the end of a cycle

Inspect the element for damage or malfunction. If you’re not certain what you should be looking for, give us a call. If there is not much heat coming from the dishwasher in the middle of any cycle, you will want to next check for wiring that may be defective. You may also want to check the control settings or check for a blown fuse inside of your unit’s heating circuit.

VENT & FAN ASSEMBLY

Right at the beginning of the drying cycle, the vent should open to enable the fan to transfer the hot air and humidity from the tub of the dishwasher. If it does not open, or if the fan is not working the humidity is trapped, and the dishes won’t dry. You may also detect fan problems if your dishwasher quits during a cycle. If either one of these parts fails, they should be replaced.

DETERGENT DISPENSER

If your detergent dispenser is leaking at any time, then it is probably not opening when it’s supposed to. Check it for damage, such as cracks or dents. If you find any of this happening with your dispenser, then you will need to replace either the dispenser or the entire assembly. This all depends on the make and model of your dishwasher.

SUMMARY

We hope that these four checkpoints will get you closer to resolving the drying issues with your dishwasher. Check the HLT, the heating element, the vent and fan, and finally the detergent dispenser. However, in the event you cannot resolve the issues after checking these four items, or you get stuck in the process, please call our appliance repair company.