How To Fix Dishwasher Not Draining

A dishwasher is a luxurious appliance that helps you out in the kitchen with your daily chores, though it has some issues that need to be taken care of. One of these issues is its drainage system. There are a lot of reasons that can impair your dishwasher’s drainage system, most of which can easily be fixed at home.

A clogged dishwasher can cause a lot of inconveniences, much of which can easily be avoided by taking regular measures and committing to regular maintenance of your dishwasher. Regular maintenance and annual descaling of the dishwasher can save you a lot of hassle and time.

If your dishwasher is not draining, then you quickly need to find the root cause and fix it. In this article, we will help you find out why your dishwasher is not draining and share easy ways to fix it!

Dishwasher Not Draining? Here’s How to Fix It

There are many reasons why your dishwasher isn’t draining, most of which can be solved at home through DIYs and for the others, an engineer or a plumber would be needed to call in. To fix the issue faced by your dishwasher, you need to understand what’s causing it.

The drainage issue is comparatively easy to analyze and diagnose. The first step in diagnosing the problem being faced by your dishwasher is understanding how different parts of your dishwasher work.

Understanding The Parts Of Your Dishwasher

Dishwashers have a significant influence on daily living. It’s a truth that they’re more sanitary and efficient than manual washing. They help you save money, water, and time! However, clogged dishwashers are very stressful to deal with.

Do you know what dishwashers are composed of? They have a large number of components. To understand its drainage system better, here’s a list of all those parts of a dishwasher that participate in drainage.

1- Drain Impeller

Drain Impeller is the part that pushes out water from the dishwasher during draining. It is a small fan. This part also contains a seal that prevents the dishwasher from leaking. The drain impeller can be accessed from the bottom of the dishwasher.

2- Drain Pump

The drain pump is supposed to remove water from the dishwasher tub. There are three different kinds of pumps used in dishwashers. The most common one consists of an impeller and runs by a motor, the other is a single unit and runs through a solenoid.

3- Drain Valve

It is an outlet valve that is connected to the drain hose, its function is to help the water out of the tub of the dishwasher.

4- Drain Hose

The function of the drain hose is to drive dirty water out of the dishwasher and into the kitchen sink. This drain hose is slightly higher, and this loop serves a purpose. An air gap device is utilized to allow filthy water to exit the dishwasher while preventing it from returning inside the dishwasher.

5- Drain Basket

A drain basket is present underneath the racks in a dishwasher to catch food residue or debris and prevent the dishwasher from clogging.

6- Drain Pipe

The drain pipe carries dirty water from the unit to the air gap during a wash cycle. The drain water exists through the second hose and goes into the kitchen sink.

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Reasons Why Your Dishwasher Doesn’t Drain

Now that you have a better understanding of how different parts of your dishwasher work, let’s find out the reasons why your dishwasher is not draining. Here are some possible reasons why your dishwasher doesn’t drain:

1- Clogged Filter

The drain pump runs through a motor that is present inside of it with the drain impeller. If the motor isn’t working, the drain pump will also stop working resulting in the dishwasher not draining itself.

Solution

Remove the drain pump from the dishwasher and check if its motor is working. If the motor isn’t working, replace it with a new one.

2- Defective Drain Hose

Another common reason why your dishwasher might not drain is its defective drain hose. Loosen the clamps of the dishwasher drain hose and blow into it, if bubbles appear towards the dishwasher, the drain hose is working just fine. Check the dishwasher drain hose for any obstructions.

Solution

To avoid drained water from entering into the dishwasher again, there is a loop present in the drain hose. Make sure that the loop is present in the drain hose, if not, then the cause of standing water in your dishwasher is explanatory.

3- Clogged Garbage Disposal

If your dishwasher isn’t draining itself when a cycle ends and water is standing in the tub, then maybe it is due to the garbage disposal.

Garbage disposal will impair your dishwasher from draining dirty water by blocking its drain tube. Or because your disposer is clogged.

Solution

To fix this problem, check if the garbage disposal has blockages and remove them if present. Remove the drain hose and clean it. Sanitize the joint that connects the drain hose to the disposer. Remove large food particles manually from the garbage disposal and check your dishwasher’s food chopper.

4- Defective Drain Valves

Drain valves are present near the motor of your dishwasher, connected to the drain hose. If your dishwasher isn’t draining, you should check the drain valves. The main function of the drain valve is to drain water out from the dishwasher and prevent its backflow.

If the drain valves of your dishwasher are defective, it will allow the backflow of drained water. If the drain valves are clogged, they will prevent water from exiting the dishwasher. In both cases, water will stand inside the dishwasher and after a few days, it would start smelling like sewage.

Solution

To fix this issue, remove the drain valves and clean off any dirt present inside of them. If the valve is weary and old, replace it with a new one.

How do you tell whether the valve in your machine is defective? Drain by removing the drain hose, filling it with water, and attempting to drain.

You’ll see the valve opening as you struggle to keep the water from escaping. The drain valve will not shut again after emptying.

5- Faulty Dishwasher Timer

If your machine is very old, you should keep its control panel in check. One of the reasons why your dishwasher doesn’t drain is that its timer is faulty. It controls the drain motor.

Solution

Firstly, you need to check if your timer is indicating current. If no current passes, it means you need to replace the timer, if some current passes it means that the timer is still working and only needs repairing. Replace its wire from the point where the current breaks.

6- Blocked Drain Pump

When the dishwasher drain pump is clogged, it will not drain itself resulting in standing water. A blocked drain pipe doesn’t allow water to flow through. Drain pump failure is a common cause due to which the dishwasher doesn’t drain.

Solution

Drain pump replacements are inexpensive and easily available, the complicated part is reaching its location inside the dishwasher. Remove panel present below the door of the dishwasher, the drain pump is located on the bottom of the dishwasher and it will be easy to locate it.

Once you have located the dishwasher drain pump, slowly and carefully take it out and replace it with a new one.

7- Malfunctioned Drain Impeller

The drain impeller is a small fan that is responsible for drainage and preventing leakage. It is present inside the drain pump. If the drain impeller is malfunctioning, the dishwasher will not drain. To check on the impeller, remove the drain pump and see if the drain impeller is rotating. If it is rotating, then check if it is rotating in the right direction.

Solution

If the impeller isn’t draining or if it’s rotating in the wrong direction, you should replace the impeller and in severe cases, the drain pump needs to be removed and replaced.

8- Drain Motor Failure

The drain pump runs through a motor that is present inside of it with the drain impeller. If the motor isn’t working, the drain pump will also stop working resulting in the dishwasher not draining itself.

Solution

Remove the drain pump from the dishwasher and check if its motor is working. If the motor isn’t working, replace it with a new one.

READ ALSO

HOW TO LOAD DISHWASHER CORRECTLY
HOW TO CLEAN DISHWASHER AIR GAP

Final Words

Concluding this article, we would like to make it clear that the drainage issue of dishwashers mostly arises due to negligence and poor maintenance. To keep your dishwasher problem-free, you need to keep it clean. By regular vinegar and baking soda rinses, annual descaling, and often hot water wash cycles, you can ensure cleanliness in your dishwasher that will prevent it from clogging or smelling foul.

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