You can waste an awful lot of time and energy when you wash your dishes by hand – using a dishwasher is a safe and sanitary way of getting your dishes thoroughly clean using minimum amounts of water and electricity. On the rare occasion that you may have problems with your dishwasher not working properly it’s good to know you may not have to go out and buy a new appliance! Here’s a helpful guide to troubleshooting a dishwasher that won’t drain…
There are a few simple and easy checks you can carry out yourself before you have to call in the professionals – don’t forget to switch the appliance off at the mains and unplug before you start any work. You can try and repair a dishwasher that won’t drain by:
1. Checking the filters
Remember to drain the water before opening the filter by using the emergency drain hose located next to it – if you open the filter before doing this it may cause a mess. On older models, there may not be an emergency hose so you’ll need to take out the drain hose and bring it to floor level – known as gravity draining. Place the hose into a bucket to catch the water pouring output towels on the floor to catch any surplus water.
The initial checks to make are of the filters in the bottom of the dishwasher – blocked filters will stop the water from draining. They come in three parts and are simple to twist or pull out. Clear away any debris from the filter and surrounds – pieces of food and bits of paper are common clogging culprits. If the filter has a cage holding it in place remove the two holding screws to clean – then reassemble.
2. Inspecting the drain hose
You’ll need to remove the panel near the floor – known as the toe-kick. It’s held in place by a number of screws which need to be removed. Then you’ll be able to loosen the hose clamp and disconnect the ridged drain hose from the pump. Blowing through the hose should clear it of any obstructions – then you can straighten out any kinks.
3. Looking at the waste hose
Pull your dishwasher away from the wall and make sure there’s enough room for the hose to drain properly – if the hose is getting squashed it’ll stop the wastewater from draining away. Check the disposer inlet or pipe that connects under the sink – you can clean any corrosion build-up with a small screwdriver.
4. Testing the drain valve
Only dishwashers with a single direction motor will have a drain valve. You can check the drain valve by pushing on it to make sure it moves freely – the gate arm should move up and down easily. You may need to replace missing or damaged springs attached to the arm – if the valve has stuck you may find that the electrical solenoid that controls it has burned out and will need replacing.
5. Get An Insured Service
When your dishwasher just won’t drain properly then you’ll need to get help from the experts – dishwasher repairs are one of the services that technicians from Exclusive Repairs will carry out for you. Trusted professionals will provide fully guaranteed fixes for all brands – and specially trained engineers will bring all the advanced tools and equipment needed for your door.
You’ll be able to get a short notice appointment if you’re really in trouble – and your local technicians are available six days a week. You can ask for a quote upfront so you’ll know exactly how much you’ll pay – and your dishwasher repair will come with a six-month quality guarantee.
6. Maintaining your dishwasher
Regular maintenance will keep your dishwasher clean and working at its best for longer. Just five simple steps are all it takes:
- Clean the filter – rinse the outer metal filter with hot water weekly, and the inner filters with can be cleaned under the tap with a soft brush
- Wipe down the door seals – a quick weekly wipe to remove any food debris will stop the seals from perishing and avoid any leaks
- Use recommended salt and rinse aid – on a monthly basis top up salt levels to stop the build-up of limescale and rinse aid to prevent streaking – your dishwasher will indicate when this needs to be done
- Clean the dishwasher spray arms – every six months you should remove the spray arms to clear any blockages, and rinse them under a tap
- Run the empty dishwasher on a hot cycle – a hot empty wash every six months will guard against any unpleasant odours. It’ll also remove any food build-up especially if you tend to use the eco programme on your machine that tends to be cooler
