Having a working dishwasher is helpful to avoid the piling up of dishes and hand scrubbing after each meal. Therefore, once an issue pops up with your dishwasher such as the lack of proper drainage, it is crucial to troubleshoot the issue immediately! Continue reading to find out 4 common reasons your dishwasher may not be draining.
Block Within Garbage Disposal
First of all, it is important to check and see if your garbage disposal is clogged with food particles or grease, as this can prolong the flow of water from the dishwasher. In this case, it will be much more challenging for your dishwasher to properly drain. This is because there is a hose that directly connects your garbage disposal to your dishwasher, allowing any overspill a place to go.
In this case, try checking your garbage disposal for food and allowing your disposal to run for a short amount of time to fix the issue, or cleaning your drains.
Dirty Filter
Every dishwasher has either a drain basket or filter that tends to be the culprit of stinky dishwashers. You can typically find the filter below the bottom rack of your dishwasher, or you can find the specific location for your dishwasher in an owners manual or online. Lift up your filter or basket and check for and remove any food particles that may be clogging the dishwasher and resulting in the lack of drainage. You can also remove the screws that hold the filter in place, and clean it by using a dishwashing liquid and a sponge or tooth brush to remove any crud from the filter. Once this is done, rinse the filter with hot water and pat it dry. Once cleaned, you can run your dishwasher and check for improvements, or replace your filter.
Unless your filter physically breaks there should be no need to replace it, this should do the trick.
Inspect the Drain Hose
While you may have drain issues from food particles or oils stuck in the drain hose, there may also be kinks within the drain hose that can impede the water’s flow. In addition to kinks or clogs, the condition of the drain hose itself may be weakening. This may mean it is time to replace your drain hose, however first give it a thorough check to find out what the exact issue is.
To find your drain hose, you will look for the tube that links your dishwasher with your garbage disposal. You will typically find the tube under your sink, or behind your dishwasher, therefore it may be necessary to move your dishwasher away from the wall in order to access the hose. Once you have found the hose, you can check for any kinks that are causing the issue, or you can manually remove the gunk by disconnecting the hose and discarding any debris. In this case, it is highly recommended to hire a plumber for assistance in cleaning or replacing your drain hose as the proper installation should be done by a trained professional.
Improper Use of Detergent
As dishwashers were created with the intention of using automatic dishwasher detergent to avoid cleaning that leads to the production suds. However, on occasion it is easy to accidentally use the wrong dishwasher detergent, leading to a build up of suds. This can quickly prevent proper drainage and lead to a clog in your dishwasher. As stated previously, try cleaning out the filter of the dishwasher and running the cycle again with the proper detergent.
There are many potential reasons your dishwasher may not be draining properly! To recap the most important steps to take:
- Check and drain your dishwasher filter/basket of food particles
- Check your garbage disposal for food particles and oils
- Inspect your drain hose for kinks and clogs
- Evaluate the condition of your drain hose
- Check your detergent to see if it is dishwasher safe
The most common reason your dishwasher is struggling to drain properly is likely due to a full garbage disposal that is not allowing adequate drainage. Give your dishwasher a thorough look and schedule maintenance or check up with the experts at CampbellCare for further assistance.
