You open your dishwasher, expecting to take out and put away your sparkling clean, dry dishes, only to find a pool of dirty water sitting in the bottom of the machine. When your dishwasher isn't working, it puts a dent in your daily routine, and you want to get the machine fixed as soon as possible. A simple blockage or clogged drain hose could be the reason your dishwasher doesn't drain, or it could have a more serious problem, like a faulty drain pump or timer.
Blockages
Food particles from your dishes and cutlery gradually build up in the drain hose, air gap, or filter in your dishwasher, until finally the water doesn't drain. A kink in the drain hose has the same effect, or you might have a clogged garbage disposal unit. Most dishwashers drain through the garbage disposal in your sink, so if your disposal's full, your dishwasher doesn't drain. If you've fitted a new garbage disposal and suddenly your dishwasher doesn't drain, check that you've removed the plastic plug inside the disposal where the dishwasher drain hose connects.
Drain Pump Not Working
A dishwasher drain pump has several parts, and if any of them stop working, the dishwasher doesn't drain. The problem could be with the pump itself, the impeller that pushes the water out of the machine, or the mechanism that opens the drain valve.
Faulty Timer
Your dishwasher runs according to a timer, which schedules every part of its cycle. If the timer is faulty, your dishwasher can stop before it reaches the drain part of the cycle. Either the whole timer might have stopped working, or it could only be the timer motor that's broken.
Broken Motor
A dishwasher that stops working before it drains might have a broken motor. The machine might have started with no problems, but if the motor suddenly breaks mid-cycle, you might only notice the problem when you go to take out your dishes and see that the dishwasher hasn't drained.
A swampy mess in the bottom of your dishwasher isn't ever a pleasant sight, but the problem might not be as serious as you think. If you can't figure out what's stopping your dishwasher from draining, contact a professional plumber. Your machine might only need a simple repair before it can return to making your dirty dishes sparkling clean at little more than the touch of a button.
For answers to your questions, contact the Pink Plumber today.
