When you open your dishwasher, what do you expect? Most people would probably say “clean dishes”. But what happens when you open it up and you find dirty, standing water at the bottom? Here are some common things to check if your dishwasher won’t drain.

Reasons Why Your Dishwasher Won’t Drain

Make sure you didn’t open mid-wash

One of the most common reasons why there might be water at the bottom of your dishwasher is due to a cycle cancellation. This can commonly occur when the dishwasher is opened prematurely. If you open the dishwasher in the middle of its cycle, it may not have time or even the function to drain the water that was being used. 

Turn on your garbage disposal

If you have a garbage disposal, oftentimes your dishwasher will actually drain into the same pipe beneath your garbage disposal. If there is any buildup or chunks of food left over from the garbage disposal, it can prevent your dishwasher from draining.

Inspect your dishwasher drain

The drain hose for your dishwasher is often times a flexible hose that runs underneath your sink. If you’re like most homeowners, the cabinet underneath your sink holds cleaning supplies and other common household items. You or these items could have accidentally bumped the drain hose causing a kink in the line. A visual inspection of the line may be necessary to help diagnose your dishwasher not draining.

Clean your dishwasher drain filter

Just like your sink, your dishwasher has a filter to catch any large food scraps. This filter should be cleaned on a regular basis and will typically be located at the bottom of your dishwasher. If there is a buildup of food or sludge, the filter won’t be able to pass water through it effectively, therefore causing the buildup of water.

Listen to how your dishwasher sounds

If there are no obvious signs of malfunction, listen to how your dishwasher sounds. If it is noisy or sounds unusual at all, you may have a separate issue altogether. That would almost certainly require the help of a professional.

Contact Master PHC

Working on plumbing may seem simple, but in order to avoid larger issues that could arise, we are more than happy to help. If you need the help of a professional to repair or replace anything causing issues with your dishwasher, call Master PHC. Be sure to check out our marvelous reviews!