Why Is My Whirlpool Dishwasher Not Drying The Dishes?

There are many issues that you might run into with your dishwasher, but one common issue that you may not think much about often is when your dishwasher still works, but doesn’t seem to be drying the dishes.

While it can be a major inconvenience to open up your dishwasher to find that your dishes aren’t drying properly, it’s not usually a major issue and can often be resolved or repaired on your home. But the fact that your dishwasher isn’t drying dishes is a sign that there could be an underlying issue with your unit. Issues that can stem into other problems if you don’t have them resolved properly.

Below, we’ll go over a few simple troubleshooting tips to help you get your dishwashing back in working order.

What May Cause Your Whirlpool Dishwasher Not To Dry Dishes?

There are several reasons why your dishwasher isn’t drying. However, while issues are simple to resolve, others might require the help of a trained appliance technician.

A few of the most common issues that could cause this are:

• Your dish placement in the dishwasher isn’t causing water to remain on the dishes. In this case, you need to ensure that you’re not overloading your unit.
• Your dishwasher cycles aren’t adequate to handle the number of dishes that need to be washed. In this case, you may not be selecting the proper wash cycle option. If possible, make sure that you’re setting your unit to the heated dry option. This ensures that the heating element will kick on after the wash cycle to clean your dishes.
• The vent inside of the dishwasher isn’t opening properly, trapping moisture inside your unit.
• The heating element is faulty and has failed to activate.

Are There Other Dishwasher Tips To Have My Dishes Dry?

Yes, there are!

Below, we’ll take a look at a few extra tips to help with repairing your dishwasher by yourself:

• When loading dishes, be sure to have all glasses and bowls on the top rack and plates and utensils in the bottom. When unloading, unload from bottom to top first to ensure leftover water doesn’t drip down below.
• When the dishwasher cycle is complete, open the door a few inches to let steam escape. Even if your fan isn’t broken, steam is still moisture and can leave your dishes covered in a thin layer of water if it’s trapped inside.
• In some cases when your fan isn’t working properly, or the vent isn’t opening, it’s most often due to a blockage.
• The heating elements on Whirlpool models do have limit switches. These activate when a unit becomes too hot. If the limit switch is broken, it could be tripping before it’s at a proper temperature to dry dishes.
• Whenever you are troubleshooting your dishwasher, always unplug it first to avoid potential injury.

Why Should You Choose Us to Repair Your Whirlpool Dishwasher?

In some cases, fixing a dishwasher by yourself is easy, with most fixes taking no more than a few hours. That being said, hiring professional help can be extremely beneficial for you. For one, it saves you that time that you could spend doing things that you actually enjoy doing, uness you happen to enjoy appliance repair as much as we do.

Furthermore, hiring professional assistance can prevent further damages to the appliance or your home, as well as mitigating potential injuries to yourself.

Fortunately, pinpointing the source of your problem should be relatively straightforward for you to do on your own. In cases where the vent isn’t functioning properly, you’ll want to check to make sure that there’s nothing visibly blocking the vent. In some situations, it might be clogged with food particles or debris, or mineral buildup, which might preventing it from opening up. If you suspect an issue with the heating element, it’s not uncommon for these to burn out over time. If the element is visibly burnt, blistered, or separated, it will likely need to be replaced.

Additionally, you might also have other problems going on with your Whirlpool dishwasher that require professional assistance.

In the case where your dishwasher is running, buts not drying, it’s most likely being caused by either:

• The vent fan motor being burnt out or broken
• The heating element assembly has failed.

In the case of the vent fan motor not working, this can be that the fan blades aren’t turning or that the motor itself has no continuity. The fan is necessary since it propels moist air through the vent and away from your dishes. You’ll run into this same issue if the vent is closed up since the air cannot get into the dishwasher, and the warm, damp air cannot escape. The heating element is yet another essential component that your dishwasher uses to dry your dishes.