What to Do When the Dishwasher Won’t Drain

Your bathtub or sink aren’t the only drains that could manifest clogs over regular use. If you have a dishwasher, you can expect to open it one day and find that the water never drained away after the cycle.

Your dishwasher comes equipped with a filter to catch some of the larger food particles to prevent clogs. Sometimes when the water is backed up, all you need to do is remove the filter and clean it off for the water to drain away. Unfortunately, clogs can form deeper in the system and are not so easy to handle.

Clogs can form in the drain pump itself, the flexible hose that connects to your sink drain or garbage disposal, or in the sink drain itself. A lot can be ruled out by disconnecting the flexible hose underneath your sink to see if the water drains out. If you are able to drain the water away, then the clog is happening past the hose in the kitchen sink or the garbage disposal. If the water does not drain, or drains very slowly, then the clog is happening in either the filter, drain pump, or the hose itself attached to your dishwasher.

Unfortunately, unclogging any of these items can get difficult quickly. If the water does not drain out due to a clog in the dishwasher, it will need to be bailed out and sopped up with a towel so you can investigate further. While you can easily inspect the filter and even disconnect the hose to check for clogs, any clogs in the occasionally difficult to reach drain pump, sink, or garbage disposal should be left to a professional hand so they can be removed correctly.

It is important that you don’t turn to chemical drain cleaners. They are very hard on your dishwasher and can lead to contamination. Your kitchen sink drain can stand up to them a little better, but they still wear on your plumbing. Give yourself peace of mind by leaving it up to one of our trained professionals. Contact our team today.