A washing machine and a dishwasher are similar in that both appliances make washing certain things easier than if you had to wash them by hand. They’re also both supposed to drain once the wash cycle is done. So if you peek into your dishwasher and see more than a little water left at the bottom, you may start to feel a little irritated. If it happens again, then you might start to worry – and with good reason.

Any time there’s more standing water than there should be, bacteria and mold will follow unless you do something about the water. In this case, it’s best to pinpoint why the dishwasher isn’t draining properly – if at all.

That said, here are the most common possible causes, according to professional plumbers in Concord. 

Dirty filters

 Filters are meant to trap food particles and prevent them from getting redeposited inside the dishwasher, and if they’re not cleaned regularly, they can easily become blocked. When that happens, the dishwasher will be unable to drain properly.

To check if dirty filters are indeed the cause for your dishwasher’s failure to drain, check the owner’s manual for directions to finding and removing the filters. Then run them under the tap to wash away any grease or food deposits, and don’t hesitate to use hot soapy water and a sponge if the grime doesn’t come off easily.

Clogged drain or garbage disposal

 If your dishwasher drains through the sink drain or is connected to the garbage disposal in any way, check both. If your filters are clean, a clogged sink drain or garbage disposal is the next likely candidate for the dishwasher not draining.

If you suspect one or both may be clogged, try running hot water down them, and then running the disposal. Afterward, check your dishwasher to see if that helped.

A kinked or clogged drain hose

 A dishwasher needs a hose to connect the drain to the one from the sink. So if you check the filters and they’re clean, and your garbage disposal and sink drain aren’t clogged, it could be that the drain hose itself is the problem. Check to see if it hasn’t become clogged, or if it isn’t kinked or bent in a way that prevents the water from running.

In the worst-case scenario, the drain hose may have been bent for so long that it’s started to crack or tear where the bend is, and even if you try to unbend it, it goes back to that bent shape. In that case, you’ll need to have the hose replaced.

If you have enough experience, you can go the DIY route. But to be safe, it’s best to call a professional in Concord to check the dishwasher to make sure you didn’t miss anything and then replace the hose.