What if the electrolux dishwasher doesn’t dry the dishes?

The dishwashing cycle is over, you open the door of your kitchen helper and … find there wet and still dirty dishes.

Of course, the situation is unpleasant but not critical. Such breakdowns can be eliminated quite quickly by a specialized service. The main task is to determine the cause of the malfunction.

If small drops of water remain on the metal dishes, which are clean, don’t worry because your dishwasher is absolutely OK. The point is that most models of dishwashers use condensation drying that is not perfect. The principle of its work is as follows: at the final stage of washing, dishes are rinsed with hot water, which starts to evaporate and settle on the metal parts of the device body. Appliances, made of metal, unlike ceramics and glass, cool the same way as the internal lining of the dishwasher, and therefore water is also condensed on it.

Unfortunately, there is nothing to do. In rare cases, water drops can be found on another vessel (ceramic or glass).

If all the dishes are frankly wet and, moreover, dirty, so your dishwasher has a breakdown. Possible causes of the malfunction are described below.

Breakdowns due to which the Electrolux dishwasher does not dry the dishes

Most problems with drying are closely related to heating. If no heating occurs, then

  • in appliances with a condensation type of drying, water does not evaporate from the dishes;
  • in dishwashers with a turbo-dryer, the fan, due to which drying occurs, pushes the cool air rather than hot.

In both cases, the dishes remain wet. You can try to diagnose the type of failure of your unit by yourself using our table. It lists the most common malfunctions typical for popular models of dishwashers.

Sign of malfunctionPossible problem
The Electrolux dishwasher does not dry, does not heat water, and badly washes the dishes The heating element is out of order

The heating element (and in some models, it is a flowing water heater) is responsible for heating the water and drying dishes. If it is burnt out (and this happens quite often because of scale) then the dishwasher does not heat water and does not dry the dishes.

The part should be replaced.

The thermal sensor has malfunctioned

It is a sensor that measures the temperature and sends information to the control module, which gives the heating element the command to heat water or to dry dishes.

The thermal sensor should be changed.

 

The Electrolux dishwasher does not start the drying cycleMalfunction of the control module

The control module is one of the most important elements of the dishwasher. It distributes the program commands to other units, for example, “to gain water” or “drain the water”. If the control module fails or starts to work incorrectly, the dishwasher may not dry the dishes.

It is required to reprogram the module or completely replace it.

No fan sound or unusual noise is heard during turbo drying
(only for devices equipped with turbo-drying)
The turbocharger fan is broken

In the models of dishwashers with turbo-drying, the fan directs hot air to the dishes, due to what it dries. If the fan fails, the dishes remain wet.

Fan replacement is required.

 

Tips from manufacturers for eliminating problems related to drying in the Electrolux dishwasher

The quality of drying should be measured with porcelain or glassware. Plastic utensils (for example, cutlery and storage containers) and plastic parts of the device remain wet. Plastic cookware quickly cools, so condensation can form on its surface.

  • For normal washing and drying use an intensive or automatic program. 

The cycles “ECO”, “BIO” or “30 min” were used

  • In the programs “ECO” and “BIO” passive drying is used but the 30-minute programs do not contain a drying cycle.
  • Use an automatic or intensive program. If the dishes are not hot after cleaning, contact an authorized service center.

Before putting the dishes into the appliance, it was handled with a detergent

  • Therefore, all you get is an excessive formation of foam, a decrease in the effectiveness of the conditioner, and unsatisfactory results of drying. 

The dishwasher is overloaded or loaded in an improper way

Unsatisfactory washing results of the dishwasher’s work can be explained by its overloading or improper loading.  Load the dishwasher in accordance with the user guide. After finishing the washing program, wait for the water to dry/evaporate before removing utensils from the device. First, unload the lower basket.

Dishwasher loading:

  • Put only the dishes intended for washing in these kitchen appliances.
  • Do not load products made of wood, bone, aluminum, tin or copper into the dishwasher.
  • Do not put objects that absorb water, such as sponges or rags.
  • Before putting tableware into the dishwasher, remove the food leavings from it.
  • To simplify the removal of dried food residues, leave pans and frying pans filled with water for a while before loading them into the device.
  • Place such objects like cups, glasses, and pots with the open side down.
  • Make sure that the plates and cutlery are placed not too close to each other. Place spoons alternately with other cutlery.
  • Make sure that the glasses are not placed too close.
  • Place small items in the cutlery basket.
  • Put light objects in the upper basket. Make sure they can not move.
  • Before running the washing program, make sure that the sprinklers rotate freely.

Removing dishes from the appliance:

  • Before getting the tableware out from the dishwasher, let it cool down. Hot objects can easily be damaged.
  • First remove the dishes from the bottom basket, and then from the top.

Rinse aid setting

  • To improve the quality of drying in the appliance, it is recommended to add the rinse aid according to the instructions in the user’s manual.

Detergent for dishwashers

  • Check which detergent is used in the dishwasher. If possible, use various detergents and/or rinse aid. For fast washing programs, use powder or liquid detergents, as some tablets can’t completely dissolve for short period of time.
  • For optimum cleaning, even with tableted detergents, you may need to add a rinse aid.
  • Check the cleanliness of all filters and sprinklers. Instructions for cleaning and care of the device are given in the user manual.

«Dry +», «Dry Plus», «XtraDry» functions

  • The device that is equipped with this function allows to increase the quality of drying. But at the same time, the program time and energy consumption are increased.
  • If the problem persists, contact an authorized service center.
Author: David Hoover