A dishwasher is an appliance in your home that you may not use very often. It is easy to forget about the importance of a clean and unclogged dishwasher until it stops working altogether. In this blog post, we will provide you with some helpful tips on how to get your dishwasher clog-free.
What Causes Clogs?
Clogs can be caused by a number of factors, including soap scum buildup and debris. The more you use your dishwasher on an ongoing basis, the higher the risk that these materials will clog up in one way or another. It’s important to avoid this from happening so it doesn’t disrupt how well your machine works in cleaning dishes.
Use a plunger to unclog your dishwasher
A plunger could be a life-saver for your clogged dishwasher. By using the plunger attachment in place of an airtight seal to create suction, plungers can easily clear out any blockages in and around your plumbing system inside your house with ease.
Useful Tips: Give it at least three or four tries before you give up on this method! A few more pumps may do the trick if all else fails.
Clean The Drain Hose
If your dishwasher is not draining, the first thing you should do to get it working again is clean out any food debris that may be clogging up the drain hose. Disconnect and rinse off any part of the drain hose with water until all clogs have been cleared away from inside it.
Clean The Air Gap
The Air Gap is the point at which your drain hose connects with the dishwasher. It’s important to clean this area off to ensure that there are no clogs or debris in it, otherwise water will not be able to flow away from the inside of your dishwasher’s pipes system and may cause more serious problems down the road. Use a plunger attachment if all else fails!
Clean The Filter
A dishwasher’s filter is a thin, flexible piece of plastic that sits at the bottom and catches any food debris as it goes through. To clean out your machine you’ll need to unscrew the whole housing and take off this filter from inside with some needle nose pliers or tweezers. Rinse it in warm water then dry completely before popping back into place.
Unclog The Drain
If there are clogs blocking one of your drain tubes coming up from underneath, try using a plunger! You can use hot soapy water if you want to make sure everything gets cleaned out too but be careful not to push anything further down between the walls than necessary – you don’t want spillover happening on top of the clog.
Unclog The Pump
If the pump has a filter, you’ll need to clean that out as well before trying any other methods of unblocking it. You can use dishwasher cleaner to get rid of most blockages and if that doesn’t work try using your hands or some long-handled tools (such as pliers) to fish around in there for anything else left behind from last time’s wash cycle! If all else fails take off the lid on top and plunge that sucker directly – just be careful not to drop any parts down inside with it!
Clean The Drain Line
If you have a dishwasher that’s older than 12 years, it may not be draining properly because of the drain line. You’ll need to clean out this clog by removing any debris from inside and using something like a plumbers’ snake or a plunger to clear away anything blocking the way.
Clean The Supply Line
If your kitchen sink is within a certain distance from the dishwasher, you may be able to hook up another hose and use it to clear out blockages in the supply line. This will ensure that water can still enter your dishwasher without any restrictions for as long as possible until replacement becomes necessary.
Why Is There Standing Water In My Dishwasher?
If you have standing water in your dishwasher, it’s likely because you don’t have enough drainage holes. You’ll need to make the necessary adjustments by installing a new drain hose and creating additional drainage for all of that excess fluid. Otherwise, when the water is running too quickly or not at all, it will stand as an obstruction inside — which can cause problems with how well your machine works overall.
How To Avoid Clogs
The best way to avoid clogs in your dishwasher is to make sure that you’re not loading too many dishes at once. Doing so will prevent the water from being able to efficiently clean every surface, causing a blockage.