If you have a busy household, you probably consider the dishwasher an indispensable appliance. But every now and now, a dishwasher presents more hassles than advantage. For instance, say you run a load but when you open up the door you find a pool of water at the bottom of the unit. Not only do you have a mess to deal with, but it makes you wonder if you have a plumbing issue in your hands.
There are multiple potential causes of water not draining correctly from a dishwasher. The most common reasons are clogs from the filter basket, drain hose, or garbage disposal. But a more severe plumbing issue that may affect the dishwasher is a blocked sewer line.
Whatever the problem may be, if you ignore it for extended you might wind up with water damage in your home that can be expensive to clean up and cause health issues due to mold growth.
Frequent Causes of A Clogged Dishwasher
Food Stuck in the Filter Basket
The filter basket is designed to catch pieces of food that come off dish ware so the scraps don’t end up heading down the drain (where they might cause a clog).
However, if sufficient food is trapped in the filter basket, water is going to have a hard time passing through it. You can remove the filter basket, clean off food particles, and soak the basket in vinegar to break down any grease or oils.
Clog in the Drain Hose or Garbage Disposal
When the dishwater drains, the water is pushed through a hose that connects to either a drainpipe or garbage disposal under the sink. If a clog forms from food gunk and soap residue, then water will probably back up into the dishwasher unit.
Plastic Plug from the Garbage Disposal
If you have a new garbage disposal installed and then observe the dishwasher not draining correctly, it might be because a plastic plug was not removed from the garbage disposal. This is a common mistake that can be quickly fixed.
Blocked Sewer Line
It’s also possible that the true problem lies beneath the floor, somewhere along the sewer line. This pipe carries wastewater from the home to the sewer main. In addition to getting clogged by household waste, sewer lines can also become blocked by tree roots or break if they are old and made from outdated materials.
If along with your backed-up dishwasher, you are also dealing with slow drains or toilets that don’t correctly flush, that’s a sign that you have a sewer line issue.