When operating at peak performance, a dishwasher can make your life a lot easier. Load the dishes, secure soap in the dispenser, select the cycle, start her up, put away the dishes when it’s done – easy, right? Unfortunately, “wipe every dish dry” is a frustrating, albeit commonly experienced added step. Why is my GE dishwasher not drying dishes? Whether the fault lies with a loading issue or an inadequate dry setting, our GE dishwasher troubleshooting guide will make you forget you even have dish towels.
How to Solve a GE Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes
The GE brand is riddled in reliability, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t undergo the rare bump in the road. Luckily, the bump can be easily navigated with a little patience and problem solving. You might discover new habits you can develop or that your dishwasher isn’t draining completely. Let’s resolve your drying dilemma by identifying dishwashing tactics to avoid.
1. Unloading the Top Rack First
Probably the simplest reason your GE dishwasher leaves dishes wet is from unloading the top rack before the bottom. When you relieve the top rack of dishes first, any lingering moisture from these dishes can spill onto the dishes below. Make the simple switch and start with the bottom rack.
2. Too Many Dishes
Now that we’ve covered unloading, let’s swing focus to loading, both in quantity and quality. Overwhelming your dishwasher with too many dishes restricts hot air from reaching every item. Leaving adequate space between each dish to ensure sufficient airflow will bring better results.
In regards to quality, there is a right way and a wrong way to load your dishwasher. Not only can improper loading lead to drying concerns, but also it makes your dishwasher’s washing component more challenging. Following these dishwasher loading tips might crack the case of your GE dishwasher not drying your dishes:
- Prevent nesting by alternating spoons, forks, and knives in each slot in the silverware basket.
- Place cups, glasses, and bowls upside down so they won’t collect water.
- Confirm dishes on the bottom rack aren’t touching in order for moisture to breathe.
3. Not Using a Hot Water Cycle
Since hot water cleans more efficiently and evaporates quicker, it’s more likely to leave you with dry dishes as opposed to using cold water. Water entering your unit should rest between 120° and 140°. Try running the nearest faucet to purge cold water from the hot water line prior to starting the dishwasher.
4. Not Using Heated Dry Settings
The Heated Dry feature promotes better drying by using a heating element to boost the dishwasher’s air temperature. This setting can be manipulated according to the number of dishes being washed. Before starting your dishwasher, make sure you press the button for the Heated Dry cycle.
Image from GE
Some GE models further flex the drying muscle with the Power Dry option that can be added to any cycle except Rinse. This feature works one of three ways:
- Express Wash: The final rinse temperature is increased by adding 15 minutes of fan drying time to the end of the cycle to assist with water evaporation.
- eWash: Rather than increasing the rinse temperature, this cycle only uses the fan to add an extra 1.5 hours of dry time.
- Other Wash Cycles: The Power Dry feature adds 65 minutes of dry time to each cycle followed by the fan running an additional 90 minutes.
5. Not Using a Dishwasher Rinse Aid
One of the most typical reasons for a GE dishwasher not drying appropriately is a lack of rinse aid. This drying agent redirects the shape of water droplets so they flow more effortlessly off your dishes, leaving less water for the drying cycle to remove. Simply apply rinse aid every cycle by filling the dispenser to the maximum fill level.
Why does my GE dishwasher not dry? If you’re still asking this after exhausting our advice, it’s possible that you’re faced with a faulty part. In the event this happens, contact Dave Smith Appliance for fast, unrivaled GE dishwasher repair.
