This glossary entry has fisher-paykel fan-assisted drying explained for owners of Series 9 and Series 11 dishwashers. Fan-assisted drying is Fisher & Paykel’s drying technology that adds a powered fan to the standard condensation cycle, circulating air to absorb moisture from the wash cavity and carry it to the cooler tub walls where it condenses and drains. The result is a dramatic improvement in drying performance — especially on plastics, which are notoriously difficult to dry in any dishwasher.
How fisher-paykel fan-assisted drying works
Standard condensation drying relies entirely on residual heat left in the dishes after the hot final rinse. Fan-assisted drying improves on that passive approach by moving the air rather than letting it sit. During the dry phase:
- Hot, humid air from the wash cavity is drawn through the dishwasher by a dedicated fan
- The fan pushes that air across the cool stainless steel tub walls
- Moisture condenses on the cooler steel surfaces and drains away
- Drier air is recirculated back over the dishes to pick up more moisture
- The continuous airflow keeps humidity low so evaporation from dish surfaces never stalls
Why plastics are the hard part
Metal and ceramic dishes retain heat from the wash cycle. This residual heat evaporates water from their surfaces through standard condensation drying. Plastics, however, are poor heat conductors — they cool quickly and don’t retain enough heat to drive evaporation. In a standard dishwasher, plastic items come out wet.
Fan-assisted drying solves this by actively moving air and removing humidity during the dry cycle, rather than relying solely on residual heat from the wash. Fisher & Paykel reports markedly better drying on plastics compared to condensation drying alone.
Maintenance and lifespan
The fan and air pathway are sealed parts of the dishwasher’s interior and need no consumables — there is no filter to change, no chemical to refill, and no regular maintenance specific to the drying system. The fan is the only moving component, and it draws very little power. Keeping the tub and lower filter clean, as you would for any cycle, is all that is needed to keep airflow unobstructed for the lifetime of the dishwasher.
Fan-assisted drying vs. AutoAir
Fisher & Paykel offers two drying enhancements across their lineup:
- AutoAir (Series 7) — Automatically opens the door a few inches at the end of the cycle, allowing steam to escape. Simple, effective, and improves drying on plastics. No additional components or energy use.
- Fan-assisted drying (Series 9, Series 11) — The powered airflow system described above. More effective than AutoAir, especially in humid environments where opening the door doesn’t help much because the ambient air is already moist.
See our Fisher & Paykel dishwasher series comparison for a full feature breakdown.
Related terms
- Condensation drying — The standard Fisher & Paykel drying method (all series). Relies on residual wash heat evaporating water, which condenses on the cooler stainless steel tub walls and drains away.
- PrecisionWash — Fisher & Paykel’s intelligent sensor wash system. Not related to drying, but often mentioned alongside fan-assisted drying as a paired Series 9 feature.
- Final rinse temperature — The peak water temperature reached at the end of the cycle. Higher rinse temperatures leave more residual heat in the dishes, which fan-assisted airflow then converts into faster drying.
If your Fisher & Paykel Series 9 dishwasher isn’t drying properly despite fan-assisted drying, the drying fan or air pathway may be blocked or the fan motor may have failed. Schedule service for diagnosis.
Fisher-paykel fan-assisted drying: what owners should know
The most useful thing to remember about this feature is that it depends on a healthy hot final rinse just as much as on the fan itself; if water is not being heated, even a perfectly working fan has little moisture-laden warmth to work with. That makes drying complaints on a Series 9 or Series 11 machine worth separating into two questions — is the rinse getting hot, and is the fan actually running. A dishwasher that dries metal well but leaves plastics damp is usually behaving normally, while one that leaves everything soaked points to a heating or airflow fault worth investigating.
If you do book a repair, note the model and serial number from the rating plate on the inner door edge first, because the drying fan assembly differs between Series 9 and Series 11 builds. Our independent technicians source these parts through trusted parts suppliers and back every repair with a 30-day labor warranty. Persistent poor drying that survives a clean filter and a hot rinse is a sign the fan or its wiring needs a closer look, so let an experienced technician schedule a diagnosis rather than replacing parts on a guess.
