During commercial breaks, the following words are heard more and more often from TV screens: “I’m a woman, not a dishwasher.” Therefore, many people began to think about buying a dishwasher for their kitchen. One of the most frequently chosen brands on the market is Bosch. Household appliances from this company have been used by many generations not only of Russians, but also of residents of the rest of the world. Even if you take a responsible approach to the selection and installation of this unit, thoroughly study all the instructions, indicators of the Bosch dishwasher and operating tips, you can still encounter minor or major problems in the operation of this equipment.
Description of controls
In everyday use, a Bosch dishwasher is unlikely to cause much difficulty in use. Many lights and modes remain unused. But to use a Bosch dishwasher comfortably, you need to know what each of the signal indicators means. Let us first consider those that are present on almost all models and indicate various stages of work.
- “End” indicator – indicates the end of the dishwashing cycle.
- “Brush” indicator – lights up when the dishwasher starts.
- “Tap” indicator – signals the period of operation when the cavity of the machine is filled with hot water.
- The “Salt” indicator (two arrows in the shape of the English letter S) - indicates the presence of a salt absorbent, which helps clean the heating element from scale that has formed on it.
- The “Rinse aid” indicator (snowflake, sun, star) indicates the presence of dishwashing liquid in a special compartment.
The keys responsible for setting and regulating the upcoming wash are allocated to a separate category. The functionality of each Bosch model is very different, so only those buttons that are most common will be described.
- “Pan” - this symbol indicates an intensive mode of washing dishes at a temperature of more than 70 degrees Celsius and lasting about an hour. Used for the heaviest stains.
- “Cup and saucers” (or Auto mode) is the standard operating mode. Similar to when we wash dishes by hand. Water temperature - 50 degrees. Duration – up to two hours.
- “Cup and plates” (ECO, economy) – mode of reduced water consumption. It differs from the standard one in the presence of a rinsing stage.
- “Glass (cup) with two arrows” – accelerated washing. It passes in half an hour at a temperature of about 40 degrees Celsius.
- “Glass” – delicate mode. Used for fragile dishes.
- “Baby food bottle” – treatment of dishes with hot water, which destroys germs. Used to disinfect baby supplies (dishes, pacifiers, etc.).
What is a salt indicator for?
Since water in Russian regions is hard and contains heavy impurities of calcium and magnesium, manufacturers have installed ion exchangers with resin in dishwashers. Resin particles attract heavy impurities, saturating the water with sodium. What does it give:
- Prevents the settling of limescale on PMM parts.
- Improves washing quality. Softened water dissolves detergent better.
- Saves dishes from white deposits and stains.
The most important thing is that the ion exchanger extends the life of the dishwasher. When the resin in the tank runs out, a special salt comes to the rescue. How does she look?
Special salt is similar to regular salt, but its crystals are much larger. It is purified, so it contains only sodium chloride. How to choose dishwasher salt, read in a separate article.
This is what the ion exchanger looks like:
A special sensor detects the remaining salt in the machine. If the product runs out, the icon flashes; if it has already run out, it lights up. If the light in your Bosch or Siemens dishwasher is constantly on and does not go out, it’s time to replenish the ion exchanger.
The first Hansa and Bosch models do not have such an indicator. Therefore, users have to periodically open and check the presence or absence of salt in the compartment.
The harder the tap water, the more salt is consumed. Often, when purchasing equipment, a test strip is included to determine the amount of impurities. To find out the result, you can do this:
- Call the water utility.
- Use litmus paper (test strip).
Users offer their own methods, however, they do not give an exact result. If soap or shampoo does not foam well, and a white coating quickly builds up on taps and mixers, the level of hardness is high.
Types of faults
Most problems that can occur with a Bosch dishwasher do not lead to its complete failure. Modern equipment is equipped with sensors that prevent them from starting if any part is in poor condition. The user will be notified of this either by flashing indicators or an error code on the display of the Bosch dishwasher.
Moreover, the exact startup error can only be determined by putting your dishwasher into service mode. To do this, you need to hold down a combination of some indicators on the panel, which is described in the instructions. Those signals that can be seen in normal mode give only an approximate indication of the problem.
Troubleshooting
If the indicator on a Bosch dishwasher is on, and a brush is drawn to the right of it, this can be said to be a normal situation. But if this same indicator blinks, there is no time for jokes, we can talk about a serious breakdown. First you need to make sure that this is not a system failure by performing a series of simple steps described above. Next you need to check the Aquastop sensor, which is located in the tray under the body of the machine. There is such a sensor in Bosch machines with full and partial protection against leaks, and we need to make sure that it does not stop the operation of the machine.
- Let's try to tilt the machine, first laying a rag next to it.
- If there is water in the pan, it will spill out.
- If you managed to drain the water from the pan, you can restart the machine and make sure that the indicator does not blink for some time.
READ MORE: Errors in Bosch washing machines (Bosch). Full list.
Then 2 situations are possible. In the first case, water will fill the pan again and Aquastop will work again. In this case, you need to look for a leak in the housing. In the second case, the breakdown may not recur if water gets into the pan by accident. One way or another, it will be possible to establish that the cause of the problem was a leak.
If there is no water in the pan, then the Aquastop sensor may simply be “stuck.” You will have to turn off the dishwasher, remove the tray and check the position of the float. Unfortunately, this problem occurs quite often, especially if the dishwasher has been moved or moved.
Notice at what point the indicator starts flashing. If the blinking starts when the machine tries to draw water, the inlet valve may be faulty or the water supply tap to the dishwasher is simply turned off. The latter may seem banal, however, it occurs all the time. Do the following:
- check the water supply to the machine;
- listen again to how the machine draws water (to do this you will have to restart the dishwasher again);
- if there is a slight click, then a buzzing sound, but water still does not flow into the machine, therefore, the inlet valve or its relay is faulty.
In more rare cases, a malfunction occurs in the control module, which cannot issue a command to open/close the intake valve.
The indicator may start flashing after water has been filled into the tank, approximately 10 minutes after the start of washing. In this case, the “symptoms” are the same: first, the “Brush” indicator blinks, then the dishwasher completely stops working. With this “behavior” of the machine, you should pay attention to the garbage filter and sprinklers.
It is necessary to remove and wash the filter, disconnect and check the sprinklers, in the holes of which dirt may accumulate. Moreover, the dirt can be packed so tightly that water cannot even seep through the blockages, much less pass under pressure. This often happens among those who like to make dishwashing detergent at home using mustard. The mustard mass hardens and becomes dense and clogs all the smallest holes in the machine, paralyzing its operation.
READ MORE: Korting equipment error codes | Technomult
The last thing to check is the control board, but we would strongly advise against doing this yourself. It is better to invite a specialist who will quickly and competently carry out diagnostics. We also do not recommend changing the control module yourself without making sure that it is broken. There is no need to make the problem worse.
Types of errors on devices without a digital display
This type of error is not standardized, so this section will look at some options for displaying it on various panels. In order to find out how to eliminate them, a digital code (for example, E4) will be given at the end, which will be deciphered in the next section. We remind you, do not forget to put your Bosch dishwasher into service mode.
A panel that displays up to three digits:
- 0 - No problem;
- 1 – faulty water supply indicator (E6);
- 2 – error in the water heating system (E01);
- 4 – the reservoir is not filled (E3);
- 8 – breakdown of the thermometer (E2);
- 16 – malfunction of the flow regulator (E4).
Panel (display) with two lines:
- S3 – no problems found;
- A or B – error in receiving data from the aqua sensor (E6);
- E – no signal is received from the flow switch (E4);
- F – water does not enter the working cavity (E3);
- G – flow switch does not stop (E5);
- H – problems with the heating element (E01);
- K – short circuit or wiring fault (E2).
What is a salt indicator for?
Since water in Russian regions is hard and contains heavy impurities of calcium and magnesium, manufacturers have installed ion exchangers with resin in dishwashers. Resin particles attract heavy impurities, saturating the water with sodium. What does it give:
- Prevents the settling of limescale on PMM parts.
- Improves washing quality. Softened water dissolves detergent better.
- Saves dishes from white deposits and stains.
The most important thing is that the ion exchanger extends the life of the dishwasher. When the resin in the tank runs out, a special salt comes to the rescue. How does she look?
Special salt is similar to regular salt, but its crystals are much larger. It is purified, so it contains only sodium chloride. How to choose dishwasher salt, read in a separate article.
This is what the ion exchanger looks like:
A special sensor detects the remaining salt in the machine. If the product runs out, the icon flashes; if it has already run out, it lights up. If the light in your Bosch or Siemens dishwasher is constantly on and does not go out, it’s time to replenish the ion exchanger.
The first Hansa and Bosch models do not have such an indicator. Therefore, users have to periodically open and check the presence or absence of salt in the compartment.
The harder the tap water, the more salt is consumed. Often, when purchasing equipment, a test strip is included to determine the amount of impurities. To find out the result, you can do this:
- Call the water utility.
- Use litmus paper (test strip).
Users offer their own methods, however, they do not give an exact result. If soap or shampoo does not foam well, and a white coating quickly builds up on taps and mixers, the level of hardness is high.
Types of errors on devices with a digital display
Most modern Bosch dishwashers are equipped with such digital panels. Error indicators will light up on them if the dishwashing process failed to start. This facilitates the diagnostic process, and therefore the speed of repair. It is highly not recommended to repair such complex equipment yourself. Contact the appropriate service center. We remind you, do not forget to put your Bosch dishwasher into service mode.
- Uniform flashing of all indicators – software failure;
- E01 – control unit failure;
- E1, F1 – sensor malfunctions;
- E02 – wiring break;
- E2, F2 – heating errors;
- E03 – drying does not occur;
- E3, F3 – tank is not filled;
- E04 – see E02;
- E4, F4 – malfunction of the spray mechanism;
- E05 – see E01;
- E5, F5 – leakage or overflow of the tank;
- E06 – the chamber is not sealed (problems with the locking mechanism);
- E6, F6 – failure of the incoming water quality sensor;
- E07 – fan failure;
- E7, F7 – drain pipe clogged;
- E8, F8, E08 – low water level;
- E9, F9, E09 – problems with power supply to the heating system;
- E10, F10 – see E03, E07;
- E11, F11 – no data from the temperature sensor;
- E12, F12 – contamination of the heating element with limescale;
- E13, F13 – incoming water temperature is too high;
- E14, F14 – error in the water distribution system;
- E15, F15 – tank leak;
- E16, F16 – valve leakage;
- E17, F17 – the incoming water pressure is too powerful;
- E18, F18 – see E3, E14;
- E19, F19 – malfunction in the system;
- E20, F20 – problems with the pump;
- E21, F21 – see E3, E20;
- E22, F22 – drain system clogged;
- E23, F23 – breakdown of the pump responsible for removing water from the tank;
- E24, F24, E25, F25 – see E22;
- E26, F26 – flow sensor failure;
- E27, F27 – problems with the electrical network;
- E28, F28 – see E6;
- E29, E30, F29, F30 – see E27.
Lights up or flashes
The first and main rule: if something in the display of the dishwasher panel alarms you, look at the instructions: it is quite possible that this means one of the normal operating modes of the machine.
If some indicator lights up constantly on the panel, this is most likely normal and means an indication of the current state: for example, the brush icon lights up when the wash starts, and goes out after it finishes. It’s another matter when something starts flashing and the washing mode is disrupted: this may mean a breakdown of some PMM unit. But in any case, these are only general considerations - for a precise description of the behavior of the indicators, you need to look at the instructions.
First, check if the child lock mode is turned on, which blocks all buttons except turning off the machine. A failure of the control module can also cause the button to blink: try resetting the washing program by unplugging the machine for 5-10 minutes.
If this does not help, it means that something in the SMPMMA is broken: most likely the control board, but problems with the door, heater, motor, programmer, or sensors can also lead to a similar effect. Only an experienced technician with the necessary diagnostic equipment can accurately determine the cause.
