Bosch Dishwasher Inadequate Water Filling

Bosch dishwashers are well known for their reliability and efficiency. But even the best dishwashers need one thing to work properly, and that’s water. So, what are you supposed to do if your Bosch dishwasher isn’t filling with water?

If your Bosch dishwasher isn’t filling with water, first confirm that the water line to the dishwasher is connected and open and that the water inlet valve works. For new units, check that any internal filters that came with the unit aren’t clogged with plastic or other debris.

If these suggestions don’t do the trick, you may want to consider hiring a professional to take a look at your dishwasher. But before you make the call (and spend the money), let’s take a closer look at what can cause this problem and some potential fixes that you can try on your own.

Why Won’t My Bosch Dishwasher Fill With Water?

Here I’ll run through the most common issues causing Bosch dishwashers to not fill with water and how to fix them. You should first check for error codes, followed by resetting the machine, examining the water intake, checking for any filter blockages, and then checking the power line.

Fortunately, all of the issues are fixable at home.

Reset The Dishwasher

One easy fix that’ll often do the trick when your Bosch dishwasher isn’t working is to try resetting the appliance.

Bosch dishwashers are designed so that you can’t really stop the appliance once it’s started a cycle. So, if for some reason a cycle was interrupted — perhaps the power was cut, for example — you may have a hard time getting things going again.

In this case, a reset may be in order.

You can usually do this by holding down the “Start” button on the control panel.

However, some Bosch models actually have a designated reset button, which should be labeled “Cancel-Reset.” Hit that button if it appears on your dishwasher.

Once you’ve reset the dishwasher, simply select a new cycle and hit “Start” to see if things function as normal.

Low Water Supply (Error Codes E17 & E18) 

If your Bosch dishwasher isn’t filling with water, after checking the error codes you should focus on the water supply. Two common issues with the water supply for Bosch dishwashers are either a blocked water supply line or a faulty inlet valve.

Most dishwashers feed from the hot water supply that also supplies the kitchen sink. Firstly double check your hot water valve is open, and then check the hot tap in your kitchen sink. If the hot tap doesn’t work then you may have an issue with your water source or plumbing and you should report the issue.

If the hot tap does work then you’ve isolated the problem to the dishwasher.

Bosch Water Supply Line Issues

First, check your water supply line. It can easily become kinked or blocked. Air bubbles or sediment can get trapped inside the water supply line, blocking the water from passing through at the expected rate (or at all).

Shut off your water valve and disconnect the water supply line from the valve and dishwasher. Blow through the supply line to confirm it’s not plugged. Then put a container under the valve outlet and open the valve to flush out any sediment.

Once you’ve finished, reconnect your water line and hopefully, your Bosch dishwasher will work properly again.

Faulty Or Blocked Water Inlet Valve

Once you’ve confirmed the supply line is clear and not kinked, turn your attention to the water inlet valve. The water inlet valve (or fill valve) controls the water flow into your appliance and commonly they either become blocked or leak.

If you live in a hard water area it’s possible mineral build-up is causing your inlet valve to be blocked. Here are some common signs of a faulty inlet valve:

• The dishwasher fills with water when turned off
• Inadequate water for a cycle
• The dishwasher fills slowly
• Dishes come out dirty

It’s possible your inlet valve is either slightly blocked or faulty. A blocked inlet valve can be cleaned but you should probably just take this opportunity to replace it, as they are cheap and the work involved compared to cleaning is similar.

First, inspect the inlet valve. It’s normally located at the bottom of the dishwasher behind the front panel.

Set the multimeter to ohms and touch the probes on the valve’s terminals. Look for a reading between 500 and 1,500 ohms. A reading outside of this range would indicate a faulty valve in need of replacement.

Filter Blockage

Bosch dishwashers are designed with a built-in filter that’ll keep food and other debris from getting stuck in places where it doesn’t belong. The water used by the dishwasher needs to drain through that filter as it exits the dishwasher.

If this drain gets blocked for any reason, then water will pool up at the bottom of your dishwasher. And if the dishwasher detects that there’s still water inside, it won’t dispense anymore as a precaution.

If your device displays the error code E22 or E92, then you likely have a filter blockage.

Something a lot of Bosch dishwasher owners don’t know is that the filter on the inside of the dishwasher is supposed to be checked and cleaned regularly. Thankfully, this means it’s also easy to remove.

Let’s quickly go through the steps on how to remove and clean your dishwasher filter:

1. Remove the dishwasher rack by pulling it up from the rails at the bottom.
2. Unlock the filter unit located at the base of the dishwasher and pull it out.
3. Remove the cylindrical filter from the filter unit by unscrewing it.
4. Clean both parts of the filter unit by running them under your sink. If you need to scrape something off of the filter, use a small brush to gently scrape. Doing anything more could potentially damage the filter unit.
5. Put the filter unit back together and place it back in your dishwasher.

Once you’re done, try running your dishwasher. If it fills with water and runs normally, then you’ve figured it out! However, if it still doesn’t fill with water, then your issue probably wasn’t a blocked filter.

5. Power Cable Issues

Finally, another common situation that you might encounter is that the power cable simply isn’t plugged in properly. It may seem like a no-brainer, but dishwashers get unplugged more often than you might think.

This is perhaps one of the easiest issues to diagnose and fix. If your Bosch dishwasher is having power cable issues, then none of the other features will be working properly. To fix this issue, inspect your dishwasher’s power cable carefully.

First off, make sure it’s plugged in fully. Second, try plugging it into another outlet. Sometimes, certain power outlets can stop working and plugging your dishwasher into another outlet could fix the issue.

However, if it’s plugged in and doesn’t work in any other nearby outlets, check the power cable carefully. If it has any signs of damage or tearing, you may need to replace the power cable entirely.