dishwasher not heating up

[hugoagogo]

My dishwasher is quite old, it still gets the dishes clean most of the time, but doesn't seem to dry anymore.

I noticed today that it doesn't seem to get warm when it's on, should I wash the dishes again by hand or will they be ok?

[PigletJohn]

If the hot water is not getting hot, ot either needs a new element, or there is some other fault, perhaps an electrical fault or the thermostat.

depending on the value of the appliance, you need to be thinking about a repair or replacement. It will not work properly cold.

you might get an idea of prices for elements here

list prices of manufacturers' parts are often more expensive.

[CrispEater]

We had the same problem a few years ago and called out a service engineer who said it could be caused by not enough water flowing into the machine. The heating system then cuts out to prevent overheating. The engineer said there could be limescale in the tap/valve under the sink that connects with the dishwasher. He fiddled about with it a bit (I think he literally just turned it back and forward a few times) and left, perfectly confident that he had solved the problem - which he had! We haven't had any more trouble since. Might be worth a try...

[hugoagogo]

I don't think it's worth getting it mended; it is at least 14 years old it was in our house when we bought it.

I was kind of hoping we could wait until the new year sales to replace it; do you think the dishes will be clean enough? Or am I at risk of giving everyone food poisoning?

[PigletJohn]

wash up by hand. Dishwashers rely on very hot water to dissolve the detergent and to sterilise the dishes. You are just giving them an intensive cold rinse.

[hugoagogo]

you are right, I know. bugger!