Dishwasher Is Not Filling Up With Water – How To Fix

Dishwasher not filling? If your dishwasher will not fill with water, here are the parts you need to have a look at. You may either have a bad part or you could have an issue with the water supply going to the dishwasher. Check all the parts we list below and you will have your dishwasher fixed in no time. Do it yourself and save money!

Dishwasher Not Filling With WaterHow To Fix A Dishwasher Not Filling With Water

Dishwasher Water Inlet Valve
This valve fills the dishwasher with the correct amount of hot water. The water inlet valve is operated from the control board or the timer (the timer is for older dishwashers such as popular brands Maytag and Kenmore dishwashers, the control board is for newer dishwashers). The valve is behind the lower access panel at the bottom of the dishwasher. The valve has 2 wires, an outlet hose to the inner dishwasher tub, also the hot water line from your home water supply (usually the line from under the sink). First inspect the water supply to be sure there is enough water pressure going to the valve during the fill portion of the cycle. If you are getting the right water pressure, then it is possible the valve is bad. Be sure to check that the filter screen on the water inlet valve is not clogged. If clogged clean it off and retest your dishwasher. If not clogged check the valve for proper operation. To be sure test with a multimeter. If the valve is in working order then proceed to the below parts to make sure they are not causing your NO FILL issue.

Dishwasher Water Inlet ValveDishwasher Water Inlet Valve Here

Water Supply Problem To Dishwasher
Be sure the water valve to the dishwasher is turned on and fully OPEN. If so then check to be sure that hard water has not clogged anything. Hard water can clog the water supply valve. There is a small filter screen in the water inlet valve. If clogged the dishwasher cannot fill. Also be sure the water pressure to the valve is correct. The valve needs at least 20psi to operate as designed.

Dishwasher water supply under sinkCheck dishwasher water supply under sink to be sure it is getting water

Dishwasher Float / Float Switch
This float is at the bottom of the dishwasher tub usually front left. This float is a safety that lifts up when the water fills in your dishwasher and turns the water off before it gets too high and overfills. Make sure nothing is holding the float in the up position. It needs to be able to freely move vertically. There is a small switch inside it. If the float moves freely then you may have a bad float switch. This switch is a small micro switch. When the float rises, it clicks the switch and the water turns off. If the switch is bad the washer will either overfill or WILL NOT FILL AT ALL. Check the float switch for continuity with a multimeter to be sure it is in working order.

Dishwasher Float SwitchDishwasher Float Switch – Test with multimeter to make sure it is working

Dishwasher Door Switch
This switch prevents the dishwasher from washing when the door is in the open position. When the door switch is bad the dishwasher will not fill. The switch is behind the door panel at the top of the dishwasher door. Make sure the door switch is operational. To get to the switch, remove the inside door from the outside door (see YouTube videos for your dishwasher model). Locate the door switch and check it for continuity with your multimeter. If there is no continuity, then replace the dishwasher door switch.

Door Switch For DishwasherDoor Switch For Dishwasher Here

If you have problems with your dishwasher not filling with water, please leave your question below and we will be happy to assist you with fixing your dishwasher.

10 thoughts on “Dishwasher Is Not Filling Up With Water – How To Fix”

  1. I have checked all steps to my Bosch dishwasher. Even replaced the water inlet valve and Still no water. What next? possible replacing the control board. The dishwasher seams to start and then shuts down and cycles to show clean. Question, can I replace the control board myself or is that a technicians job ?

  2. I have a AEG OKO_FAVORIT 40300 dishwasher and the motor for the wash cycle does not come on at all. I need an electrical drawing for this type of machine please.

  3. I have an LG dishwasher. It was not cleaning the dishes at all but I was not getting any error messages. I replaced the inlet valve and instantly started getting an IE code (not filling with water), so I replaced the float and the hose and I am still receiving an IE code. LG says the code will begin if the dishwasher hasn’t filled within ten minutes but mine is after the first minute of starting up. LG customer service was useless told me to call a plumber. Suggestions?

  4. I have a fisher and paykel dishwasher, that is showing a u1 error code, water is going in but draining away before the element starts.
    Any ideas?

  5. My kitchen sink has been backing up a lot. I have been unclogging it using diff methods too often unfortunately. My dishwasher stopped cycling with water recently. My question is, are the 2 connected? What I mean is, if Im having issues with sink clogging, backing up, etc, would this affect the water not going through into dishwasher? Thanks

  6. ALLEN VETTER - DIY Repair Assistant

    Stu Cummings,
    You have done much troubleshooting on your DW, you almost have it working properly… Check the below info to get the water going to your DW…
    – Check the water inlet valve.
    – Be sure the water valve is fully open.
    – Be sure the water fill hose is not crimped or bent or clogged.

    If the hose is positioned correctly, the water is on, the valve is open, the inlet valve is working properly, the water should fill the Dishwasher.

    Let us know what you find…
    -RR

  7. I have a fairly new Whirlpool DW (6 months old – top control) that worked great. Suddenly the dishes weren’t getting clean and it was obvious no water was coming in. The DW goes through a complete cycle, so it took at least two cycles to figure this out (we thought we got a bad brand of soap). Looked under the DW and lo and behold the brown wires to both the water inlet valve and the float switch had been chewed on by some varmint. One wire of the float switch was chewed off, and the water inlet wires were chewed badly but looked connected. No other wires appeared to have been chewed

    Here’s the deal: After fixing the wires and checking the operation of the inlet valve (it worked) cleaning everything, I was sure the DW would work again as it had. NOPE. The DW cycles through, makes a lot of noises, but there is no water coming in still. Could the injured wires have affected some other control?

    Thanks!!

  8. Hi James, I have exactly the same issue.. how did you fix it? I’m all out of ideas! Would love to know how it worked out. Thanks so much

  9. Samsung DW has been worked on 3 separate times and not working in 6 weeks. Won’t drain water , won’t start, a pump is running but no water coming in. 5E error code at first but now no code and DW still is not running. Very disappointed with this DW and the response from Samsung customer service.

  10. I have just purchased a Fisher and Paykel dishwasher DW60CHX1 from Noel Leeming, have installed it correctly from the official instruction guide that came with the dishwasher.
    All electronics are working, water supply to dishwasher, BUT the dishwasher does not fill.
    As there are no actual instructions in the guide for connecting the hose to the dishwasher, is there something I should’ve done to the water connection port on the dishwasher before attaching the hose?

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