What to do when your bosch dishwasher isn’t drying

Bosch Dishwasher model shx5av55uc/22
A dishwasher’s cycle is essentially the same whether you have a $400 basic model or a $1,500 luxury brand.
Dishwasher fills with water ⇒ rinses dishes ⇒ drains ⇒ fills up with water ⇒ heats water ⇒ rinses dishes ⇒ drains ⇒ dries
The cycle we’ll specifically be talking about is the drying cycle. When your dishwasher doesn’t dry, it is usually not heating the water either. When this happens, not only are the dishes wet at the end of the cycle, but food particles won’t wash off the dishes. Mold/mildew will also start to form inside the dishwasher over time.
On this particular dishwasher, the complaint was that the dishes were not drying and food was being left on the dishes.
Case Study
Brand: Bosch
Model: shx5av55uc/22
Complaint: Not drying, black midlew building up on inside of dishwasher
Initial thoughts: Either the control is not sending power to the heating element, or the heating element is shorted
Ultimate repair done: Replaced heat pump, part # 12008381
Model: shx5av55uc/22
Complaint: Not drying, black midlew building up on inside of dishwasher
Initial thoughts: Either the control is not sending power to the heating element, or the heating element is shorted
Ultimate repair done: Replaced heat pump, part # 12008381
On this model the heat pump is a common failure part, so that is a good place to start. In order to test the heating element you have to gain access to the heat pump which is located directly in the center of the bottom. Depending on your specific model you may have to uninstall the dishwasher and tilt it on its side.
Once you gain access to the dishwasher heat pump you’ll be able to test the internal heating element. You will need to take a multi-meter, turn it to the ohm setting, and put your leads on the 2 right terminals. The element SHOULD read 10ohms. If your multimeter says the element is open, then you know that you have a defective heating element and changing the heat pump will fix your problem.

Bosch Heat Pump, part # 12008381
On this particular dishwasher, changing the heat pump was the only problem and after the repair everything is working to factory specs.
If you need your dishwasher repaired or inspected, you can always call or request on appointment online!