There is nothing more frustrating than pressing start on the dishwasher and nothing happens. If your Miele dishwasher won’t turn on, here are our top tips for things to do before you consider it broken and needing repair or replacement.
Steps to take if a Miele dishwasher won’t turn on
One of the most common issues when a Miele dishwasher won’t turn on, is that the door has not been firmly closed. Sounds obvious, doesn’t it?
Check that the door is firmly sealed and if necessary, open the door, check nothing is in the way of the seal and close it again. If the time display is flashing, that indicates that that door is not closed.
Secondly, check if the power is on for your Miele dishwasher. Turn the dishwasher off and on using the power button.
Check the control panel is lit up. This will be on the top of the door or in front of your dishwasher, depending on the model.
If no lights or screens are lit up, check the power socket that the dishwasher is plugged into. Make sure it is switched on. If it is, and there is still no power, check the plug fuse.
Are other sockets in the house working? You might need to check your circuit breaker to make sure a fuse switch hasn’t tripped.
If the power is on but the screen is blank, the dishwasher may be in standby mode. Press any button to bring it out of standby and activate the display.
If you have not yet chosen a programme, your Miele dishwasher will not start when you press the ‘Start’ button. Choose a programme using the programme selector button marked ‘V’ first, then press start.
If your power indicator and screen are lit up, is there a light beside the programme name or is the programme name shown in the LED screen? If not, choose a programme, then press start.
When a programme has been selected but the start button has not been pressed, the End, Start or Start/Stop lights should flash slowly. Press start. If your Miele dishwasher still won’t start, it could be that the dishwasher has just finished a programme as these lights also flash when a programme has been completed. Choose a programme and then press start.
If your programme was set and the dishwasher was started but it doesn’t appear to have started washing the dishes, it could be running the water softener reactivation programme, which can take up to ten minutes to reset. Do not switch the dishwasher off. It will start after the water softener reactivation programme ends.
Has the delay start setting been used? If the delay start setting has been used on your Miele dishwasher the timer display will tell you what delay has been set and the start button indicator will flash. Turn the dishwasher off and on to reset the delay timer. Then choose a programme and press start as normal.
Is there an error message on the display?
Water intake / Open stopcock / Inlet fault error on Miele dishwasher
If your Miele dishwasher won’t start, it could be that the stopcock is closed. Check the pipework under the kitchen cabinet to see if the stopcock is closed. Switch off the dishwasher. Then turn the tap or the blue/red switch to align with the pipes and turn the dishwasher back on. Choose a programme and click start on the dishwasher.
If the stopcock pipework is soiled you will need to turn off the stopcock and clean the inlet filter. Unscrew the inlet hose from the tap outlet and turn it over for the filter to fall out. Clean the filter, replace it. Securely fasten the inlet hose. Turn the stopcock on. Choose a programme and click start on the dishwasher.
Water intake temperature too low error on Miele dishwasher
The temperature of the water intake is too low for the programme chosen. Choose another programme and press start.
Salt reservoir lid / Close salt reservoir lid error on Miele dishwasher
The salt reservoir on your Miele dishwasher must be closed for the dishwasher to function. Close the salt reservoir lid. Choose a programme, press start.
Try turning your dishwasher off and on again. Press the start/stop button for at least 1 second until the LED indicator flashes. Turn the dishwasher off. Leave it for a few seconds. Turn the dishwasher back on.
If the error message still shows or it indicates a more serious problem with your Miele dishwasher, call the Miele service department and arrange an engineer. Don’t attempt to work on your Miele dishwasher yourself.
Repairing and disposing of a Miele dishwasher
Miele dishwashers are electrical waste and have to be disposed of at specialist centers that take electrical items. Miele’s customer service departments can help advise on how you can safely dispose of an unwanted dishwasher in an environmentally friendly way.
Repair Aid suggest that if the dishwasher still works, it can be sold or donated. A repair center might choose to buy it to refurbish it and resell it. The retailer that you bought it from might have a returns program in place.
My Miele dishwasher won’t start
Did you get your Miele dishwasher going again? Which one of our tips did you use?
One of the things that everyone can do to make their home more sustainable is to repair household appliances and recycle household goods. If your Miele dishwasher is not starting, fixing it will save you money on a callout and mean that you don’t have to buy a new one or dispose of the existing dishwasher into municipal waste.
We hope you found our tips for things to try useful and you managed to get your dishwasher started.