Bosch dishwashers are known for their reliability and great performance. Unfortunately, there are times when a Bosch dishwasher doesn’t live up to your expectations and needs to be reset for a variety of reasons.
When you need to reset your Bosch dishwasher you simply press the Start button for three to five seconds since this is the default reset button for most newer models. Older models will require you to press the Cancel or Drain buttons for up to five seconds to do the same thing.
There are certain Bosch dishwasher functions that have different ways to reset them that don’t reset the entire system. There are also times when you might need to do a hard factory reset of your Bosch dishwasher. In this article, I will go over several of the things to keep in mind when it comes to Bosch dishwasher resetting.
Changing the Bosch dishwasher cycle
All Bosch appliances can get stuck at some point or another. There are times when your Bosch dishwasher may get stuck in a cycle and you’ll get frustrated because you need to change it. There are also times when you start the wrong cycle and want to switch to the correct one only to find out the Bosch dishwasher doesn’t want to cooperate.
If you have a Bosch dishwasher with a front dishwasher control panel then resetting the cycle is easy. There isn’t a specific reset button so you press the Start button and hold it down for up to five seconds. Listen for the sound of drain noise from the drain pump as that is draining the water out.
It’s important to not open the door right after pressing the Start button since the Bosch dishwasher will be full of water. Either wait for the door to open automatically, or wait until it sounds like the pump is finished working.
For those with a Bosch dishwasher model with the incognito panel, you will actually need to open the door to get it to change cycles. Cautiously open the Bosch dishwasher door until you have access to the display. Firmly press the Start button and then release it and quickly close the door. After a few seconds, you will hear the same type of movement from the drain pump as it drains the water.
Some older models require you to push simultaneously the Regular Wash and the Hold and Rinse buttons for up to five seconds while the door is closed. Once again the drain noise will appear and the dishwasher will set itself to Standby Mode.
If it is still stuck in a cycle then you should look out for an error code. Further on in the article, we will cover some of the common error codes that you might be faced with so you know what to do next.
How to reset Bosch dishwasher Ascenta models
The Bosch Ascenta model dishwasher is one that has an incognito control panel and not a front panel so it uses a different set of operations to reset it. You’ll need to open the door and, as usual, press and hold the Start Reset button for up to five seconds. The machine will beep and then show Active on the display. Close the door and it will finish the drain pump cycle and be ready to use on another cycle.
Some Ascenta models have a clock display and you’ll need to press and hold the Start or Reset button until the clock shows 0:00. Close the door and wait until the clock display reads 0:01 and then press the On Off button.
Disconnecting the power supply for a factory reset
If you have a Bosch dishwasher that is not responding to your programmed settings then you should try to hard reset your Bosch dishwasher to bring it back to the factory settings before you programmed it. Sometimes going with the original settings will help it to start working properly again.
This involves disconnecting completely from the breaker box. Use the circuit breaker to turn off your dishwasher from the source. It’s important to leave this off for up to seven minutes.
Inboard computers will still have some residual electricity to help keep the current settings in case of a power outage. Leaving it for this long will ensure that all the data has been cleared from the system so you will indeed be back to the original factory settings when you reset your Bosch dishwasher.
Turn the power supply circuit breaker back on and the dishwasher should be in Standby Mode and allow you to either start a new wash cycle or to go through the settings to personalize your wash programs.
You still might need to reset the control panel at this point in which case you should press Start power button and the A button at the same time. The clock display should show 0:01 and in about sixty seconds turn to 0:00.
Disengaging the child lock
Activating a child lock feature is a good idea when you have curious children around. This prevents them from pressing buttons that could change your programmed settings or even cause the machine to change cycles and leave your dishes dirty. It’s also a good safety feature so the child can’t open the door and potentially scald themselves due to the hot water cycle. You may have even engaged the child lock by accident if you pressed the wrong combination of buttons.
To reset the child lock feature, locate the Lock button and hold it down for up to five seconds. This will reset your machine and you can restart your regular cycle.
If this isn’t possible on your Bosch dishwasher, wait for the cycle to finish and go into Standby Mode on its own. Then hold the Lock key for up to five seconds. Look for the CL on the display to disappear as this means that the child lock has been deactivated.
Resetting the Timer/Delay function
Many Bosch dishwashers have a convenient feature that allows you to set up a time that works best for doing your dishes. For instance, you can set the timer to work in one hour increments to find the time to wash when the electricity rates are lower such as in the evening or at night. What happens when you set the timer and then realize that you need to run a wash cycle right now? You need to reset the timer or delay function.
Press the Start Reset button for a few seconds when the timer has been set then the Delay button. It will show the clock display at h:00. This will allow you to set the time back to 0:00 and use the machine when you are ready.
Reset the Check Water function
When you see the Check Water LED light flash then this means that there could be a Bosch dishwasher malfunction and you have to do a test run to figure out what it could be. The first thing to do is to reset your Bosch dishwasher Check Water light to run a test cycle and put it into diagnostic mode. Some models will require you to use the Power Scrub Plus button and others will be the Regular Wash button to access the diagnostic mode so you can analyze the problem.
Start by pressing the Power Scrub Plus button or Regular Wash button while simultaneously pushing the On Off button. Wait for when the LED light appears beneath or above the various wash cycles.
Once these lights are lit, then the machine will run through each of the cycles to diagnose the problem. If there is a malfunction then there will be a light that continues to show above each of the cycles. For instance, if the light for the Wash cycle is lit __then this likely means that there is a problem with the heating element that makes hot water.
Bosch dishwasher models with a digital display will instead show you the error code that corresponds with the precise problem so you know how to troubleshoot it. If there is a 0 on the display after the series of tests are completed then this means there is no issue that you need to fix and should be able to run a normal cycle without needing to reset Bosch dishwasher. If the machine is stuck then start at the beginning of the tips to see how to reset it to get back to normal wash mode.
Very often you will get this warning because there is a maintenance issue that has been ignored that is affecting the normal operation of the dishwasher. The water sensor will detect a problem with water filling the machine. This can be caused by a water inlet valve being left in the Off position so there is no water coming in. Or, there is a filter that needs to be cleaned since it is dirty enough to block water flow into the machine.
What does this error code mean?
When you have to enter the test mode to see what is causing your Bosch dishwasher to not work correctly then you should be on the lookout for certain error codes that tell you what the problem is. In this section, I will go over several of the most common ones you are likely to encounter.
Error E12 – Limescale build up
If you live in an area with hard water and don’t have a whole house filter then it is only a matter of time before you encounter this error code. This is because the lime or calcium in the water will build up over time on the heat pump. This affects the ability of the machine to be working correctly.
The first thing to do is descale the machine and get it working again. Using softener salt and running a wash cycle will generally be enough to descale your heater. Without adding any detergent, run the longest and hottest cycle that your Bosch dishwasher allows.
Do this a few times per year to prevent getting the fault code in the future.
Error E22 – Filter is blocked
Unless you are regularly cleaning out your Bosch dishwasher filter even when you aren’t getting a fault code then it is a matter of time before you get this signal. Filters are easily clogged since there is a lot of debris that gets washed off of the plates and into the drain. There can also be debris like broken glass and sometimes fat builds up on the screen of the filter.
Take the time to remove the filter and wash it in hot water with a soft brush to avoid damaging it. Once it is clean, reinstall it and you can resume a new cycle. Make sure to keep up on cleaning the filter regularly even when you aren’t getting an alert that it is full so you never have to worry about a wash stopping mid cycle.
Error E24 – Dishwasher not draining
You may get this signal instead of the E22 if your filter is severely clogged since it is blocking the water from draining. Otherwise, there could be a number of reasons that the water isn’t draining so you’ll have to go through some troubleshooting to narrow down the possibilities of why it isn’t working correctly.
For instance, sometimes the problem is as minor as a drain hose being bent or kinked and restricting the flow of water. If you have an under sink drain for your dishwasher then something might have moved the hose for this to happen. Or, there could be a blockage in the drain leading out of the house so you will need to run a snake through it to remove the obstruction.
Final Word
Resetting your Bosch dishwasher is one of the easiest operations you can do to get it working correctly the way you want again. Before you panic and call a technician, make sure that you go through these instructions as you will likely be able to fix the problem yourself.
