Samsung Dishwasher Not Heating? Read HE1

How a Samsung dishwasher heats#

On the DW80R, DW80K, and DW80J families, heating is a small loop: a heating element warms the water for the wash and the dry, a temperature sensor (a 50K thermistor) reports how hot it is, a high-limit thermostat guards against overheating, and the control board decides when to switch the element on. The Digital Inverter Motor circulates water and a separate drain pump (part DD31-00005A) removes it, so a heat fault sits with the element and its controls, not the motors. When any part of that heating loop fails, the dishes come out cold and greasy and often won't dry.

Read the codes first#

Samsung's error codes point straight at the failing subsystem — HE1 for a heating error, and codes such as 1E, 3E, 5E, or 7E for filter, motor, drain, and level faults that can masquerade as poor performance. On Wi-Fi models, open SmartThings, choose the dishwasher, and run Self Diagnosis under Device Care; it reads the stored history from the board and shows which cycle phase the problem occurs in, which narrows the cause quickly.

Causes at a glance#

Working through the causes#

Heating element failed (most common). The element is what actually warms the water, and when it burns open the wash and dry both run cold — usually with an HE1 heating-error code. Disconnect power, reach the element in the sump, and test it for continuity; an open reading confirms it has failed. A failed element is the single most frequent cause of a Samsung dishwasher that won't heat.

High-limit thermostat tripped (common). The high-limit thermostat cuts the element if it ever senses overheating, and once tripped — or failed open — it leaves the element dead. Test it for continuity; if it will not pass current when cool, replace it, and check why it overheated so the new one does not trip again.

Temperature sensor drift (occasional). The 50K thermistor tells the board the water temperature. If it drifts, the board can think the water is already hot and never fully drive the element. Measure the thermistor's resistance against its spec; a reading well off condemns the sensor.

Control-board heat relay (occasional). The board switches the element through a relay. If that relay fails, the element never receives power even though the element and thermostat are both good. Inspect the board for a scorched or clicking heat relay once the simpler parts check out — it's the more expensive fix, so confirm it last.

Scale insulating the element (common). In hard Sacramento water, mineral scale coats the element and insulates it, so it heats slowly and weakly rather than not at all. If the element still passes continuity but heating is poor, descale the machine and clean the element before replacing anything.

Maintenance that prevents it#

• Clean both filter sections — the coarse cylinder and the fine mesh cup — weekly, more often if you barely pre-rinse.
• Run Samsung's Self Clean monthly (hold Sanitize and Dry for three seconds on DW80R models) to flush grease and scale from internal passages.
• Fit a dedicated surge protector; Samsung boards have limited built-in surge suppression.
• If your model supports AutoRelease Door, enable it so venting steam does not damage the touchpad.

Repair or replace?#

The element, thermostat, and thermistor are all inexpensive parts next to a new dishwasher, so a Samsung that only fails to heat is well worth repairing once the code and tests point to the culprit.

Dishes coming out cold and wet? Our technicians diagnose Samsung dishwasher heating faults same-day across Sacramento and the Bay Area. Book your repair.