Error code
Thermador dishwasher error code E18
Thermador error code E18: the machine filled, but not to the level it expects. What the code covers, what to check first, and what it does not tell you — on dishwashers.
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What we can confirm
Code E18, from the manufacturer's own documentation
A code is only meaningful together with the generation showing it — the same two digits mean different things across generations.
The code
E18
The machine filled, but not to the level it expects
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What it narrows down to
Water level too low
What you are probably seeing
Diagnostic
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What it looks like from the kitchen
The symptom this code usually arrives with
A code names the subsystem; the symptom is what sent you to look at the display in the first place. That page says what it usually turns out to be, cheapest cause first.
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The most common call Dishwasher not draining
Water standing in the bottom of the tub after a cycle. Two of the five causes come out by hand without tools, which makes this the symptom most worth five minutes before booking anything.
- Standing water after every cycle
- A code in the twenties, or an E61 label
- Dishes clean on top, wet and gritty below
In more detail
About Thermador dishwasher error code E18
What this one means
The machine filled, but not to the level it expects. It is a code the manufacturer publishes for this appliance, not one we have worked out — and it is decoded here rather than left as three characters on a display.
The other ways your machine may say it
The same condition is published under more than one label, because it has been carried across generations of this appliance:
- E18, E3200 — the same condition, on machines of different ages
What the code covers
A published cause names a circuit rather than a component, which is the single most useful thing to know before ordering a part. This one covers:
- A supply that cannot deliver about two and a half gallons a minute
- A partly blocked inlet
- A leak losing water as fast as it arrives
What to try yourself
- Run the kitchen faucet and time a quart — a slow supply is the common answer in an older building
Then what
If the supply is healthy and it still under-fills, the pressure switch and the inlet valve are next.
This code is published for dishwashers. The full list of codes has the rest of them, searchable, including the labels older and newer machines use for the same conditions.
This article is based on:
- Official manufacturer documentation
- Internal repair procedures
- Technician repair history
- Company quality standards