--- title: "Dishwasher not drying" description: "Thermador dishwasher not drying — plastics coming out wet is how these machines are designed to behave." url: "https://thermadormiami.support/symptoms/dishwasher-not-drying/" date_modified: "2026-08-18" Appliance type: "Dishwashers" --- # Dishwasher not drying Symptom # Thermador dishwasher not drying Plastics coming out wet is how these machines are designed to behave. Glassware coming out wet is a different matter, and on this make the drying is a mineral chamber rather than a heating element. - **From $95** diagnostic, credited to the repair - **59** cities and neighborhoods covered - **OEM** parts available on order - **In writing** the price, before anything is opened ## Book a diagnostic visit Your model number and a line about what it is doing is enough to get started. Your details stay private. No spam, ever. Five ordinary causes ## What this usually turns out to be Cheapest and commonest first, which is also the order we check them in. They sit hundreds of dollars apart, and only the unit settles which one is yours. - Condensation drying meeting a plastic lid There is no exposed heating element in the tub. The load finishes hot, moisture moves to the cooler steel walls and runs down — and plastic does not hold enough heat to drive its own water off. Not a failure. ### Condensation drying meeting a plastic lid There is no exposed heating element in the tub. The load finishes hot, moisture moves to the cooler steel walls and runs down — and plastic does not hold enough heat to drive its own water off. Not a failure. - No rinse aid The dispenser is beside the detergent cup and it is genuinely necessary on these machines rather than optional. Water sheets off instead of beading, and the difference is dramatic. ### No rinse aid The dispenser is beside the detergent cup and it is genuinely necessary on these machines rather than optional. Water sheets off instead of beading, and the difference is dramatic. - Overloading, or items lying flat Cups and containers that sit level hold a puddle. Angling them is most of the trick, and the upper rack tines exist for it. ### Overloading, or items lying flat Cups and containers that sit level hold a puddle. Angling them is most of the trick, and the upper rack tines exist for it. - The Crystal Dry chamber A chamber of zeolite mineral that gives off heat as it takes up moisture, with its own heater and fan. When either goes, drying gets noticeably worse with nothing else changing — and both have published codes. [ Crystal Dry and drying repair from $245 ](https://thermadormiami.support/services/dishwasher-drying-repair/) ### The Crystal Dry chamber A chamber of zeolite mineral that gives off heat as it takes up moisture, with its own heater and fan. When either goes, drying gets noticeably worse with nothing else changing — and both have published codes. - The heat pump, if nothing is drying Glass wet as well as plastic, or dishes still dirty, means the cycle is not getting hot. That is a real repair and the more expensive one. [ Crystal Dry and drying repair from $245 ](https://thermadormiami.support/services/dishwasher-drying-repair/) ### The heat pump, if nothing is drying Glass wet as well as plastic, or dishes still dirty, means the cycle is not getting hot. That is a real repair and the more expensive one. In five minutes ## Before you call anybody None of it needs tools, and all of it makes the visit shorter. - 01 Look at the glass, not the plastic Dry glass and dry steel means a healthy machine. This one check settles most of these calls. ### Look at the glass, not the plastic Dry glass and dry steel means a healthy machine. This one check settles most of these calls. - 02 Fill the rinse aid The reservoir next to the detergent cup, set toward the higher end. It is not an upsell — the drying design depends on water sheeting off surfaces. ### Fill the rinse aid The reservoir next to the detergent cup, set toward the higher end. It is not an upsell — the drying design depends on water sheeting off surfaces. - 03 Open the door at the end Ten minutes ajar after the cycle finishes and the residual heat does the rest. Many models now do this by themselves. ### Open the door at the end Ten minutes ajar after the cycle finishes and the residual heat does the rest. Many models now do this by themselves. - 04 Then judge it again If glass is still coming out wet after all that, book — that is heat, and heat is a repair. ### Then judge it again If glass is still coming out wet after all that, book — that is heat, and heat is a repair. How it shows up ## What people describe when they call - “Plastics wet, glass and steel dry” - “Everything wet, including glass” - “Drying noticeably worse than it used to be” Two shortcuts ## Narrow it down before anybody arrives A description of the behaviour leaves a few possible causes. A code names the subsystem, and the model number says which parts to bring. Either one shortens the visit; both together usually settle it. If the display is showing something - [ E2120 Crystal Dry heater ](https://thermadormiami.support/error-codes/error-code-e2120-dishwasher/) - [ E2130 Crystal Dry fan ](https://thermadormiami.support/error-codes/error-code-e2130-dishwasher/) Photograph it before it clears — codes do not wait. [ Search the full code list ](https://thermadormiami.support/error-codes/) If there is no code at all The data plate is inside the cabinet, upper left wall or behind the grille. [ All models ](https://thermadormiami.support/models/) In more detail ## About Thermador dishwasher not drying ### The fastest diagnosis is the code Before anything else: is the glassware dry? If the glass and the stainless steel come out dry and only the plastic containers are wet, the machine is working exactly as designed and there is nothing to repair. ### The design, stated plainly These dishwashers dry by condensation, helped on the upper models by a mineral chamber. The final rinse leaves the load hot, the stainless steel walls are cooler than the dishes, and moisture migrates to the walls and drains away. It is quieter, gentler on stemware, uses less electricity and will not melt a lid that has fallen off the rack. It also dries plastic poorly, because plastic does not retain enough heat to evaporate its own water. ### When it is a repair - Glassware and steel coming out wet as well as plastic - Dishes coming out dirty as well as wet, which points at the same heat problem - Drying that has clearly got worse rather than always having been this way — on the models with a drying chamber that is often its fan or its heater, and both have codes of their own This article is based on: - Official manufacturer documentation - Internal repair procedures - Technician repair history - Company quality standards Before you book ## Questions about thermador dishwasher not drying Your old one had an exposed element in the base that baked the load dry. It also melted things that fell onto it, used a good deal more electricity, and ran hotter and louder. This is the trade that was made. A chamber of zeolite mineral that releases heat as it absorbs moisture, used instead of an element. It dries better than plain condensation and uses less power. It is also one of the few genuinely brand-specific parts on this machine, which is why it costs what it does when it fails. We would rather answer it on the phone. If the glass is dry, you do not need us, and we will say so before booking anything. 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