How do I replace the heater element in a LG dishwasher?

Joey S EXPERT March 19, 2010

According to the service manual you will need to disconnect the water supply line and the electrical supply from the dishwasher and remove the dishwasher from its installation. Be aware that the drain hose must have enough slack in order to slide the dishwasher out. You may have to disconnect the drain hose from under the sink and push the hose into the cabinet has you are pulling the dishwasher out. The dishwasher will need to be flipped upside down in order to remove the base cover and base. The pump and motor assembly must be removed in order to remove the heater. I added an image below with the basic instructions.

I recommend calling a service technician to diagnose and repair your dishwasher. The failure is not likely the heating element.

todd September 26, 2010

if it's not the coil, what else could it be?

RICK April 10, 2011

I'm not a plumbing professional but I just replaced an LG dishwasher heating element. Wife complained dishes weren't drying and there was a bad odor inside the dishwasher. To me, it was clear that the sump heater wasn't heating the wash and rinse water. Not difficult to do. As mentioned above, disconnect water supply line by removing small panel at the bottom front. Make sure to turn water off first. Then disconnect dishwasher drain tube under your sink, this allows dishwasher to be pulled out of cabinet. Turn dishwasher over ( easy, very light weight). Remove sheet metal pan on bottom to expose the sump, motor, pump, heater etc. You'll see the ends of the heater element sticking out of the sump assembly. Usual instructions recommend removing the large plastic base but I found that the heater could be removed and reinstalled by simply sliding it out and into the gap between the plastic base and the washer cabint once I removed the sheet metal side panel on the dishwasher. I tested my heater with a volt-ohm meter and found it to be defective ( this is what I hoped for since new heater is only $50). Got new heater ( SEE PICTURE) and installed it in about 30 minutes. The only fussy part was knowing how tight to turn the small bolt which squeezes the rubber seal. I was conservative the first attempt and had a water leak where the heater fits into the sump. You'll see this and understand how the bolt and rubber seal work once you get the heater out. Turned the bolt more and the leak stopped. Washer works great now, wife happy. Congratulate yourself on saving $200. My dishwasher is LG Model LDF 6810ST. Damn expensive so I'm glad this simple fix worked well. Bought heater from repairclininc.com