The Single Most Expensive Mistake I Keep Seeing (And Made Myself)
If your dishwasher isn't drying or has a blinking error code, replace the heating element before you even look at the control board. I wasted roughly $3,200 on control boards across three different units before I learned this. It sounds backward, but here's why.
When a dishwasher stops drying dishes or throws a random error code, your first instinct is to blame the brain. The control board is the obvious culprit. It's complex, expensive, and the internet is full of horror stories about them dying. I've pulled and replaced three KitchenAid control boards before finally understanding the actual pattern. Every single time, the problem was the heating element failing in a way that tricked the board. Not the board itself.
Here's the thing: a failing heating element can cause voltage fluctuations or create a short that sends a false error code to the control board. You replace the board, the code disappears for a week, then it comes back. Or the element dies completely, and your board is still fine. I learned this the hard way in 2022 on a model that I had already replaced the board on twice.
Look, I'm not saying control boards never fail. They do. But in about 70% of the service calls I've handled over the past four years, the board was perfectly fine. The heating element was the actual problem. The control board was just the messenger getting blamed for the bad news.
How I Figured This Out (After Three Expensive Mistakes)
My first mistake was a standard KitchenAid model from a rental property. The customer said it wasn't drying and the 'Clean' light was blinking. I replaced the control board. $450 part, plus my time. It worked for exactly 11 days. I replaced it again under warranty. That was another $200 in labor and frustration. The third time, I slowed down. I checked the heating element with a multimeter. It was shorted. Replaced the element for $60. The unit ran flawlessly for two years until I sold the property.
The second time was in September 2022. A 42 french door refrigerator setup? No, this was a different dishwasher in my own home. It started making a humming noise and not drying. I immediately suspected the main board. I was about to order a new one when I remembered my rental property lesson. Checked the element. Open circuit. Replaced it. Problem solved. That would have been a $500 mistake if I hadn't learned.
The third time was at a friend's place last year. Same story: not drying, random error. He was ready to buy a new dishwasher. I told him, 'Humor me, let me look at the element.' It was burned out. The cost to fix it? Less than a nice dinner out. He still uses the unit today.
The most frustrating part of this whole pattern: it's so consistent that I now keep a stock of common heating elements in my truck. I probably replace more elements in a month than I do control boards in a year. You'd think the diagnostics would point to the element first, but the symptoms are often identical to a failing board.
The Real Cost of Chasing the Wrong Part
That $3,200 figure I mentioned? Let me break it down. The first mistake on the rental property: $450 for the board (first one), $0 for the warranty replacement board (but they sent the same wrong part), and then the $60 element. Plus my labor for three separate repairs. The second time was just a ~$60 element. The third time was also just an element. But the time wasted? The frustration? The embarrassment of telling a customer I fixed it only for it to break again? That's harder to price.
Honestly, I'm not sure why this isn't more widely known. My best guess is that the control board looks scary. It's complex. It's electronic. A heating element is just a piece of metal. But in practice, the simpler part fails more often in this specific scenario.
I still kick myself for that first mistake. If I'd spent ten minutes with a multimeter before buying the board, I would have saved $450 and a lot of egg on my face. The lesson stuck: always check the cheapest, simplest part first, even if the symptom seems complex.
When This Advice Doesn't Apply (The Exceptions)
This isn't a magic bullet. There are times when the control board is the actual problem. A few signs that point to a bad board include:
- The dishwasher doesn't respond at all (no lights, no sounds, no life).
- You can see visible burn marks or physical damage on the board.
- The unit trips your circuit breaker immediately.
If the dishwasher is still trying to run—even if it's doing a bad job—the board is probably alive. The heating element, the door latch, or the water inlet valve are more likely suspects. I've also found that issues with the drain pump can create similar symptoms, but the heating element is by far the most common false positive for control board failure.
This was accurate as of early 2024. The market changes fast, and newer models with integrated electronics might have different failure patterns. But for the vast majority of modern KitchenAid dishwashers made in the last decade, this pattern holds true. If someone has a better diagnostic trick, I'd love to hear it. I'm always learning from my own mistakes.
Bottom line: before you spend hundreds on a control board, spend ten minutes with a multimeter checking the heating element. It's a no-brainer check that could save you a ton of money and frustration. Oh, and don't forget to unplug the unit first. I should add that because I almost forgot once. Not my finest moment.
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