Appliance Spares
Quick answer: A dishwasher that won’t shut off is waiting for something that never happens: the water never gets hot enough, the tub never empties, the tub never fills to the level the switch expects, or the control has lost its place. Cancel the cycle, open the door at the 20-minute mark and feel the water. Cold water means the heating element or its sensor. Water standing in the base means the drain pump or a blocked filter. An empty tub with the pump humming means the inlet valve or the float. Only when those three are right is it the control board.
Samsung Dishwasher Heating Element DD81-01426A DW60H6050FSSA DW60H6050FWSAIn stock · Sydney warehouseView part- Fisher Paykel Dishwasher Heating Element H0124000590B DW60CDW2, DW60CDX2, DW60CEIn stock · Sydney warehouseView part
- Haier Dishwasher Heating Element HDW12-TFE3SS, DW9TFE3SS, HDW9TFE3WHIn stock · Sydney warehouseView part
- BEKO DISHWASHER HEATING ELEMENT DFN16420,DFN38450X,DFN28430,DSFN4630,DSFN6835In stock · Sydney warehouseView part
- SIMPSON DISHWASHER DRAIN PUMP SSF6105W,SSF6106W,SSF6105X,SSF6106X, 0018In stock · Sydney warehouseView part
- ELECTROLUX DISHLEX WESTINGHOUSE DISHWASHER INLET VALVE 0136400041 0172In stock · Sydney warehouseView part
- Fisher Paykel Dishwasher Inlet Valve H0120400055A DW60CHPW1, DW60CHPX1, DW60CKW1In stock · Sydney warehouseView part
- Omega Dishwasher Pressure Switch 37610154 ODW707WB, ODW707XB ODW717WB,ODW717XBIn stock · Sydney warehouseView part
Fit check: the model number on your sticker must appear in the listing title — the badge on the front is not enough. All dishwasher parts · Not listed? Send us the model number and we match it before you pay.
Last updated November 2026
Why a dishwasher runs for hours
Every dishwasher programme is a list of conditions, not a stopwatch. Fill to a level, heat the water to a temperature, wash for a time, drain to empty, repeat. The control only moves to the next step when the sensor for the current step says it is done. If the sensor never says so, the machine sits in that step, sometimes with a timer that eventually gives up and shows an error, sometimes forever. That is why a two-hour programme turns into four, or a dishwasher won’t stop running at all until you open the door.
So the fault is almost never the timer itself. It is the step the machine is stuck on, and you can tell which step by what the machine is doing when you catch it.
Catch it in the act: a five-minute diagnosis
| What you find when you open the door | The step it is stuck on | The part behind it |
|---|---|---|
| Water in the tub is cold or barely warm after 20 minutes, dishes come out dirty and the powder is still in the dispenser | Heating | Heating element, or the temperature sensor that reads it |
| Dirty water sitting in the base, pump humming on and off, the programme never moves to rinse | Drain | Blocked filter or sump, drain hose kinked or the drain pump |
| Tub empty, the machine clicks and hums but no water comes in, or it fills a little, stops and tries again | Fill | Inlet valve, the tap, the inlet hose filter or the float switch |
| Tub overfull, water near the door seal, float raised | Fill | Inlet valve stuck open, or a float switch stuck down |
| Water hot, drained and refilled correctly, yet the display counts down, pauses, then adds time, with no pattern | Control | Door latch switch chattering, or the control board |
Switch the machine off at the wall before putting a hand in the sump or behind the kick panel. Water and food scraps in the base are normal; anything you can smell burning is not, and that is a stop sign.
Heating: the fault behind most “won’t finish” calls
A dishwasher heats the wash water to between 50 and 70°C depending on the programme. When the element is open circuit the water never gets there, and the control keeps the wash step going while it waits. Older machines simply run on; newer ones add time, then give up and show a heating error. The giveaway is cold water and tablets that have only half dissolved.
The element is either a flow-through tube under the tub, plumbed between the circulation pump and the spray arm, or a bare loop in the base of the tub on older machines. With the power off and the wires unplugged, a multimeter on ohms should read somewhere between 15 and 40 ohms. Open circuit is a dead element. A reading from either terminal to the metal body means it has shorted to earth and is tripping the safety switch as well.
If the element tests good, the temperature sensor (an NTC thermistor, often built into the flow-through heater) can drift and report “not hot yet” forever. Its resistance should drop steadily as it warms in your hand.
Drain: when it will not empty, it will not move on
The programme cannot leave the wash step until the pressure or level sensor reports an empty tub. Pull the lower basket, lift out the filter assembly and clear the sump. Glass, fruit labels and toothpicks are the usual culprits. Spin the drain pump impeller with a finger; it should turn freely with a slight click at each pole. Check the drain hose runs up to a high loop under the bench and is not crushed behind the machine.
A pump that hums but does not turn, or turns but moves no water, is replaced as a unit. The dishwasher not draining guide covers the strip-down step by step.
Fill: too little, too much, or never
With the tap on and the machine calling for water, you should hear the inlet valve click and water running within a few seconds. Silence points to the valve coil, a closed tap or a blocked filter in the hose fitting. A valve that lets water trickle in while the machine is off floods the base and lifts the float, and the float switch then refuses to allow a fill, so the programme stalls at the first step.
The float sits in the front corner of the base under a small cover. Lift it by hand; it should move freely and click the switch beneath. Food debris or a split hose can hold it up.
Control: the last thing to blame
If the water heats, drains and fills correctly and the machine still runs on, check the door latch. A latch switch with a worn contact drops out for a moment, the control pauses, then restarts the step, and the cycle time stretches. Press the door firmly during the programme; if it carries on normally, the latch is the fault. Only after the latch is ruled out does the control board come into it, and that is a job to price against the age of the machine.
Match the part to your model sticker
The model sticker is on the edge of the door or the side of the tub, visible with the door open. Each row names the part and the models on the sticker that the listing covers. The code on your sticker must appear in the listing title before you order.
| Step | Part | Brand and models on your sticker | Part listed for it |
|---|---|---|---|
 Heating | Heating element | Samsung DW60H6050FS, DW60H6050FW | Samsung dishwasher heating element |
 Heating | Heating element | Fisher & Paykel DW60CDW2, DW60CDX2 and listed models | Fisher & Paykel dishwasher heating element |
 Heating | Heating element | Haier HDW12-TFE3SS, DW9TFE3SS, HDW9TFE3WH | Haier dishwasher heating element |
 Heating | Heating element | Beko DFN16420, DFN38450X, DFN28430, DSFN4630, DSFN6835 | Beko dishwasher heating element |
| Heating | Heating element | Smeg DWA147X, DWA149S, DWA149W and listed models | Smeg dishwasher heating element |
| Heating | Heating element | Blanco BFD4W, BFD4X, BFD5W, BFD5X, BFD6W, BFD6, BFD9 | Blanco dishwasher heating element |
| Heating | Heating element | DeLonghi DEDW645S, DEDW645SI, DEDW645W, DEDW650S | DeLonghi dishwasher heating element |
 Heating | Heating element | Euro EDS845SX, EPF60DS, EPF60DWH, EDS14SX, EDS14INTD | Euro dishwasher heating element |
 Drain | Drain pump | Samsung (check the listing) | Samsung dishwasher drain pump |
 Drain | Drain pump | Simpson SSF6105W, SSF6106W, SSF6105X, SSF6106X | Simpson dishwasher drain pump |
 Drain | Drain pump | Westinghouse, Dishlex and Electrolux (check the listing) | Westinghouse dishwasher drain pump |
 Drain | Drain pump | Hisense HSCE14FS, HSCM15FS | Hisense dishwasher drain pump |
 Drain | Drain pump | Euromaid E14DWB, E14DWX | Euromaid dishwasher drain pump |
 Fill | Inlet valve | Electrolux, Dishlex, Westinghouse (check the listing) | Electrolux and Westinghouse dishwasher inlet valve |
 Fill | Inlet valve | Fisher & Paykel DW60CHPW1, DW60CHPX1, DW60CKW1 | Fisher & Paykel dishwasher inlet valve |
 Fill | Inlet valve | LG (check the listing) | LG dishwasher inlet valve |
 Fill | Pressure switch | Omega ODW707WB, ODW707XB, ODW717WB, ODW717XB | Omega dishwasher pressure switch |
Not in the table? Start with the 15-point dishwasher checklist, which covers the free checks, or browse the dishwasher parts shelf by brand.
When to stop and call a licensed repairer
Stop if the element reads short to earth, if the machine trips the safety switch, if there is any smell of hot plastic from behind the kick panel, or if water is leaking onto the floor. Stop too if the element, pump, valve and latch all test good and the machine still runs on, because the control board is then the suspect and it needs a licensed repairer to confirm before the money is spent.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my dishwasher keep running and never finish?
Because one step cannot complete. The water is not reaching temperature (heating element or sensor), the tub is not emptying (filter, hose or drain pump), or it is not filling to the right level (inlet valve or float). Open the door at the 20-minute mark and feel the water to tell which.
Why won’t my dishwasher turn off at the end of the cycle?
A dishwasher that reaches the end and then sits humming or clicking is usually trying to drain the last of the water or run the final dry. Check the filter and the drain pump first. If the drain is clear, a door latch switch that drops out can restart the end-of-cycle step.
Can a faulty heating element make a dishwasher run longer?
Yes, and it is the most common cause. The control waits for the water to reach the programme temperature, and with a dead element it never does. The dishes also come out dirty and the tablet is often only half dissolved.
Is it the timer or control board?
Rarely. Test heating, draining and filling first, then the door latch. The board is the last suspect because it is the dearest part and the hardest to prove without the other three ruled out.
Should I keep using a dishwasher that runs for hours?
Not for long. It wastes power and water, and a machine stuck in heating with a shorted element can trip the safety switch. Cancel the programme, drain it, and work through the table above.
How do I reset a dishwasher stuck mid-cycle?
Hold the start or cancel button for three to five seconds until the machine pumps out, then switch off at the wall for a minute. A reset clears the display but not the fault; if it stalls again at the same step, that step’s part is the problem.
Get the right part first time
Search your model number on the site, or send it through the contact page and we match it first. In-stock parts are dispatched from Sydney the day you order when it’s in by 12pm Sydney time. Oz Appliance Spares has been Australian-owned since 2009 and ships from Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
Disclaimer: this article is general information only and is provided without warranty of any kind. Appliance designs vary between models and production runs — always follow the manufacturer’s instructions, switch off and unplug the appliance before starting any work, and confirm parts against the model number on your appliance’s model sticker. Any repair is undertaken at your own risk and Oz Appliance Spares accepts no liability for injury, loss or damage arising from work performed after reading this guide, to the maximum extent permitted by law. If in doubt, use a qualified technician.
