--- title: "Thermador dishwasher showing E12 | DishwasherRepair.center" description: "What E12 means on Thermador dishwashers, what to check before booking, and when it is not a failure at all." url: "https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/thermador-e12/" --- # Thermador dishwasher showing E12 E12 means limescale has built up in the heat pump. ## What E12 actually means. E12 means limescale has built up in the heat pump. It is a maintenance message, and Thermador's answer is to descale. Thermador dishwasher display What to do when E12 shows on the dishwasher ### Kind of code Heating The water did not reach the temperature the cycle calls for in time. A heating element, its thermal cutoff or the sensor reading it. ### Usually leads to Heating and drying repair Cold washes, wet dishes and cycles that run for hours, traced to the heater, its sensor or its safety cutout. ### Shows up as Dishwasher Not Heating Water Dishes and the tub are cool at the end of the cycle, and grease stays on plates. ### Make Thermador Luxury built-in dishwashers from the BSH family, in stainless and panel-ready versions. ### Source Thermador US support: Dishwasher Error Codes Thermador two-digit panels; the four-digit version is E2060. Softener salt applies only to models with a water softener. ## Before you book, in this order. Each step comes from Thermador's own guidance for E12 on its dishwashers. Follow it to the end: the last card says whether this is a visit. 01 Run a descaling treatment through the dishwasher. 02 If your model has a water softener, keep its salt topped up to slow the scale down. 03 Book a visit if E12 returns right after descaling. ### Still there? It usually turns into [heating and drying repair](https://dishwasherrepair.center/services/heating-and-drying-repair/). Book with the code and the model number. ### What not to do E12 is not a broken heater. It points at mineral deposits from hard water. ## What you may notice with it. The dishwasher problems E12 tends to arrive with. Answer these at the dishwasher before anyone is booked. [All problems](https://dishwasherrepair.center/problems/) Before you call ### [Dishwasher Not Heating Water](https://dishwasherrepair.center/problems/dishwasher-not-heating/) [All 5 causes, cheapest first](https://dishwasherrepair.center/problems/dishwasher-not-heating/) It also comes with - [**Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes**](https://dishwasherrepair.center/problems/dishwasher-not-drying/) Problem ### Dishwasher Not Heating Water 5 causes, cheapest first Where E12 usually leads ## Heating and drying repair. **Heating element, thermistor or high-limit · moderate.** Book a visit [What the job involves](https://dishwasherrepair.center/services/heating-and-drying-repair/) ## Read these before the visit. Short guides that make the call quicker and the diagnosis cheaper. [All guides](https://dishwasherrepair.center/guides/) Keeping it out of trouble ### Why you should run the hot water before starting a cycle Fitted right the first time ### Water Supply and Hot Water Temperature Error codes ### All 188 codes, by make ## Thermador dishwashers. Luxury built-in dishwashers from the BSH family, in stainless and panel-ready versions. [Thermador dishwasher repair](https://dishwasherrepair.center/brands/thermador/) More Thermador codes [E15](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/thermador-e15/) [E22](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/thermador-e22/) [E23](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/thermador-e23/) [E24](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/thermador-e24/) [E25](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/thermador-e25/) [E16](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/thermador-e16/) [E18](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/thermador-e18/) [E27](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/thermador-e27/) [UP](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/thermador-up/) Heating on other makes [ASKO F41](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/asko-f41/) [Bertazzoni F8](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/bertazzoni-f8/) [Bosch E09](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/bosch-e09/) [Dacor HC](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/dacor-hc/) [Fisher & Paykel A09](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/fisher-and-paykel-a09/) [Fulgor Milano E3](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/fulgor-milano-e3/) [Gaggenau E:2060](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/gaggenau-e2060/) [GE C6](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/ge-c6/) [All 23 codes of this kind](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/#family-heating) Thermador builds this ### Built-in dishwasher The standard 24-inch machine under the counter, and the one nearly every American kitchen has. Thermador builds this ### Panel-ready dishwasher Hidden behind a cabinet door, controlled from the top edge, and repaired with the panel's weight in mind. Thermador builds this ### Compact dishwasher The 18-inch and ADA-height machines for small kitchens, where the tight tub changes both loading and repairs. ## In Thermador's own words > E12 - There is limescale build up in the heat pump. [Thermador US support: Dishwasher Error Codes](https://www.thermador.com/us/support/dishwashers/error-codes) Every code on this site is taken from the manufacturer's documentation, never from a forum or a parts listing. Thermador two-digit panels; the four-digit version is E2060. Softener salt applies only to models with a water softener. ## Thermador E12 dishwasher repair, where we come out. The same visit in every metro below: the code, the model number, and a diagnosis before any part is ordered. 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Run a descaling treatment through the dishwasher. If it comes back, it needs a visit. ### Does E12 mean the heater in my Thermador is failing? No, E12 reports limescale in the heat pump, a maintenance message caused by hard water. A descaling treatment is Thermador's remedy. ### How can I keep E12 from coming back on my Thermador? On models with a water softener, keeping the salt topped up slows scale formation. If E12 comes back right after a descale, book a visit. --- **[Read on the site: Thermador dishwasher showing E12 | DishwasherRepair.center](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/thermador-e12/)** **[Book a visit with DishwasherRepair.center](https://dishwasherrepair.center/schedule/)**