LG HE fault codewhat it means and how to fix it
Heater circuit failure. The dishes come out wet and nothing has been properly sanitised, even though the cycle appeared to finish.
Take care
Get a qualified appliance engineer to look at your LG HE
We do not pass enquiries to a repair firm, so there is no form here. When you book a qualified appliance engineer, tell them the make, the model and the exact code or message on the display, and ask whether they carry parts for this make — that is what turns one visit into a repair rather than a quote.
What HE means
HE is a heater circuit failure. LG’s instruction is the same one-liner they use for most service codes: call for service if the same problem occurs again. What matters practically is what a dishwasher without heat actually does, because the symptom is easy to misread. The machine will often run through and appear to complete.
What it will not do is get the water anywhere near the temperature the programme specified, and dishwashers rely on heat for two separate things. Hot water dissolves grease, so a cold wash leaves a film on everything. Hot water is also what sanitises, so the load has been rinsed rather than cleaned in any meaningful sense — worth knowing if you put baby bottles or chopping boards through. And because dishwashers dry by heating the load and letting the moisture evaporate off hot china rather than by blowing air at it, no heat means everything comes out soaked.
So the complaint that brings people to this code is usually wet, greasy dishes after a cycle that seemed to finish normally. If your machine has been running only on eco or short programmes for a long time, the heating element may have scaled up rather than failed, particularly in a hard water area where the softener salt has been allowed to run out.
What causes it
| Cause | What is actually happening | How likely |
|---|---|---|
| Heating element failed | The direct reading. Elements fail open-circuit and the machine detects that the water is not warming. | Common |
| Element scaled up | In hard water without salt in the softener, limescale insulates the element so it cannot transfer heat into the water even though it is working. | Common |
| Thermistor or sensor fault | The heater may be fine and the sensor reporting wrongly. LG have a separate code for thermistor failure, tE, but the two can present similarly. | Occasional |
| Control board or wiring fault | Circuit given as failed when the break is in what supplies the element rather than the element itself. | Occasional |
Can you fix it yourself?
Stop — this needs an engineer
What it costs to fix
Typical repair cost
£100–£220
Typically £100 to £200 fitted for an element. On some machines the element is integrated with the circulation pump, which pushes the cost towards the top of that range.
Typical UK prices including parts and labour, updated September 2026. Your quote may differ.
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Related LG fault codes
- OEGet it checkedDrainage problem. LG list this twice — once as a running fault and once as an installation fault — and the second is the one people miss.Related: same brand
- IEGet it checkedWater inlet problem. It is IE with a letter I, not 1E — the washing machine convention does not apply here.Related: same brand
- AEStop — call an engineerLG’s leak and overfill code, shown as AE, E1 or FE depending on the model. The manual says call for service if it recurs; LG’s online guide says unplug it and book. Do the second.Related: same brand
- LEGet it checkedMotor trouble on the Direct Drive motor — and the code where LG’s 10-year warranty claim needs checking carefully before you pay for anything.Related: same brand
- bEUsually simple to fixOversudsing, and LG name the culprit outright: liquid dish soap. Their published remedy involves a bowl of milk, which sounds like folklore but is in the manual.Related: same brand
Own a LG dishwasher? Save it and its codes come first next time.
Related guides
Common questions about LG HE
The cycle finished. Are the dishes clean?
Rinsed, not cleaned. Without heat the detergent cannot lift grease properly and nothing has been sanitised. If you put chopping boards, baby equipment or anything raw meat has touched through the machine, wash it by hand until this is sorted.
Why is everything soaking wet?
Because most dishwashers dry by heating the load so residual water evaporates off hot surfaces, rather than by blowing air through. No heat means no drying, and wet dishes are frequently the first thing people notice.
Could it be limescale rather than a failure?
Quite possibly, particularly in a hard water area on a machine that has been run without salt in the softener. Scale coats the element and stops it transferring heat into the water. That is a different repair, and a cheaper one, than a failed element.
Can I keep using it in the meantime?
It will run, but it is not doing the job. If you use it, treat the output as rinsed crockery that still needs washing rather than as a clean load.
Technical review
Not reviewed by an engineer
No engineer has read this page. Severity follows what the manufacturer publishes, and we would rather tell you that than let a byline imply a sign-off.
Sources and how we verified this
We establish the facts from the sources below and then write the explanation ourselves. We do not copy manufacturer wording and we do not host their manuals.
- Manufacturer technical and service documentation
- Manufacturer support portal
This page has not been reviewed by an engineer, and we would rather tell you that than imply otherwise. The severity rating follows what the manufacturer publishes: where they say isolate the appliance and call someone, so do we.