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.
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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 August 2026. Your quote may differ.
What other owners found
Nobody has shared what worked for them on this code yet. If you have had it, you would be the first — and it genuinely helps the next person.
Related LG fault codes
- F10Get it checkedHeating element fault — and the page to read the safety notice on if your machine was built between 2005 and 2015.Related: heating and drying
- E8Get it checkedThe water heating element is not working correctly, or the filter plate is clogged. Candy bundle two very different problems into one code.Related: heating and drying
- E06Get it checkedTemperature sensor faulty. Beko tie it to a specific symptom — the code plus poor washing means get it looked at.Related: heating and drying
- i60Get it checkedThe water inside is too hot, or the sensor that measures it has failed. Note that AEG’s own index describes this one differently from the article behind it.Related: heating and drying
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.
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
Checked by Appliance technical reviewer (Qualifications to be displayed on appointment) on 5 August 2026.