What Does The Water Tap Symbol Mean On A Bosch Dishwasher?

Any time an unfamiliar symbol pops up on a display, whether it's on your car's dashboard or your dishwasher, it's likely accompanied by a sense of panic: What's wrong? And on that note, what does that symbol even mean? One such symbol you may encounter is the water tap indicator on a Bosch dishwasher, for example. It's part of the major dishwasher brand's self-diagnosis system, and it's trying to tell you that the dishwasher's having trouble with its water supply.

This can happen for a few reasons. You may have a kinked or blocked hose, the incoming water pressure may be too low, or a clogged water filter. Fortunately, there are ways to address each of these issues that won't necessarily require you to repair or replace your dishwasher.

The first place to look is the dishwasher's water supply and drainage hoses. Pull the appliance out of its cubby and check both the cold-water fill hose and wastewater hose. Are there any bends, twists, or kinks? Those may prevent the dishwasher from getting water in or out. Carefully straighten the hose and see if the water tap symbol goes away. This is the simplest fix.

If the hoses were already straight, or if straightening them didn't help, the next step is to check the water pressure at the source. Bosch advises taking a bucket and measuring the amount of water coming directly from the tap. To do that, turn off the water tap, disconnect the hose, and place the bucket underneath the tap. Then, fully open the water supply. You should be getting about ten liters of water per minute from a fully open tap. If the flow is substantially below that, you might not have enough water pressure.

Still not solved? You may have a blocked filter. Bosch recommends turning off the water tap and disconnecting the hose from the tap. From there, remove and clean the filter to remove any potential blockage. Once the filter's clean, you can reconnect the hose and see if the water tap symbol remains. If, after troubleshooting all three, you still see the water tap symbol, you'll need to find a Bosch service technician to step in and professionally diagnose things. It's one of Consumer Reports' most reliable dishwasher brands, so they should be able to help you out.