Do Bosch Dishwashers Have A Heating Element?

If you own a Bosch dishwasher, you might've noticed one thing missing from the inside of the appliance that typically comes standard on most other dishwashers: a visible heating element. Instead, Bosch dishwashers heat the water with an internal heat pump and rely on something called condensation drying to actually dry the dishes. It's a process Bosch popularized that uses hot water, the stainless steel interior tub, and the natural formation of condensation to dry dishes instead. 

It's a basic thermodynamic process that this major dishwasher brand relies on for two main reasons. For one, it helps protect all your plastic cups and dishes from melting. That's something that happens all the time with the high heat associated with a conventional heating element. But beyond that, condensation drying also makes the entire drying process more energy efficient. There's no extra electricity needed to dry the dishes because the dishwasher's just using the leftover heat from the rinse cycle to dry everything. Pretty neat for what Consumer Reports calls the best dishwasher brand on the market today.

Not having a heating element doesn't mean Bosch dishwashers operate completely without heat. The dishwasher still needs high-temperature water to get your dishes clean, regardless of whether there's a heating element at the bottom or not. Certain models even use extra heat for Sanitize and Extra Dry settings. For example, Bosch's PureDry system comes standard on all models and heats the water to 162 degrees Fahrenheit at the end of the cycle.

As mentioned above, Bosch dishwashers actually heat the water using an internal heating element in the water pump/sump area beneath the tub. That way, water still gets as hot as it needs to be to clean and sanitize, but you're also able to put plastic items on lower racks without fear of melting. Once the cycle's done, all that hot water leaves the dishes warm, the excess moisture condenses against the cooler stainless steel tub, and that collected water is simply drained away. That's one less part to break, as well, which no doubt contributes to Bosch's status as one of the most reliable dishwasher brands.