AL10 on a DWF70 hotpoint dishwasher?

I had the al10 code on a hotpoint sdw80g and as most posts say fault points to the in-line water heater. In my case i removed the heater element and noticed the connector block connected to it had melted. I had the element checked with a meter and it was fine. Fault was fixed by removing the old block and putting two new spade terminals on the two wires ( ensuring the spades were insulated with pvc insulating tape) and connecting them back onto the element. Apparently these blocks over time can melt through and then the fault occurs. Most engineers will change the heater element and terminal anyway but heater might not be faulty so worth putting a meter on it. Cost of repair was £2 for 2 new jubilee clips and 2 spades! Result! Hotpoint wanted £98 and the cost of any parts which i assume would have been new heater elment and connecter

skippy
January 2014

Can anyone point out just where to locate the Heating Element ?

Surrinder
June 2011

Thanks Dave I had the AL10 fault on Hotpoint SDW80 but your solution worked for me too. I turned the rota arm upside down to find that a bag tie and string had got in the jet holes and on the top and then used the cleaner it is now working alright relief not to have to pay anything. many thanks

Hazel
December 2010

did you ever find out what it was as mine is doing the same

SHARON
April 2010

AL10. I get the same problem and it's happening more and more. I think it's the heating element but I've noticed that the water is getting a lot hotter than it should... so maybe there's there's a blockage causing the heater to trip out; which could be a fire risk. I don't go to bed with it on. It was never a good dishwasher, bad at cleaning, bad at drying. If you can, get rid and buy a better make.

David S
April 2010

Have also been suffering from AL10 errors for months. Found that the jets on the rotor arms were blocked with limescale and other debris.

Removed rotor arms (Tip: it is easier to unscrew these when the dishwasher is still reasonably hot), unblocked the jets and cleaned out the rotor arms. Note that the top rotor arm has a couple of jets underneath.

Did a cycle with Dishwasher cleaner and no longer get AL10 :)

Mark
December 2009

we also had al10 we took out heater cleaned all limescale out and hey presto works fine

andy
November 2009

We also have had an AL10 error come up, we've had this machine for approx 5 years and there's been a bit of an issue with it but not as bad as some people seem to have had.
We get AL05 a lot which is usually some kind of blockage.
However this time it tripped out our BCD switch in the kitchen and it cost us £130 to sort that out. The dishwasher then came up with the AL10 yesterday, so we are now replacing the machine.
Wouldn't really advise buying it, spend a little more money on a better make.

Hannah & Richard Offord
September 2009

that code is the circulation pump, which is the larger of the two. I had the same problem and followed Ian's directions here

http://www.howtomendit.com/answers.php?id=13831

or pasted here
Hi,
AL 03 seems to be a common fault which manifests itself quite soon after the gaurantee expires!! Typically, the manual only states obvious fault codes, otherwise get ready to part with £100 for a callout. Basically, i've found that AL 03 means that the drain pump is not functioning. (This will be obvious because there will be water in the machine when it fails). This can be due to a mechanical or electrical fault but more than likely a bit of debris has become trapped in the blades or impellers of the pump.
In my case, I spent ages poking about about with bits of wire as advised to clear any stuff from the holes at the bottom of the filter hole as well as using a a 5" sink plunger to try to dislodge any bigger matter. Anyway, I ended up siphoning out the water, blasting with garden hose, siphoning again all to no avail. Eventually, I put the unit on it's side and removed the cover plate from the bottom of the machine. Don't remove the two screws in the middle of the plate(they hold a water sensor in place) just take out the 6 screws around the outside and remove the cover carefully. Once you have located the drain pump, remove the drain hose clip and ease the hose free. The pump is held in place to the drain exit with only one screw. Remove this and turn the pump body clockwise to free the locating lugs. Then you can withdraw the pump for examination. The electrical connection is easy to see and remove so you can do this in comfort. Unbelieveably, the cause of all my problems was a a bit of woody apple stem about 5mm long. Unfortunately, after putting it all back together and proving that the drain pump was working, the filter absolutely clear and the main pump working perfectly the bl**dy thing decided to report an AL 05 fault which IS in the book and just said to clean the filter but that's another story!!

Ian
August 2006

I then ignored the smaller pump and turned the spindle of the larger one near the back with a small screwdriver. Got it moving then found the moving parts using a torch and gave a squirt or two of WD40 so it was moving freely. It then worked fine. My problem was that the dishwasher hadn't been used for a bit so the pumps had got sticky. Maybe yours is bust but doing the above is worth a try!

Patrick Wrigley
August 2008

also had AL10 up 5 enginers out replaced heater element,pump,circuit board and now wiring loom was also told not to use tablets.Each time AL 10 came back,now waiting for exchange

neil
August 2007

I too have had an AL10 error on my hotpoint dishwasher and had the heating element replaced which has only lasted a month and now I am getting the AL10 error again!! occasionally the program finishes but not that often. interesting that the dishwasher always gets hot so what is failing on the heating element?

Dean
March 2007

help how do i find the heater element no fault code is in the display ie al10 etc but the last few times i have turned it on it trips the rcd protector on the main fuse board. anyone got any ideas i have stripped it twice cant find the heater element but when i put it back together it works!!!! hotpoint sh-te
please email me at petemac1st@hotmail.com

peter mac
January 2007

I have this error code aswell, well when i bought the thing the seller said that the heating element has gone, and AL10 does show up, has anyone fixed the problem them selves and where dd you get the parts or is it cheaper to get hotpoint to fix it. Please e-mail me on the_big_bad_wolf@ntlworld.com or leave a message here.

Eric Sutton
September 2006

Thanks so much to the previous answers! I too had AL10 on my dwf70, and now it works again.
this was the third breakdown in 18 months, but the first outside the full parts and labour guarantee. So it struck home that although the parts are 5 yrs guaranteed, you have to have the in house service team call out which is expensive.
My local repair man was unable/unwilling to look at the machine or tell me what the alarm code meant. The local parts shop got a replacement heater for £42.00 in 24 hrs. I think it could have been a few pounds cheaper on the net, but not much. It took 1/2 hour to fit, with 2 new new hose clips, it works!!! Not difficult if you have basic DIY/fitter skills. I now wait for the next AL code to occur like every other DWF owner and would never buy another Hotpoint(apparently an Indesit really).

Alan
November 2005

i have to agree with george on this one.it doesnt clean very well and hotpoint center was next to useless took 20 mins to admit they even made a dwf70, then gave wrong diagnosis of al10 saying inlet or pump was clogged.
had to test heater with meter myself found to be faulty and replaced it myself for less than thirty quid.
what really annoys is that it was only a couple of weeks out of warranty and even though the parts are gauranteed for 3yr they would only supply part if their engineer fitted it .
turned them down and did it myself
would not buy another hotpoint ar associated product again!

ross
October 2005

I have a Hotpoint DW with the same error, found somewhere on the net that suggested it was the heater element, does anyone know if it is an element problem or thermostat?

Can I fix this myself? Get the parts etc? I am sure if I had them I could fit them!

Thanks in advance,

Pul
June 2005

I just had my Dishwasher fail with the Alarm code 'AL10' aswell and the engineer who turned up to fix said it was the heating element which had failed. he replaced it and all is o.k. now.

Chris
October 2004