AEG Favorit dishwasher not filling with water: common causes
Diagnosis of the typical fault in AEG Favorit dishwashers: no water intake but the machine runs. Causes: start capacitor, pressure switch, door microswitch. A practical guide.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
AEG Favorit dishwasher: when water won't circulate and the puddle won't go away
The appliance responds, the lights come on, the motor can be heard, but no water reaches the spray arms. And at the bottom of the tub, a stubborn puddle of dirty water from the previous cycle. This is the classic scenario with an AEG Favorit that has led more than one owner to wonder whether the repair is worth it or whether it's time to retire the machine. The diagnosis, contrary to what many believe, doesn't always come down to the drain pump or the filters.
The puddle that blocks filling
Modern dishwashers have a safety system that prevents fresh water from entering if it detects that the tub has not been completely emptied. That puddle at the bottom triggers a float or a pressure switch that cuts the inlet solenoid valve. So the first symptom —standing water— is not a fault in itself, but the clue that the drain hasn't worked. The causes can range from a simple blockage in the drain hose (an olive pit, a toothpick, grease caked on the sump grid) to a jammed drain pump or a burnt-out motor. But there is also a frequent and cheap culprit: the drain pump's start capacitor. A component costing barely 3 euros which, when it fails, prevents the motor from starting. It's the first thing an experienced technician recommends checking with a multimeter before diving into the board.
The pressure switch and the door microswitch: the invisible faults
More subtle is the failure of the safety differential pressure switch. On certain higher-end AEG Favorit models, this dual-chamber component can stop detecting the water level correctly, keeping the solenoid valve closed. Another possibility, often overlooked, is the door microswitch. If the rubber seal on the frame has hardened and the latch doesn't press hard enough, the dishwasher thinks the door is open and doesn't start filling. A plastic washer in the microswitch housing can fix it. These faults, minor as they may seem, require a minimum of skill with a multimeter and some patience to access the electronics.
Electronics or mechanics: where to start?
There are two schools of thought when it comes to diagnosis. One, the more pragmatic, bets on the mechanical side: check the drain pump, clean filters and hoses, and if that fails, replace the capacitor. The other, more technical, points out that modern dishwashers have endemic faults on the control board: burnt traces, broken fuses, or the pressure switch itself. However, both camps agree that the first step is to verify that water reaches the solenoid valve: open the tap, unscrew the inlet hose and check that water comes out under pressure. If not, the tap filter or the AquaStop is blocked. If water does arrive, then it's time to measure voltage at the solenoid valve during the fill cycle. If it receives no current, the problem lies further upstream (door microswitch, pressure switch or board).
The question left hanging is whether the original poster managed to repair their Favorit. The thread closed without a definitive answer, but the lesson is clear: a dishwasher that won't take in water isn't always an expensive problem. Sometimes it's three euros and a screwdriver.
Related forum discussions
The appliance responds, the lights come on, the motor can be heard, but no water reaches the spray arms. And at the bottom of the tub, a stubborn puddle of dirty water from the previous cycle. This is the classic scenario with an AEG Favorit that has led more than one owner to wonder whether the repair is worth it or whether it's time to retire the machine. The diagnosis, contrary to what many believe, doesn't always come down to the drain pump or the filters.
The puddle that blocks filling
Modern dishwashers have a safety system that prevents fresh water from entering if it detects that the tub has not been completely emptied. That puddle at the bottom triggers a float or a pressure switch that cuts the inlet solenoid valve. So the first symptom —standing water— is not a fault in itself, but the clue that the drain hasn't worked. The causes can range from a simple blockage in the drain hose (an olive pit, a toothpick, grease caked on the sump grid) to a jammed drain pump or a burnt-out motor. But there is also a frequent and cheap culprit: the drain pump's start capacitor. A component costing barely 3 euros which, when it fails, prevents the motor from starting. It's the first thing an experienced technician recommends checking with a multimeter before diving into the board.
The pressure switch and the door microswitch: the invisible faults
More subtle is the failure of the safety differential pressure switch. On certain higher-end AEG Favorit models, this dual-chamber component can stop detecting the water level correctly, keeping the solenoid valve closed. Another possibility, often overlooked, is the door microswitch. If the rubber seal on the frame has hardened and the latch doesn't press hard enough, the dishwasher thinks the door is open and doesn't start filling. A plastic washer in the microswitch housing can fix it. These faults, minor as they may seem, require a minimum of skill with a multimeter and some patience to access the electronics.
Electronics or mechanics: where to start?
There are two schools of thought when it comes to diagnosis. One, the more pragmatic, bets on the mechanical side: check the drain pump, clean filters and hoses, and if that fails, replace the capacitor. The other, more technical, points out that modern dishwashers have endemic faults on the control board: burnt traces, broken fuses, or the pressure switch itself. However, both camps agree that the first step is to verify that water reaches the solenoid valve: open the tap, unscrew the inlet hose and check that water comes out under pressure. If not, the tap filter or the AquaStop is blocked. If water does arrive, then it's time to measure voltage at the solenoid valve during the fill cycle. If it receives no current, the problem lies further upstream (door microswitch, pressure switch or board).
The question left hanging is whether the original poster managed to repair their Favorit. The thread closed without a definitive answer, but the lesson is clear: a dishwasher that won't take in water isn't always an expensive problem. Sometimes it's three euros and a screwdriver.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (50 replies).
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