Dishwasher filling prob/heating element bust

Hi there,

I was doing a bit of work in my sisters kitchen and moved her dishwasher (Zanussi) out of position temporarily - leaving it connected to services. It worked fine for the few days is was pulled out.

When I moved it back and ran a programme, I noticed smoke eminating from behind the kitchen units - smoke with the kind of smell you get when you turn on an empty kettle..

Opening the door of the dishwasher, I saw;

a) that the heating element had buckled up where the plastic (now melted) top of a flask happened to be lying on it. The buckle looked like a hump-backed bridge in the middle of an otherwise flat road of element.

b) the water level was very low - the element was nearly completely exposed.

c) the element was still hot - sizzling water I splashed up onto it.


The dishwasher doesn't fill water past a very low level - it's nowhere near covering the element - and it doesn't heat up anymore. The bio50 light flashes rapidly part way through the cycle. I suspect the problem is sourced in the unit not filling properly, causing the element to overheat - the plastic lid/buckling being incidental to the cause of the problem. Perhaps I dislodged something when I moved it back into the kitchen unit?

Assuming water level is the problem;

- how do dishwashers determine water level?

- where would I source a heating element.

Thanks..