What F9 Means
WHICH MACHINES THIS APPLIES TO: F9 is on the DW20 platform only - the boards behind the machines sold in the US as the 3000 and 5000 Series. The DW70 fault table does not contain it, and the current DBI, DFI and DSD machines number their circulation pump fault F56.
DW20 PLATFORM - WHAT F9 MEANS: the service manual reads "Circulation fault. The pressure sensor senses excessively low pressure (e.g. no water in the machine) or excessively high pressure (e.g. the circulation pump is defective). The programme exits from the heating stage and continues in the process. Indication only in the service menu." It is worth reading that twice, because the code covers two opposite readings. Too little pressure suggests the pump has nothing to work with. Too much suggests the pump itself is not behaving.
WHAT THE MACHINE DOES NEXT: it drops the heating stage and finishes the programme. There is no message on the display; the manual puts the indication in the service menu only. What reaches the owner is a wash that is lukewarm and poorly cleaned, often with detergent still sitting in the dispenser because there was not enough circulation to wash it out.
CLASSIFICATION: fault. The machine is still running cycles, but it has already decided it cannot heat them safely.
Common Causes of F9
- Circulation pump worn, jammed or failed
- Filters blocked so the pump cannot draw water
- Water level too low for circulation
- Pressure chamber partly blocked
- Pressure sensor reporting incorrectly
🔧 One Safe Check You Can Try
There is no owner-facing message, so there is nothing to clear, and the checks worth doing are the ones that do not involve opening anything. Switch the machine off at the outlet or the breaker before reaching into the tub and give it time to cool, then lift out the coarse and fine filters and clean them, because low water reaching the pump is one of the two conditions in Asko's own description and a choked filter is the ordinary cause of it. Check that the spray arms turn freely by hand and that their jets are not blocked with scale or seeds. Then listen: with the machine running a wash, a healthy circulation pump makes a steady even noise, and a pump that is cavitating, grinding or almost silent is worth describing to the technician. Do not go further than the filters and the spray arms. The circulation pump and the pressure chamber sit below the tub and need the machine drawn out of the cabinet with the plumbing still attached.
⚠ Why You Shouldn't Go Further Than That
- The circulation pump is mounted under the wash tub and is reached only by isolating the machine from power and drawing it out of the cabinet with the inlet and drain lines attached.
- The pump and the pressure chamber share the base with mains wiring that is live whenever the dishwasher is connected.
Opening a panel to inspect or repair something yourself doesn't automatically cancel your manufacturer's warranty — but it can risk accidental damage, and some manufacturers do have specific service conditions. Check your product's warranty terms, or ask us, before deciding.