Miele Dishwasher F13 Error Code Guide (Water Inlet Fault)

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What This Error Means

F13 on a Miele dishwasher means a water inlet fault. The machine isn’t getting enough water, fast enough, so it times out and stops the cycle. Inside, the control board watches a flow meter while the inlet valve is open. It expects a certain amount of water in a set time. If the tap is closed, pressure is low, the hose is kinked, or the inlet parts are clogged or dead, you get F13.

Official Fix

Do what the Miele manual tells you from outside the machine, nothing fancy:

  • Switch the dishwasher off and unplug it, or flip the breaker.
  • Turn off the water supply tap to the dishwasher.
  • Crack the tap into a bucket and make sure you have strong flow for at least 10–15 seconds. Weak or no flow = plumbing issue, not the dishwasher.
  • Fully open the tap again and reconnect the inlet hose firmly. No cross-threading, no leaks.
  • Check the whole inlet hose run. Straighten kinks, move it away from sharp bends, and make sure nothing is crushing it.
  • Unscrew the hose from the tap and from the dishwasher end and rinse any small mesh filters you see under a running tap. These screens clog fast with grit and limescale.
  • Refit the hose, hand-tight plus a small nip with a wrench. Do not over-tighten and crack the fittings.
  • Turn the water back on and look for leaks.
  • Restore power and run a quick program to see if F13 is gone.

If the code comes back after that, the official line is: stop there and call Miele service, because it’s probably an internal valve, sensor, or board issue.

The Technician’s Trick

Here’s how a field tech actually chases F13 when the basic checks don’t cut it. If you’re not comfortable working around mains power and water lines, stop here and call a pro.

  • Pull it out and listen. Slide the dishwasher out, start a cycle, and listen when it should be filling. You want to hear the inlet valve humming and water rushing. Humming but no water = supply or clogged valve. Dead silent = bad valve or no power to it.
  • Rule out weak house pressure fast. With power off and the hose off the dishwasher, open the tap full blast into a bucket. If it just dribbles, fix the plumbing first. No dishwasher will like that.
  • Clean the hidden inlet screens. Many Miele models hide a fine mesh screen inside the inlet valve body or Aquastop head, not just at the tap. Pop it out carefully with a pick or small screwdriver, scrub the sludge and scale off, rinse, and reinstall. This alone clears a big chunk of F13 calls.
  • Test the inlet valve coil. Unplug the machine, pull the connectors off the valve, and measure resistance with a multimeter. An open circuit or obviously burned coil means the valve is done. Replace it; don’t waste time trying to revive it.
  • Look for water in the base pan. If the safety float in the bottom tray has lifted from a slow leak, some models block filling and throw a water-intake style error. Gently tilt the machine forward with towels ready. If water pours out, you have a leak and a tripped float to sort before F13 will clear.
  • Hard reset after the fix. Once you’ve cleaned screens or changed parts, kill power at the breaker for five minutes, then power back up and start a fresh cycle. That clears a latched F13 on some boards without service-mode tricks.

If you have good flow at the tap, clean screens, a healthy valve coil, and F13 still keeps coming back, you’re into flow meter or control board diagnostics. At that point, a Miele tech with the proper test gear is usually cheaper than guessing and buying parts.

Is It Worth Fixing? (The Financial Verdict)

  • ✅ Fix: Machine under about 10 years old, cabinet and racks in good shape, and the problem is clearly hose, filters, or inlet valve – usually a cheap, solid repair.
  • ⚠️ Debatable: 10–15 years old, already rusty racks or past repairs, and it needs both inlet valve and flow meter; weigh parts plus labor against a mid-range new Miele.
  • ❌ Replace: Over 15 years old, leaking into the base pan, or quoted for an inlet valve and a control board – you’re throwing money at a worn-out box.

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