How long does a dishwasher last?
Updated August 2026
A dishwasher lasts 9–12 years, with the average landing right around 10. What decides where yours falls is mostly your water and the two parts that do the heavy lifting: the drain pump and the water inlet valve. Homes on hard water grind through units faster, since scale coats the heater, the spray arms, and the valve seat until flow drops and the machine stops cleaning well. A dishwasher babied with soft water and a clean filter can push past 12; a neglected one on well water can be limping by year 7.
Lifespan by type and situation
| Type or situation | Typical lifespan | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget model ($400–600) | 7–9 years | Plastic tub and lighter pumps give out sooner |
| Mid-range to premium | 10–12 years | Stainless tub and better seals reach the top of the range |
| Hard water, no softener | Cut 2–3 years | Scale buries the heater and clogs the spray arms |
| Filter cleaned monthly | Adds 1–2 years | Keeps the pump and drain from working against grit |
| Heavy daily use (2+ cycles) | Low end | More runtime on the pump and valve than a once-a-day home |
| Descaled and maintained | 12+ years | The gap between an early death and a full life |
Signs yours is near the end
- Dishes coming out gritty or filmed even after you clean the filter and refill rinse aid
- Water pooling in the bottom of the tub after a cycle, a sign the drain pump is tiring
- A burning or musty smell during the cycle, or visible rust on the rack tines and tub floor
- Cracks in the door gasket that let water seep onto the kitchen floor
- The control panel skipping cycles, lighting up at random, or refusing to start
How to add years
Two cheap habits buy most of the extra years. Pulling and rinsing the filter monthly keeps food debris from grinding through the pump and re-depositing on your dishes. Descaling with a dishwasher cleaner every month or two dissolves the mineral scale that hard water leaves on the heating element and spray arms, the single biggest reason a unit fades early. Wipe the door gasket, run the hottest wash your detergent allows, and keep the spray-arm holes clear. When the machine starts leaving standing water or the panel acts up on a unit already past 10, weigh the fix against the fact that a new one runs $600–1,200. The full routine lives in the dishwasher maintenance checklist, and the replacement-timing guide tells you when to stop repairing.
What it costs to replace: plan on $600–1,200 installed ($900–1,500 for premium panel-ready models). Replacing on your own schedule, before it fails, is almost always cheaper than the emergency version. The home maintenance cost calculator helps you set the money aside before it comes due.
OnOtto tracks your dishwasher cleanings age and service history, and warns you before end of life instead of after the flood.
Track your home's systems, free for 30 daysFrequently asked questions
Is it worth repairing a 10-year-old dishwasher?
Usually not, if the repair touches the pump, motor, or control board. Those jobs run $250–500 with a service call, and on a unit already at 10 years you are paying half the price of a new machine to keep an old one that owes you nothing. Cheap fixes are different: a $30 gasket, a spray arm, or a door latch is worth doing at any age. The rule of thumb is simple. If the repair quote is more than half of the $600–1,200 a replacement costs, put the money toward a new one.
Why do dishwashers seem to fail faster than they used to?
A mix of thinner parts and stricter efficiency rules. Modern machines use far less water and run longer, quieter cycles, which is gentler on your bill but harder on pumps and heaters that run for two-plus hours. Many budget models also swapped stainless components for plastic to hit a price point. None of it is a conspiracy, but it does mean a $450 unit realistically lasts 7–9 years while a $900 one reaches 11–12. Regular filter cleaning and descaling narrow that gap more than most people expect.
Does hard water really shorten a dishwasher's life?
Yes, noticeably. Hard water leaves calcium and magnesium scale on the heating element, the spray-arm jets, and the inlet valve every time it heats and sprays. Over a few years that buildup insulates the heater, narrows the jets, and stiffens the valve, so the machine washes colder, rinses weaker, and strains its pump. Homes on hard water often lose 2–3 years off the lifespan. A water softener helps, and regular descaling clears the scale before it does permanent damage.
How can I tell how old my dishwasher is?
Check the serial number on the sticker along the door edge or tub rim; most brands encode the build date in it, and a quick search of the model and serial will date it. If the paperwork is long gone, the install date is a fair proxy, since most dishwashers go in when a kitchen is redone or a house changes hands. Knowing the age matters: past 10 years, lean toward replacement on any major fault, and start budgeting the $600–1,200 before it quits mid-load.