Post pictures please

Most dishwashers vent from the top of the door. Does your counter overhang the dishwasher door and block the rising steam?

Thanks for comments. Sorry I thought I had attached photo. This is it. The black slab on top is the counter. Metal thing is the bosch 300 series dishwasher. You can see the weird damage on the door and it really doesn't get rubbed or abraded. You can see the box behind getting some damage too. It's only been a year.

Kind of hard to see what's causing this. Good question @pat. about the countertop overhang.

Please post some photos from the side, so we can see the countertop overhang better. Some more photos with the whole dishwasher area. Curious, any other cabinets near water having issues starting? Any floor issues near water areas yet? Hopefully not.

Hi everyone,

I really appreciate the help. I'm so panicked about this - kitchen is only one year old.

Attached are images - from side down at end of galley and closer to dishwasher.

There really isn't much overhang.

It's a Bosch 300 series and doesn't vent. It lets everything condense inside and drain out.

I talked to factory certified repair guy on phone today and he said that dishwasher is fine - that if front were emitting steam I'd see water condensing during runs and I don't.

He said cabinets aren't good enough but I don't believe that Ikea cabinets can't be used with dishwashers or they'd be out of business.

If we open the dishwasher soon after a run, it really does steam and drops condense on granite above but we've only done that a few times by accident and dried up right away - normally we run it overnight and it's cooled off when we open in morning.

Counter is granite on plywood and we didn't a vapor shield above dishwasher since those seemed recommended only for laminate counters.

Would love any insights. I'm wondering if I should even trash the new dishwasher and buy a new one - I'd be willing to if that's the answer to save my kitchen.

Thank you,

Monica

If your dishwasher does not have a steam vent, don't you find a lot of condensation on your dishes when you open the door? I thought all dishwashers have a place to let out steam. The three I have had always had a vent for letting out steam near the top of the door. If no vent maybe another vented dishwasher is in store.

Moisture is getting out of the dishwasher... That is the only possible problem. Tape a piece of paper towel up under the counter and check it all through the cycle to see when it gets wet- heck you could be doing it while rinsing dishes. I've had lots of IKEA kitchens without this problem. My last house started to have this after ten years because the steam came out of the top corner of the kicthenaide

I also had a similar problem, but only on the left side of the dishwasher. I could smell mold in the cabinet and noticed the cabinet side adjacent to the dishwasher was swelling. So I pulled the dishwasher out and everything was dry, no water on the floor and no leaks from dishwasher.

So, having seen the same complaints on the internet with all types of cabinets, I have concluded that it is caused by HEAT and its accompanying condensation on surrounding surfaces. The heat comes from the drain hoses that are mounted all along the dishwasher’s left side, right next to the cabinet sides.

My solution is to turn off the Heated Drying mode and it seems to have solved the problem. I leave the dishwasher door sealed for hours and I never open a steamy dishwasher without running an exhaust fan on high, as I have a tightly sealed house and always exhaust moisture.

Another solution would be to install a full panel of metal on the side of the cabinet to help isolate the heat. But you may find the heat still escapes forward and condensed on the Bodbyn door, which is a painted door.

My doors are a thermofoil finish and so may be more resistant to moisture.

OP - "Counter is granite on plywood and we didn't a vapor shield above dishwasher since those seemed recommended only for laminate counters"

.If you have granite installed on plywood, then the plywood will require a vapor shield.

Thanks again. It's only on the left top of dishwasher, where I have the sink cabinet and bodbyn doors. Right side of dishwasher has just a small build up wall (plywood) and the Ikea filler panel that matches Bodbyn and has no issues. I'm pretty sure we're not leaking - I tried the paper towel trick to see if it got wet during run and it did not, we have water sensors under the dishwasher and they have not gone off, and repair tech said that if I had a water/steam leak I'd see condensation during runs and I do not. It's a Bosch - they don't vent - they heat inside super hot to make things evaporate off dishes and then let it condense/drain. I don't know if I can turn heat down or how I should shield from heat. We considered the vapor barrier for the plywood but I asked installers and this forum if it was needed and general feedback was no, and we were worried about moisture getting weirdly trapped around the barrier - we're just careful about not opening it when it's steaming hot - usually we run it overnight and open in morning.

This is what the side of a dishwasher looks like. That pipe is conducting high heat next to your cabinet. Heat rises and moves forward at the countertop, eventually contacting your painted cabinet door. This is why you don’t have the problem on the right hand side of the dishwasher.

Can you turn off the Heat Dry mode?

Current Bosch dishwashers don't have a drying air heater. They use the condensation drying method which heats the final rinse water to provide residual heat for drying the dishware. Heated rinse cannot be disabled, it's how Bosch is engineered to operate. The OP didn't cite her specific model of Bosch but it presumably has condensation drying.

The dishwasher pictured above does not appear to be a Bosch. The hose on it that loops higher appears to be for the incoming water fill from the household supply. The lower loop probably is the drain hose. Neither has anything to do with drying.

I have a 1.5 year old kitchen with a Bosch 800 dw. I also run mine mostly at night, and open in the morning. Zero damage to my cabinets, my dw is paneled. I use the quick 60 min setting and never turn on the "crystal dry" for super heated dry cycle. I would be very upset also after only 1 year of use, and seeing damage like that.

OP says she has a Bosch 300 DW. Here is what she said:

"It's a Bosch 300 series and doesn't vent. It lets everything condense inside and drain out.

I talked to factory certified repair guy on phone today and he said that dishwasher is fine - that if front were emitting steam I'd see water condensing during runs and I don't."

She said it's a "Series 300" which isn't a specific model number. There may be multiple models with different features within the 300 Series. Similar to a particular car series such as a Ford Fusion offering an S, SE, SEL, and Titanium model with escalating features moving up the line.

Thanks guys. It's this dishwasher: Bosch 300 Series 24 in. Stainless Steel Front Control Tall Tub Dishwasher with Stainless Steel Tub and 3rd Rack, 44dBA SHEM63W55N (homedepot.com) It's a normal 300 series 24" model. I think they're mainly the same except for where controls go. It has the condensation drying so doesn't vent. I can't find where heaters are in manual but will ask.

If I were you I’d buy two replacement doors from IKEA now as a back up for when needed.

I'm not so sure that the dishwasher caused that. The damage looks mechanical--like it got whacked with something.

The door is MDF...meaning if water was involved, the MDF would have swollen up. For sure, you need to get that exposed MDF sealed before it does get wet & swell.

Good advice^^ to purchase backups doors now while available.

Like ci-lantro, I'm also thinking it looks more like mechanical damage from what can be seen in the photo.

So, is that the hinge side of the cabinet door? It looks pretty close to the DW to me from what I can see in the photo.

Don't know about the hinges IKEA used on your model of cabinet, but the ones on my kitchen's sink cabinet allow the doors to pivot 120° open. Can your cabinet's door pivot open widely enough for that upper corner of its trim to be in contact with the upper corner of the DW door? Maybe when the DW door is slightly ajar? Worth checking to at least see if that possibility can be ruled out.

The water heating element is integrated into the circulation pump. The water heats while it flows through the pump during washing and rinsing. They call it a "heat pump" ... although it isn't like an HVAC heat pump system that heats and cools a house.

Bosch P/N 12008381 Heat Pump

Thanks guys. It really doesn't look swollen. It isn't getting abraded by anything - doesn't touch anything when it swings open and it's under the overhang. I bought a temp/humidity sensor to see what happens when dishwasher runs.

I have different model od Bosh DW but I noticed on your picture there is not gasket (rubber) on the side between DW and cabinet or maybe we cannot see on the picture. When my Bosch DW was installed I also noticed it specified to be set flush I believe with the cabinet, not recessed nor protruding in front of cabinets. I would just make sure that it was installed according to instructions.

Have older GE dishwasher causing condensation on right side of dishwasher about 6” out from from front

what could cause this?

That certainly looks like moisture delaminating the side of the box behind the door.

Agree with the paper towel test. Something is getting out of the DW. Share results of the paper towel and let us know of your humbity readings

Also agree on buying a couple spare doors while that style is still available.