Frigidaire Dishwasher Hd — What It Means & How to Fix It
Also shown as HO on some models.
Hd and HO aren't errors at all — they show the dishwasher is pausing to bring the wash or rinse water up to temperature, a normal wait that runs longer the colder your incoming water is.
What this code means
Hd ('heat delay') and HO ('heater on') tell you the cycle is holding while the internal heater warms the water to what the selected program wants. Frigidaire rates the wait at roughly one to two minutes for every degree of rise, so a cold start or a sanitize option can park the display here for a while. Nothing is wrong — the machine is doing exactly what the cycle asked of it.
Hd/HO is a status message rather than a fault code. The one thing worth confirming is that it does eventually move on; a unit that never leaves heat-delay and finishes with cold dishes has crossed from a normal wait into a heating problem.
Most likely causes
| Cause | How likely | DIY-fixable? |
|---|---|---|
| A high-temp, sanitize, or heated-dry option asking for hotter water | Very common | No action needed |
| Cold incoming water stretching the heat-up time | Common | Yes — run hot tap first |
| A long pipe run leaving the first fill cool | Occasional | Yes — run hot tap first |
| Heater never reaching target so the wait never ends | Less common | No — technician job |
What you can try yourself
- Let it run — Hd/HO is a normal pause, and the cycle picks back up by itself once the water is hot enough.
- To shorten it, run your kitchen hot tap until it's hot before starting, so the dishwasher fills with warm water instead of cold.
- Expect longer holds whenever Sanitize or High-Temp is selected; that extra heat is the whole point of those options.
- Only start troubleshooting if the unit sits in heat-delay indefinitely and dishes come out cold — at that stage it's a heating fault, not the normal message.
When to call a technician
- The dishwasher never advances past Hd/HO and the cycle effectively stalls.
- Loads finish cold, wet, and poorly cleaned despite the heating message showing.
- The display switches from Hd/HO to an actual fault code.
Typical professional repair cost: Nothing — this is normal operation. If it turns out the heater genuinely isn't reaching temperature, element repairs run about $150–$300 with labor.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hd on a Frigidaire dishwasher an error?
No. Hd means 'heat delay' — the cycle is waiting for the water to reach the right temperature before continuing, and HO ('heater on') is the same idea. Both are normal status messages, and the cycle carries on by itself once the water is hot.
How long does the Hd or HO code last?
Frigidaire estimates roughly one to two minutes for every degree the water has to climb, so it depends on how cold your supply is and how hot the cycle wants it. Running the hot tap before you start, or skipping the sanitize option, shortens the wait.
How do I get rid of the Hd code?
You don't need to — it clears on its own once the water is up to temperature. If you'd rather not see it, feed the machine hot water from the start by running the tap first. It only needs attention if it never clears and dishes finish cold.
Sources checked
Error meanings can vary by model. This guide was checked against the documentation above; use the manual for the model number on your own appliance when it differs.
Related Frigidaire codes
- Frigidaire Dishwasher i20 The unit didn't drain properly — Frigidaire's filters and glass trap clog like any brand's, and the drain hose and disposal connection make up the rest of the usual story.
- Frigidaire Dishwasher i40 Food soil has built up in the sump and filter to the point water can't circulate freely, and Frigidaire's own remedy is to pull the glass trap and filter and rinse them clean.
- Frigidaire Dishwasher CL The control hasn't sensed the door fully shut and latched, so it won't start the cycle — usually a door left a touch ajar, an item poking past the tub, or a strike knocked out of line.
- Frigidaire Dishwasher PF Power to the dishwasher was cut mid-cycle and it's flagging the interruption — a one-off after an outage clears with a button press, while a PF that keeps returning points at the supply.
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