13 hours ago, weinoo said:Good question - I don't even know where the heating elements are!
You may not have any heating elements in your dishwasher. Newer ones often don't, as the old-style heating element is not very energy efficient and don't really work well with newer energy efficiency standards. If you had an element, you'd most likely be able to see it. Mine is pretty visible.
My current KitchenAid (about 8 years old) does still have a heating element in the bottom, but it's an optional function and I never use it. I just open the door and let things finish drying that way. Most things are dry anyway, it's just the plastic stuff that is usually still a bit wet.
Condensation drying is the usual alternative to heated drying:
The final rinse uses high-temperature water to make the dishes very hot.
The stainless steel tub of the dishwasher cools faster than your dishes because stainless steel cools faster than glass and porcelain.
Condensation occurs when the moist air in the dishwasher comes into contact with the cooler stainless steel tub, and turns into water droplets. These water droplets trickle down to the bottom of the dishwashers and are drained.
https://www.bosch-home.com/us/experience-bosch/tips-and-tricks/all-articles/tips-to-maximize-drying
The final rinse cycle in mine is indeed hot, so I guess it essentially dries by condensation when I don't use the optional heat cycle. 😀
Is your machine a Miele? Here are notes on drying in those machines, looks like some have fans, similar to a convection oven.
https://advanceappliance.com/blog/miele-dishwasher-leaves-dishes-wet/
