Error code
Frigidaire-built Kenmore dishwasher error code i20
Frigidaire wrote this code, not Kenmore. On a dishwasher wearing this badge, i20 means: Frigidaire's own wording: i20 indicates the dishwasher is not draining properly — the unit did not drain in the expected time. Which model prefixes can raise it, and
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What we can confirm
Code i20, from the manufacturer's own documentation
A code is only meaningful together with the machine showing it — the same digits mean different things on different equipment.
The code
i20
Frigidaire's own wording: i20 indicates the dishwasher is not draining properly — the unit did not drain in the expected time.
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What it narrows down to
Frigidaire's own wording: i20 indicates the dishwasher is not
What you are probably seeing
Diagnostic
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What it looks like from the kitchen
The symptom this code usually arrives with
A code names the subsystem; the symptom is what sent you to look at the display in the first place. That page says what it usually turns out to be, cheapest cause first.
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Standing water in the bottom after a finished cycle Dishwasher not draining
Three manufacturers built the Kenmore dishwashers in South Florida kitchens and all three publish a code for this, in three different alphabets. Which one you are reading decides which table it means something in — and a code read against the wrong maker points confidently at the wrong part.
- A little water in the sump is normal
- The disposer plug is free to check and often the answer
- Three builders, three different codes for one condition
On the same appliance
What else belongs to the dishwashers
On this make a code belongs to the appliance rather than to a product line. These are the other conditions this machine can display, and the models that can show this one — a display often has more than one thing to say, and the model number decides what any of it costs to put right.
Other codes this appliance can display
Whirlpool's own label is Long Drain: the dishwasher is not draining properly
A drain motor error
The fill valve is stuck open — the machine
Whirlpool's own wording: not detecting water
A fill valve electrical error
Whirlpool's own label: excessive suds
The water float switch
The heating system
The thermistor or the water quality sensor
A wash motor error
A diverter valve error
A diverter leak
The same digits mean different things on different equipment. Search the full code list
In more detail
About Frigidaire-built Kenmore dishwasher error code i20
Whose code this actually is
Kenmore did not write i20, because Kenmore has never built an appliance. This one is Frigidaire's, and it appears on the dishwasher that Frigidaire built and Sears sold under the Kenmore badge. Whirlpool, Frigidaire and Bosch all built dishwashers for this badge, and their numbering overlaps enough to be convincing while meaning entirely different things.
What it means
Frigidaire's own wording: i20 indicates the dishwasher is not draining properly — the unit did not drain in the expected time.
Which Kenmore models can raise it
The Kenmore dishwasher whose model number begins 587 — the three digits before the period on the rating plate. Those digits are Frigidaire's, which is why Frigidaire's table is the one that applies to i20 and no other manufacturer's does.
What happens next
- Clean the filter and the sump.
- Check the disposer plug and the drain hose high loop.
- Frigidaire publishes only i20 and i40 and tells owners to consult the manual for any other message code. Pages listing a full iXX table are not quoting the maker.
Where this usually goes
The job this most often becomes is dishwasher drain repair, and that page carries a starting figure and the reasons that move it. A Kenmore dishwasher on this water scales its heater and its spray arms faster than the manual assumes, so codes about temperature and wash performance are read here with the supply in mind first. Photograph the display before you cut the power: a reset clears i20, and on a Kenmore the characters plus three digits off the plate are most of the diagnosis.
Where this meaning came from
Frigidaire's own documentation: Dishwasher Error Codes and Alarms Guide, Frigidaire owner support. Kenmore publishes none of its own, which is why every entry on this site names the manufacturer's document instead.
This article is based on:
- Official manufacturer documentation
- Internal repair procedures
- Technician repair history
- Company quality standards