Dishwasher will not start and shows E15; often accompanied by continuous drain pump noise even when no program is running.
Safety Warning
This repair may involve working with high voltage components or water connections. Always unplug the appliance before removing any panels.
If you are not confident in your ability to perform this repair safely, we strongly recommend contacting a professional technician.
Possible Causes
How to Fix / Troubleshooting
Safety: Disconnect power and close the water tap immediately. Do not continue to run the dishwasher with E15 present.
E15 means the anti-flood system has detected water in the base tray.
- Remove plinth: Take off the kick plate and inspect the base with a torch. If you see water, soak it up with towels or a sponge.
- Tip to drain (temporary): As a temporary measure, carefully tilt the dishwasher about 45° backwards to allow trapped water to drain from the base. Place towels behind to catch spills. This may clear E15 but does not fix the leak source.
- Locate leak: Pull the dishwasher out and remove side panels. Run a short cycle while observing (use caution around live parts; ideally a professional should do this). Common leak points are the sump gasket, circulation pump seal, inlet hose/Aquastop, and heat exchanger joints.
- Check for over-foaming: If you recently used regular dish soap or wrong detergent, excessive foam may have overflowed into the base. Run a rinse cycle with a small amount of cooking oil to break down foam after drying the base.
- Repair leak: Tighten or replace hose clamps, replace cracked hoses, or replace leaking components such as the sump assembly, circulation pump seal, or heat exchanger.
Only after the leak is fixed and the base is completely dry should you restore power and test the machine.