The drain pump is running and will not stop. Every button is locked out. E15 is on the display, or a tap symbol is flashing at you.
It looks like the machine has died. It has not. E15 is Bosch’s flood protection doing exactly what it was built to do. National Appliance Repairs services Bosch dishwashers across five capitals, and this is a code where understanding the mechanism changes what you do next.
What E15 means
Under the wash tub of every Bosch dishwasher sits a shallow base tray, with a small float in it and a switch beneath wired to the control board.
Water reaching the tray lifts the float. The switch closes, and the board does three things at once: it cuts power to the inlet valve, runs the drain pump continuously, and locks out the control panel. E15 appears.
Bosch calls this AquaStop. Its purpose is to stop a slow leak becoming a flooded kitchen, and it works.
Bosch’s own guidance for E15 is short: turn off the water supply to the dishwasher and contact service.
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Why the pump will not stop
This is the part that alarms people. The pump runs even with no cycle selected, because the board is trying to evacuate water from a tray that keeps refilling or has not yet drained.
It will keep running until power is removed. Switch the dishwasher off at the wall and it stops.
The same mechanism, three brands
Worth knowing if you have owned more than one dishwasher, because the same physical arrangement produces three different codes.
| Brand | Code | What it reports |
|---|---|---|
| Bosch | E15 | AquaStop float lifted, water in base tray |
| Miele | F70 | Waterproof System float lifted, water in base tray |
| Fisher & Paykel (DW60) | F30 | Flood switch activated, water in base tray |
Three manufacturers, three names, one float in one tray. Our guides to the Miele F70 error and the Fisher & Paykel F30 error cover the other two.
The useful implication: on all three, the switch is doing its job correctly. The question is never whether the float is faulty. It is where the water came from.
Where the water comes from
- Too much detergent, or the wrong detergent: The one cause with nothing broken behind it. Excess foam overflows the tub into the base tray. Household washing-up liquid used by mistake will do it every time. If you changed detergent recently, start here.
- A worn door seal: Gaskets flatten, harden and tear. Water escapes past the seal during the wash phase and runs down into the tray. Common, and a cheap fix.
- A loose hose clamp or connection: A slow drip that takes weeks to fill the tray, which is why E15 often arrives with no warning.
- A sump or pump shaft seal: Leaks only while the pump runs, so nothing shows when the machine is idle.
- The AquaStop supply hose itself: Some Bosch models use a dual-line inlet hose with an integrated flood sensor. If the inner line fails, the hose looks perfect from outside while leaking internally into its own jacket, which drains straight into the base tray. It catches people out because everything visible checks fine.
- A cracked tub: Uncommon, but it happens after an impact.
What to do now
- Turn the water off at the isolation tap under the sink.
- Switch the dishwasher off at the wall: The pump stops.
- Look at the floor: Water pooling around or under the machine means stop here and book. Do not keep restarting it.
- Think about detergent: Have you changed brands, increased the dose, or used the wrong product? If so, that is your likely cause and the machine is fine.
- Check the door seal: Run a finger around the gasket for tears, hard sections and residue.
About the tilt trick
The widely repeated fix is to pull the dishwasher out and tilt it back at 45 degrees to drain the tray and drop the float.
Technicians do drain the tray. Doing it yourself carries risks worth stating plainly. A dishwasher is heavy, plumbed and wired, and tilting one while connected strains the hoses and power lead.
More to the point, it does not fix anything. If there is an active leak, the tray refills within a cycle or two and you are back where you started, having run more water past electrical components in the meantime.
A slower alternative that avoids moving the machine: leave it off at the wall with the door open for 24 hours. A small amount of water in the tray evaporates, the float drops, and the code clears when power returns. If foam was the cause, that is the end of it. If the code comes back, you have confirmed an active leak.
If your machine is still inside its Bosch warranty, do not attempt either. Contact Bosch.
When to book
Book if E15 returns after the tray has dried, if there is water on the floor, or if the code has appeared more than once in a few weeks. An intermittent E15 is still a leak.
Tracing a slow leak means the machine coming out, panels off, and a controlled test cycle with the kick plate removed and someone watching the base tray. That is what the visit involves.
Our dishwasher repair service covers Bosch across Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, with same-day appointments subject to availability, upfront quoting, and a 12-month parts warranty with a 3-month labour warranty.
Call:
- Melbourne 03 9123 0548
- Sydney 02 9621 5988
- Brisbane 07 3166 9770
- Adelaide 08 7123 4027 or,
- Perth 08 9470 4450.
Tell us whether you changed detergent recently and whether there was water on the floor. Both change what we look at first.
If the machine was also draining poorly before E15 appeared, our guide to why dishwashers stop draining is worth reading before the visit.
Frequently asked questions
What does E15 mean on a Bosch dishwasher?
Water has reached the base tray under the tub and lifted a float, triggering the AquaStop flood protection. The machine cuts the water supply, runs the drain pump and locks the controls.
Why does my Bosch dishwasher keep pumping with E15 showing?
The board runs the drain pump continuously while the fault is active. Switching the machine off at the wall stops it.
Can E15 happen without a leak?
Yes. Too much detergent, or washing-up liquid used by mistake, creates foam that overflows the tub into the base tray. Nothing is broken in that case.
How do I reset a Bosch dishwasher after E15?
The code clears once the tray is dry and the float drops. Leaving the machine off at the wall with the door open for 24 hours will usually do it. If it returns, there is an active leak.
Is E15 the same as Miele F70?
The mechanism is identical: a float in a base tray detecting water outside the tub. Different manufacturers give it different names, and Fisher & Paykel calls it F30 on the DW60 range.
The short version
E15 is not a breakdown. It is a float in a tray reporting that water is somewhere it should not be, and the machine shutting down to protect your kitchen.
Detergent foam is the one cause with nothing broken behind it. Everything else is a leak that needs finding, and drying the tray without finding it just buys a few days. National Appliance Repairs services Bosch dishwashers across five capitals with upfront quoting. Book online or call your nearest office.
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