Bosch · dishwasher codes · E15 · E24 · E22 · E25 · E09 · E12
Bosch Dishwasher Error Codes, Traced Along the Water Path
Every Bosch code we hear about describes water in the wrong place: not coming in, not going out, pooled in the base, or not hot.
- CODE SHEET Book the diagnostic visit
- ON PAPER one written figure after testing; say yes and the visit fee is already inside it
- SAFE CHECKS only — then read us the code
Open 8–7, Mon to Sat · Sundays off · same-day visits often open, the shop confirms by phone · Woodland Square Loop, at the Olympia–Lacey line
Book a visit
Pick a day for the van
Three short steps: the machine, a day and an arrival window, then the address. The shop rings back to confirm, and the visit fee is quoted on that call.
- Pick the day and the window that suit you
- A call from the shop to confirm, no texts
- One written figure after testing, nothing started without your yes
- Visit fee folded into any repair you approve
In the van
The appliances these codes belong to
Bosch dishwasher codes describe water in the wrong place: E17 or E16 is water arriving when it should not, E14 or E04 a fill the flow meter never registered, E24 a drain that did not finish, and E09 or E12 a heat fault. On private wells past the city line, iron and hardness bring those heat codes sooner. We test whichever valve, meter or drain path the code names. Schedule a visit at (360) 564-6074.
Why a Bosch dishwasher stops and shows a letter E
Bosch dishwashers watch three things closely: a float in the base pan, a flow meter on the inlet, and the time it takes the drain pump to empty the sump. When any of them disagrees with the program, the machine halts, sometimes begins pumping on its own, and shows an E code with a number. Newer models add a tap symbol for the same conditions. The code is a location, not a diagnosis, and E24 in a South Capitol Craftsman with a floor drain is rarely the same fault as E24 in a new Cooper Point kitchen with a garbage disposal.
Water quality sets the pattern for the heat codes. On private wells past the city line, the hardness and iron in glacial-till groundwater coat the heater in the circulation pump, and E09 and E12 arrive a year or two sooner than they would on Olympia city water. Septic systems and island sinks with air gaps shape the drain codes. Recognizing which kind of house you are standing in is most of the shortcut.
Bosch codes from inlet to heater
| Code | What the display means | What is usually behind it | What we do |
|---|---|---|---|
| E17 · E16 | Water is coming in when it should not, or too fast | Usually an inlet valve that leaks past its seat, sometimes very high supply pressure or a flow meter that has miscounted | Test the valve for weep with the machine off, measure supply pressure, and replace the valve or flow meter as the readings show |
| E14 · E04 | Flow meter or fill sensor did not register water arriving | Often a supply tap left barely open after a plumbing job, a kinked braided hose, or a flow meter with a stuck paddle | Confirm flow at the hose, check the meter's pulse output, and replace the meter when it is not counting |
| E24 | Drain did not complete | The classic causes: a filter matted with debris, a drain hose looped too low, a disposal installed last week with its knockout plug never punched, or an air gap packed with food | Clear the path from filter to sink, punch out the plug or clean the air gap, hang the hose in a proper high loop, and test the pump |
| E22 | Residual water left in the sump after draining | In most cases the filter is clogged or seated wrong; a pump cover popped loose or an impeller jammed by broken glass is next | Reseat and clean the filter, open the pump cover and clear the impeller, and check the check valve for debris |
| E25 | Drain pump blocked or the pump cover is off | Glass shards, a fruit pit, or a label that has wound itself around the impeller; occasionally a failed pump motor | Clear the impeller, refit the cover, and replace the pump if the motor is seized or its winding reads open |
| E15 | The float in the base pan has lifted | Sometimes a genuine leak from a door seal, a hose or the sump gasket; often a splash or a slow drip from a supply fitting after a new faucet went in | Find the source with the panels off, dry the base pan properly, reset the float, and repair the seal or fitting that let water in |
| E09 | Heating element or its circuit failed | Usually the heater inside the circulation pump reads open, or the relay driving it on the control has quit; scale on the heater speeds this up | Meter the heater and the relay, and replace the heat pump assembly or the control as the readings dictate |
| E12 | Limescale buildup detected on the heater | Hard well water leaving mineral on the element until the machine's temperature rise falls behind schedule | Descale the machine correctly, check the heater is still sound underneath, and talk with you about softening if the house runs on a well |
Safe checks before you book
- Switch the dishwasher off at the panel, open the door and lift out the cylindrical filter; rinse it, look into the sump for glass, and screw it back until it clicks.
- Run the kitchen faucet and confirm the sink drains quickly; a slow sink or a full disposal will hold water in the dishwasher too.
- If the disposal is new, find the drain hose connection on its side and make sure the knockout plug was removed.
- Look under the sink to see whether the drain hose rises in a high loop; if it hangs flat along the cabinet floor, lift it and clip it near the countertop.
- For E15, remove the lower kickplate if it comes off by hand, mop the base pan with a towel, and leave the door open overnight; if the code returns, water is still entering.
- Check that the supply tap under the sink is fully open and that the braided hose is not pinched behind the cabinet.
The point where you stop
Stop when E15 returns after the pan has been dried, because the water is coming from somewhere you cannot see without removing the side panels and the door, and running it further risks the floor. Stop when E09 or E12 shows, since the heater lives inside the circulation pump and testing it means a meter and a disassembly. Stop when E24 or E25 stays after the filter, hose and disposal are clear; a jammed impeller is sharp and the pump is easy to damage. We come to Olympia, Cooper Point, Mud Bay and the lakes with the Bosch parts these codes usually end in.
Questions
Why does E15 come up over and over when nothing seems wet?
The float in the base needs to be fully dry and settled before the code clears, and a few tablespoons of water under the sump is enough to hold it. Tipping the machine back does not always drain the pan. If drying it thoroughly does not fix it, a slow leak from the door gasket, a hose or a sump seal is feeding it, and that needs the panels off.
We are on septic in Delphi. Does that change how you handle E24?
It changes the questions. Septic drain fields and slow sink lines can back up into the dishwasher line, so we look at the whole path from the sump to the trap, not just the machine's pump. If the sink itself drains slowly, that is a plumbing issue we point out rather than attempt to fix.
How much is the visit and what does it include?
For a visit fee the shop states when you book, a technician arrives with a meter and works through the dishwasher. You learn which part gave out, in everyday words, and you receive one written quotation for the fix. Say yes to that quotation and it already has the visit fee built in; turn it down and the whole of what you owe for our trip is that fee, with the diagnosis kept. There is no separate travel line anywhere inside our Olympia ring.
Does hard well water really cause E09?
It shortens the road to it. Scale on the heater makes it run hotter and longer to reach temperature, which wears the element and the relay that drives it. Softened water slows the process; a periodic descaling helps too. If E12 has already shown once, plan on it again unless the water changes.
Is the dishwasher still covered by Bosch?
We check the serial and the terms before quoting. If the failed part is inside the maker's coverage, we tell you so and explain how to use it, since paying us for it would be a poor deal for you. If it is outside, the fix carries our own warranty term, printed on the invoice.
More code sheets
How a visit runs
Four stages, none skipped
The price goes on paper before a screw comes out.
- 01
Tell us what it is doing
Ring or use the form; a phone photo of the display or the model sticker saves a step. The shop calls you back to set an arrival window, and once more as the van pulls off Woodland Square Loop.
- 02
Readings first, opinions second
The technician tests the suspect part with instruments, tells you in plain words what gave out, and writes the repair down as a single price. The visit fee is already inside that number.
- 03
Most parts ride in the van
Fill valves, defrost heaters, igniters, drum rollers, drain pumps, relays — the things well water, salt air and winter outages wear out on this shore of the inlet. If the part has to come in by order, the return trip is on us.
- 04
A test run, then the invoice
You see a full cycle run start to finish, the kick panels and floor go back the way we found them, and the warranty term is typed onto the invoice.
Bosch dishwasher E-codes: read it to us, we bring the part.
Tell us over the phone or book a day online. A technician tests the machine and writes the repair down as one price with the visit fee folded in; your invoice spells out the warranty term.