Dishwasher lights flashing? What the machine is trying to tell you
A dishwasher with lights flashing, or a display showing a code, is doing its version of a warning light. It's spotted something it doesn't like and stopped. The pattern is different on every make, so a flashing light that means one thing on your machine means something else entirely on another, but the causes behind them fall into a few groups.
First, find what it's telling you
Look up your model's flashing pattern or code, in the manual or on the maker's site. The code points at what the machine thinks is wrong, which isn't always the same as the part that's failed, but it's the place to start. A Bosch reports faults differently to a Beko or a Hotpoint.
The common groups
Most flashing-light faults land in one of these. A drainage warning, where the machine can't clear its water, and our guide on a dishwasher not draining is the place to start, because a blocked filter sets a lot of these off. A fill warning, where it can't draw water in, covered in our guide on a dishwasher not filling. A heating warning, where the water isn't getting up to temperature. And an anti-flood warning, where the safety device in the base has tripped, sometimes on a genuine small leak.
What to try
Turn it off at the wall for a few minutes and back on, which clears a one-off glitch. Clean the filter and check it drains, since drainage is behind so many of them. If the code comes straight back, it's pointing at a real fault.
What a repair costs
Once it's a genuine fault, customers typically paid £104 to £206 in total for this repair, including parts and VAT (from 313 repairs), with the price confirmed first.
Book a dishwasher repair
If the lights keep flashing after a reset and a filter clean, book a dishwasher repair or find your local dishwasher engineer.
Frequently asked questions
What do flashing lights on a dishwasher mean?
They're the machine reporting a fault it's found, usually drainage, water fill, heating or an anti-flood trigger. The exact pattern is specific to your make and model.
How do I reset a dishwasher with flashing lights?
Turn it off at the wall for a few minutes and switch it back on. That clears a one-off glitch. If the lights return, there's a real fault behind the code.
Why does my dishwasher keep flashing at the end of the cycle?
An end-of-cycle warning most often means a drainage problem, so it can't clear its water. Clean the filter and check it drains before anything else.
How much does it cost to fix?
Customers typically paid £104 to £206 in total for this fault, including parts and VAT (from 313 repairs). We confirm a fixed price before any work starts.
What our engineers found on 645 jobs
The figures below come from NAC's own repair records: 645 dishwasher jobs our engineers attended for this fault, what they found, what fixed it and what it typically cost.
When a dishwasher beeps or flashes its lights and refuses to wash, the most often found cause is the leak protection having switched on because water has collected in the base of the machine. That water can come from a worn seal around the sump, the door or the salt container, from a leaking heating pump, or from foam when washing up liquid has been used instead of a dishwasher tablet. The next most common cause is a blocked pressure chamber, where grease and dirt build up in the small channel the machine uses to sense its water level. Less often, the pressure switch itself has failed.
An engineer usually runs a short wash to watch how the machine fills, washes and drains, and to see whether it overfills. If there is water in the base, they remove it, track down where it came from and replace any worn seal or leaking part. A blocked pressure chamber or switch is cleared and the machine tested on several cycles.
Where a new seal, pump or pressure switch is needed, it often has to be ordered and fitted at a second visit. If the fault comes and goes, engineers sometimes ask you to note or photograph the warning lights when it happens.
Written by our engineers from these jobs.
- Jobs attended
- 645
- Confirmed repairs
- 321
- This is not a success rate. Jobs inside their 60-day window, jobs still being classified, jobs held for review and visits that didn't end in a repair aren't counted.
- Fixed at the first appointment
- 36%
- about 1 in 3 of our repairs
- Typical total paid by customers
- £104 to £206
- including parts and VAT, from 313 repairs
What's usually behind it
The causes our engineers found and fixed, as a share of our 321 confirmed repairs for this fault.
-
Anti-flood activated by water in base: about 1 in 4 of our repairs, from 86 jobs.
27% -
Blocked pressure chamber: about 1 in 7 of our repairs, from 47 jobs.
15% -
Faulty pressure switch: about 1 in 8 of our repairs, from 42 jobs.
13%
We only list causes with enough repairs behind them, so the shares won't add up to 100%.
Error codes we see with this fault
- AEG E11: Water inlet fault: the fill is taking too long.
- AEG I11: Water fill or water level fault, often pressure switch or pressure chamber related.
- Blomberg E01: Anti-flood protection activated: water detected in the base.
- Bosch E09: Heating fault, usually in the heat pump circuit.
- Bosch E15: Anti-flood protection activated: water detected in the base.
- Bosch E23: Drain pump fault: the appliance is not draining.
- Bosch E24: Drain fault: the appliance cannot empty.
- Bosch E25: Drain fault, often a blocked drain pump or pump cover.
- Caple E4: Anti-flood protection: internal leak or water detected in the base.
- Grundig E01: Drain fault.
- Hisense F12: Water inlet or fill fault.
- Hotpoint E15: Anti-flood sensor triggered: water in the base.
- Lamona E01: Anti-flood protection activated: water detected in the base.
- Miele F12: Water fill or flow fault.
- Miele F51: Pressure switch fault, possibly from a blockage.
- Miele F70: Anti-flood protection activated: water detected in the base.
- Neff E09: Heating fault: heater open circuit.
- Neff E14: Water intake or flow meter fault.
- Neff E15: Anti-flood protection activated: water detected in the base.
- Neff E24: Drain fault: drain blocked or pump not working.
- Neff E25: Drain fault, often a blocked drain pump; also seen with water in the base.
- Prima E4: Leak detected in the base.
- Samsung 4C: Water inlet fault: no water entering the appliance.
- Samsung LC: Leak detected: water in the base.
- Siemens E09: Heating fault in the heat pump or heater circuit.
- Siemens E15: Anti-flood protection activated: water detected in the base.
- Siemens E19: Fault in the heat exchanger valve circuit.
- Whirlpool F15: Virtual sensor fault; the cycle stops part way through.
By brand
Brands with enough repairs of their own for this fault to show separately.
Bosch dishwasher beeping or flashing lights
98 jobs, 53 confirmed repairs. Customers typically paid £104 to £256 (from 53 repairs). 36% fixed at the first appointment.
This is not a success rate. Jobs inside their 60-day window, jobs still being classified, jobs held for review and visits that didn't end in a repair aren't counted.
No single cause has enough repairs behind it yet to show for Bosch.
AEG dishwasher beeping or flashing lights
73 jobs, 46 confirmed repairs. Customers typically paid £104 to £188 (from 46 repairs). 46% fixed at the first appointment.
This is not a success rate. Jobs inside their 60-day window, jobs still being classified, jobs held for review and visits that didn't end in a repair aren't counted.
No single cause has enough repairs behind it yet to show for AEG.
Zanussi dishwasher beeping or flashing lights
56 jobs, 39 confirmed repairs. Customers typically paid £104 to £188 (from 36 repairs). 39% fixed at the first appointment.
This is not a success rate. Jobs inside their 60-day window, jobs still being classified, jobs held for review and visits that didn't end in a repair aren't counted.
No single cause has enough repairs behind it yet to show for Zanussi.
Why the first-appointment figure differs by brand. Our engineers carry common parts on the van, so those repairs can be finished at the first appointment. Other parts have to be ordered in, and fitting them takes a second visit.
About the price. £104 to £206 is the typical total paid by customers, including parts and VAT: the middle half of what customers paid on 313 of these repairs. Repairs paid for by manufacturers and insurers aren't counted, because that work is charged at contract rates. It's a guide, not a quote. Your engineer confirms a fixed price before any work starts.
- Dishwasher repair
- Dishwashers
- Error codes
- Flashing lights
- Diagnostics
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