What E29 actually means
The machine hasn't taken in enough water in the time it expects, so it has stopped the cycle before washing.
On older Bosch washers (roughly pre-2010) E29 is the no-fill fault — the control board opens the water inlet valve, watches the water level, and if the drum hasn't reached the required level within the set time it abandons the programme. On later Bosch and Siemens machines the same physical fault appears as E30-10, F17 or similar. You'll usually see it stall right at the start, sometimes with the drum bone dry.
What usually causes it
- Water supply turned off or the tap only part open
- Kinked or trapped fill hose behind the machine
- Blocked filter in the inlet hose where it screws onto the tap
- Faulty water inlet valve not opening
- Pressure system or control board misreading the water level
What you can safely check yourself
Work through these in order. Anything beyond this — panels off, testing parts, anything to do with the wiring — is an engineer's job, and not one to attempt with the machine plugged in.
- Check the cold tap feeding the machine is fully open
- Pull the machine forward gently and make sure the fill hose isn't kinked or squashed against the wall
- If the mains water has recently been off, run a nearby tap to confirm normal pressure is back
- Turn the machine off at the wall for a minute, then restart a short cycle
When to call someone
This sometimes clears with the checks above. If it comes back, it needs looking at properly. We cover Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire, and it's £66 including VAT for an engineer to come out and diagnose it — £84 in total if it's repaired on the visit with no parts needed. Any parts needed are quoted on site before we fit them — you decide. Every repair carries a 90-day workmanship guarantee.
Outside our area? The explanation above still stands — take it to a local engineer and tell them the code. Knowing it saves them time and you money.
Other Bosch washing machine codes
- Bosch E01 — The machine can't confirm the door is properly locked, so it…
- Bosch E03 — Your Bosch hasn't managed to pump the water out in the time …
- Bosch E13 — The machine hasn't managed to pump the water away within the…
- Bosch E16 — The machine thinks the door isn't shut, so it won't start or…
- Bosch E17 — The machine hasn't taken in enough water in the time it allo…
- Bosch E18 — The machine hasn't managed to pump the water out within the …
- Bosch E30 — The machine has tried to fill with water and not enough has …
- Bosch E30-10 — The machine hasn't taken in enough water in the time it expe…