What C06 actually means
The dryer has been running an automatic (sensor) drying programme for four and a half hours without ever deciding the load is dry, so it has given up and flagged the moisture sensing as faulty.
On an automatic programme the dryer doesn't run for a set time — it uses a moisture sensor in the drum to decide when the washing is dry and end the cycle. This code is raised when that decision never comes: after 4.5 hours of running, the control board concludes the humidity detection isn't reporting sensibly and stops. Often the clothes really are damp, because the machine is drying badly as well as sensing badly — but sometimes you open the door to bone-dry, over-baked laundry that the sensor never noticed.
What usually causes it
- Moisture sensor strips in the drum coated in fabric softener or lint residue, so they can't read the load
- Blocked filters or a clogged condenser restricting airflow, so the load genuinely never dries
- Kinked or blocked vent hose on vented models
- A very large or heavily soaked load that the programme can't finish
- Faulty humidity sensor or control board wiring
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.
- Clean the door filter and any secondary fluff filter thoroughly — rinse and dry them if they feel waxy
- Check and clean the condenser or heat exchanger where the manual shows it is user-accessible, and empty the water container
- On a vented model, make sure the hose isn't crushed, kinked or blocked and the outside outlet is clear
- Turn the dryer off at the wall for a minute, then run a timed programme rather than an automatic one — if timed drying works normally, that points at the sensing rather than the heating
- Try a smaller, well-spun load; over-loading and dripping-wet washing both cause this
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 Electrolux tumble dryer codes
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- Electrolux C07 — The dryer isn't getting hot — it checked for a rise in air t…
- Electrolux C08 — The dryer has stopped because its temperature sensor is givi…
- Electrolux C10 — C10 isn't a fault at all — it's one of the service test posi…
- Electrolux E20 — The dryer has stopped mid-cycle because the fan that cools t…
- Electrolux E21 — The dryer has lost control of the pump that moves condensed …
- Electrolux E22 — The dryer's control board can no longer tell whether the wat…
- Electrolux E23 — The dryer has stopped because it can't run its heat pump saf…