Flavel E42 fridge freezer: what it means & what to check

What E42 actually means

The temperature sensor for the soft-freeze compartment has stopped giving the control board a sensible reading.

Your fridge freezer has a separate soft-freeze (chilled/part-frozen) section with its own temperature probe. E42 means the control board is either getting no signal from that probe or a reading well outside the range it expects, so it can no longer control that compartment properly. The rest of the appliance normally carries on cooling, but the soft-freeze section may drift warm or cold because the board is working blind.

What E42 looks like on a Flavel fridge freezer

Most people find this page having searched for what the machine is doing rather than the code itself. On a Flavel fridge freezer, E42 usually shows up as one or more of these:

Not heating the water
Washing coming out cold
Cycle takes far longer than it should
Not cooling
Freezer not freezing
Ice building up at the back
Food going off in the fridge
Running constantly and never getting cold

Recognise any of those? That is this fault, and the rest of this page explains what causes it and what you can check yourself.

What usually causes it

The soft-freeze sensor itself has failed or gone open-circuit
A loose or dislodged plug on the sensor wiring at the control board
Damaged or chafed sensor wiring inside the cabinet
Moisture or ice ingress around the sensor pocket
A fault on the control board itself, which is the less common of the two

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.

Turn the appliance off at the wall for a minute, then back on — occasionally the code clears if it was a one-off read error
Check the soft-freeze drawer isn't packed so tightly that food is pressed hard against the back wall, and clear any heavy frost build-up in that compartment
Move anything you can't afford to lose out of the soft-freeze section into the main freezer while you wait

Which Flavel models show E42

E42 means the same thing on all 2 of these models. If yours is not listed, the explanation above still applies — the code is set by the control board, not the model number.

7248541919 · 7248741919

Common questions about Flavel E42

What does E42 mean on a Flavel fridge freezer?

The temperature sensor for the soft-freeze compartment has stopped giving the control board a sensible reading. Your fridge freezer has a separate soft-freeze (chilled/part-frozen) section with its own temperature probe. E42 means the control board is either getting no signal from that probe or a reading well outside the range it expects, so it can no longer control that compartment properly. The rest of the appliance normally carries on cooling, but the soft-freeze section may drift warm or cold because the board is working blind.

Can I fix Flavel E42 myself?

There are 3 checks you can safely do yourself first.

Turn the appliance off at the wall for a minute, then back on — occasionally the code clears if it was a one-off read error.
Check the soft-freeze drawer isn't packed so tightly that food is pressed hard against the back wall, and clear any heavy frost build-up in that compartment.
Move anything you can't afford to lose out of the soft-freeze section into the main freezer while you wait.

This one usually needs an engineer once you have tried them.

How much does it cost to repair Flavel E42?

£66 including VAT for an engineer to come out and diagnose it, or £84 in total including VAT if it is put right on the visit and no parts are needed. Any parts needed are quoted on site before we fit them — you decide. Every repair carries a 90-day workmanship guarantee.

Tried the checks and it's still showing E42?

This one usually needs an engineer once you have tried the checks above. Then it wants someone who can open it up.

What it costs, before you call: the price is the same whatever the fault turns out to be — £66 including VAT for an engineer to come out and diagnose it, or £84 in total including VAT if it is put right on the visit and no parts are needed. Any parts needed are quoted on site before we fit them — you decide. Every repair carries a 90-day workmanship guarantee.

Our own engineers, not a call centre. We cover Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire — most fridge freezer faults are seen same day or next day.

Call 0115 648 0929 Book online — postcode and number is all we need

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 Flavel fridge freezer codes

All Flavel fault codes and repairs →

What this looks like when it happens

Repairs we cover near you

Written by the engineers at ASAP Repairs, 0115 648 0929. We repair these machines for a living in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire.

Flavel E42 error — fridge freezer