What E16 actually means
The heating element that warms the water has failed electrically \u2014 it's shorted or leaking to earth \u2014 and the machine has shut the cycle down rather than power it.
Hoover's control board (the "Cuore" power card) monitors the heater circuit, and E16 is raised when it sees a short circuit or a breakdown of the element's electrical insulation. Because a heater leaking to earth is an electrical safety issue, the machine stops instead of carrying on with a cold wash. In practice we usually find it at the point in the cycle where heating starts, and it often trips the house RCD at the same time \u2014 so the first sign for many owners is the machine and the sockets going dead together.
What usually causes it
- Failed water heating element with a shorted or earth-leaking coil
- Element degraded by scale or long-term corrosion
- Damp or damaged wiring at the heater connections
- Water leaking onto the element or its terminals
- Fault on the Cuore power card misreading the heater circuit
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 machine off at the wall for a minute, then switch back on and start a cold programme with no heating \u2014 if that also fails, the fault is confirmed rather than a one-off.
- If your consumer unit has tripped, note whether it trips again as soon as the machine reaches the heating stage; that information is worth passing on to the engineer.
- Leave the machine unplugged if it repeatedly trips the electrics.
When to call someone
This one usually needs an engineer once you have tried the checks above. 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 Hoover washing machine codes
- Hoover E01 — The machine can't confirm the door is locked shut, so it ref…
- Hoover E02 — The machine hasn't taken in enough water in the time it allo…
- Hoover E03 — The machine hasn't managed to empty the water out within the…
- Hoover E04 — The machine has decided it's being overfilled with water and…
- Hoover E05 — The machine can't get a sensible reading from the sensor tha…
- Hoover E07 — The machine thinks the door lock is stuck in the locked posi…
- Hoover E08 — The machine can't tell how fast the drum motor is turning, s…
- Hoover E11 — The machine can't see a working drying heater circuit, so it…