Rangemaster F02 dishwasher: what it means & what to check

Stop using it for now. Carrying on with this fault risks further damage or a leak. Switch it off at the wall until it has been looked at.

What F02 actually means

The dishwasher can't get the dirty water out, so it has halted with water still sitting in the bottom.

On these Rangemaster machines F02 is the drain fault. The control board expects the water level to drop once the drain pump runs, and when that doesn't happen within the expected time it stops the programme and flags the code rather than carrying on and risking an overflow. You'll usually open the door to find a pool of grey water covering the base of the tub and the dishes still dirty.

What F02 looks like on a Rangemaster dishwasher

Most people find this page having searched for what the machine is doing rather than the code itself. On a Rangemaster dishwasher, F02 usually shows up as one or more of these:

Dishwasher door won't open
Door won't lock or click shut
Door lock light flashing
Door stuck shut with the load inside
Won't start even with the door closed
Dishwasher not draining
Water left in the tub at the end of the cycle
Stops mid-cycle full of water

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

Blocked filter assembly in the base of the tub — food debris, seeds, bits of label
Drain hose kinked, crushed behind the machine, or blocked with grease
Sink trap or waste spigot blocked, or the blanking plug never removed from a new waste connection
Drain pump jammed by glass, a fruit stone or similar
Failed drain pump or a level/pressure sensing fault on the control board

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.

Switch off at the wall, then lift out the filters in the bottom of the tub, rinse them under the tap and clear anything caught in the recess underneath
Bail out the standing water with a jug and a sponge before you do anything else — it makes the rest easier and stops it slopping out
Look behind the machine and along the run of the drain hose for a kink or a tight bend; straighten it without pulling the appliance about
If the hose goes into the sink waste, check that waste isn't slow-draining on its own — a blocked sink trap will stop the dishwasher draining too
Leave it off at the wall for a minute, then run a short programme to see whether it drains normally

Which Rangemaster models show F02

F02 means the same thing on all 3 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.

RDW1045FI · RDW1260FI · RDW6012D22

Common questions about Rangemaster F02

What does F02 mean on a Rangemaster dishwasher?

The dishwasher can't get the dirty water out, so it has halted with water still sitting in the bottom. On these Rangemaster machines F02 is the drain fault. The control board expects the water level to drop once the drain pump runs, and when that doesn't happen within the expected time it stops the programme and flags the code rather than carrying on and risking an overflow. You'll usually open the door to find a pool of grey water covering the base of the tub and the dishes still dirty.

Can I fix Rangemaster F02 myself?

There are 5 checks you can safely do yourself first.

Switch off at the wall, then lift out the filters in the bottom of the tub, rinse them under the tap and clear anything caught in the recess underneath.
Bail out the standing water with a jug and a sponge before you do anything else — it makes the rest easier and stops it slopping out.
Look behind the machine and along the run of the drain hose for a kink or a tight bend; straighten it without pulling the appliance about.
If the hose goes into the sink waste, check that waste isn't slow-draining on its own — a blocked sink trap will stop the dishwasher draining too.
Leave it off at the wall for a minute, then run a short programme to see whether it drains normally.

This sometimes clears with those checks. If it comes back, it needs looking at properly.

How much does it cost to repair Rangemaster F02?

£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 F02?

This sometimes clears with the checks above. If it comes back, it needs looking at properly. 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 dishwasher 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 Rangemaster dishwasher codes

All Rangemaster 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.

Rangemaster F02 error — dishwasher