Sharp E18 washer dryer: 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 E18 actually means

The temperature sensor on the drying side is giving a reading the machine doesn't believe, so it refuses to carry on with the dry.

These Sharp washer dryers use an NTC sensor to watch the air temperature in the drying circuit. The control board checks that sensor reads a sensible temperature — in the factory test routine it expects something between 0°C and 50°C before it will allow heating — and if the resistance is out of range, or reads as an open or short circuit, it abandons the heating stage and puts E18 up. On these machines it's a dryer-side fault code rather than a wash fault, and it's one that often shows up during the engineer's service autotest as well as in normal use.

What E18 looks like on a Sharp washer dryer

Most people find this page having searched for what the machine is doing rather than the code itself. On a Sharp washer dryer, E18 usually shows up as one or more of these:

Not drying
Blowing cold air
Clothes still damp at the end
Takes hours to dry
No function at all
Dead — nothing lights up
Lights flashing and nothing happening
Programme won't start

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

Faulty dryer NTC temperature sensor
A loose or corroded plug where the sensor connects to the control board
Damaged sensor wiring in the drying circuit
Machine standing somewhere extremely cold, so the sensor reads outside its expected range
Control board fault misreading a healthy sensor

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 back on and start a drying programme again — a one-off glitch will sometimes clear.
If the appliance is in an unheated garage or outbuilding in cold weather, let the room warm up and try again; the check the board runs won't pass if it reads below freezing.
Make sure there's air space around the machine and nothing is blocking the vents, and clean the lint/fluff filter if your model has one.
Run a wash-only programme to confirm it's the drying side that's affected — that's useful information for whoever attends.

Which Sharp models show E18

E18 means the same thing on all 4 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.

ES-GD75B · ES-GDD9144W0-EN · ES-GDF964W · ES-HDB8147W0-EN

Common questions about Sharp E18

What does E18 mean on a Sharp washer dryer?

The temperature sensor on the drying side is giving a reading the machine doesn't believe, so it refuses to carry on with the dry. These Sharp washer dryers use an NTC sensor to watch the air temperature in the drying circuit. The control board checks that sensor reads a sensible temperature — in the factory test routine it expects something between 0°C and 50°C before it will allow heating — and if the resistance is out of range, or reads as an open or short circuit, it abandons the heating stage and puts E18 up. On these machines it's a dryer-side fault code rather than a wash fault, and it's one that often shows up during the engineer's service autotest as well as in normal use.

Can I fix Sharp E18 myself?

There are 4 checks you can safely do yourself first.

Turn the machine off at the wall for a minute, then back on and start a drying programme again — a one-off glitch will sometimes clear.
If the appliance is in an unheated garage or outbuilding in cold weather, let the room warm up and try again; the check the board runs won't pass if it reads below freezing.
Make sure there's air space around the machine and nothing is blocking the vents, and clean the lint/fluff filter if your model has one.
Run a wash-only programme to confirm it's the drying side that's affected — that's useful information for whoever attends.

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

How much does it cost to repair Sharp E18?

£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 E18?

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 washer dryer 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 Sharp washer dryer codes

All Sharp fault codes and repairs →

What this looks like when it happens

washer dryer not drying

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

Sharp E18 error — washer dryer