What E03 actually means
The machine thinks its water container is full, so it has stopped drying until the water is emptied out.
On these machines the moisture taken out of the laundry during drying collects in a water tank. A float switch inside tells the control board when the tank is full. When that switch says full — or when it isn't reporting properly — the machine halts the cycle and shows E03 rather than risk overflowing.
What usually causes it
- Condensed water tank is genuinely full and needs emptying
- Tank not pushed fully back into place after emptying
- Float inside the tank stuck or broken
- Pump not moving water from the reservoir to the tank
- Faulty or disconnected float (aquaswitch) 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.
- Pull out the water tank, empty it down the sink and slide it back until it clicks firmly home.
- If the machine is plumbed to drain directly, check the drain hose isn't kinked, trapped or pushed too far into the standpipe.
- Clean the fluff filter in the door and the condenser/heat exchanger filter if your model has an accessible one.
- Turn the machine off at the wall for a minute, then switch it back on and restart the cycle.
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.