What E15 actually means
The machine has measured the water or wash temperature as higher than it should be and has halted the programme to protect itself.
Willow's fault list gives E15 as a high temperature error. The control board is reading a temperature above the safe limit for the stage of the cycle it is in, so it stops heating and stops the programme rather than carrying on. In practice this points either at the temperature sensor giving a false high reading, or at the heater staying on when the board has told it to switch off.
What usually causes it
- Faulty temperature sensor in the tub reporting a false high reading
- Heating element continuing to heat when it should have switched off
- Control board fault misreading the sensor
- Very hot water fed to the machine from a hot supply or a recently used hot tap
- Wiring or connector problem between sensor and 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.
- Turn the programme knob to off, wait a few seconds and switch the machine off at the wall for a minute before restarting — the fault clears if it was a one-off reading.
- If the machine is plumbed to a hot water supply, run a cold cycle and see if the fault stays away.
- Let the machine stand and cool for an hour or so before trying again.
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 Willow washing machine codes
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- Willow E07 — The washing machine's control board has lost or mismatched i…
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