What is actually happening
A washer dryer dries by condensing moisture against a flow of cold water rather than venting it, so drying depends on both the heater and the cold water supply working. Lint has nowhere to go in a machine that has no filter you can reach, so it collects internally — and on some makes that shows up as a specific fault code rather than simply poor drying.
The Sharp fault codes that point at this
A Sharp washer dryer will usually tell you what it thinks is wrong before anyone opens it up. These are the codes we hold for this make that relate to not drying:
- E01 — The machine cannot lock the door, so it refuses to start filling or run.
- E02 — The machine hasn't taken in enough water in the time it expects, so it has stopped and shown a water supply fault.
- E03 — The machine can't get the water out of the drum, so it has stopped and flagged a drain pump fault.
- E04 — The machine has found more water in the drum than it should have, so it has switched to draining to stop a flood.
- E05 — The machine can't get a sensible temperature reading from the wash water, so it won't heat and stops the programme.
- E06 — The machine has stopped because the control board isn't getting the drum motor to run and report back the way it expects.
- E07 — The washer dryer's control board has lost or rejected the settings that tell it which model it is, so it won't run a cycle.
- E08 — The control board has a fault in the part that switches power to the drum motor, so the machine won't drive the drum safely.
If yours is showing one of those, that is a much shorter conversation than a general fault — tell us the code when you book and the engineer can often carry the part.
The usual causes on a Sharp washer dryer
- Internal lint build-up restricting airflow, which no accessible filter catches
- A failed drying element or heat pump, depending on the model
- A failed NTC sensor in the drying circuit, often reported as a code
- A restricted cold water feed, so the condenser cannot condense
- Loading past the drying capacity, which is always well below the wash capacity
What you can safely check yourself
- Check the drying load size against the manual — it is usually about half the wash load, and overloading is the most common cause of all
- Note any code shown during the dry cycle, which identifies it precisely
- Check the cold tap is fully open
Still not drying?
Most of these need an engineer once the checks above are done. £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 engineers work on Sharp machines week in, week out, so they arrive knowing the machine rather than reading the back of it. Local engineers across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire.
Call 0115 648 0929 Book online — postcode and number is all we need
Common questions
Why is my Sharp washer dryer not drying?
The wash is fine but the drying part of the cycle leaves everything damp. A washer dryer dries by condensing moisture against a flow of cold water rather than venting it, so drying depends on both the heater and the cold water supply working. Lint has nowhere to go in a machine that has no filter you can reach, so it collects internally — and on some makes that shows up as a specific fault code rather than simply poor drying.
Can I fix a Sharp washer dryer not drying myself?
Check the drying load size against the manual — it is usually about half the wash load, and overloading is the most common cause of all. Note any code shown during the dry cycle, which identifies it precisely. Check the cold tap is fully open. Beyond those checks this one normally needs an engineer.
What Sharp error codes mean not drying?
Sharp washer dryers report this through their own fault codes. The ones that point at not drying are E01, E02, E03, E04, E05, E06. If your machine is showing one of those, that narrows it down considerably — each has its own guide on this site.
How much does a Sharp washer dryer repair cost?
£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.