E15 is not a cycle fault — it's a flood alarm. Underneath every Bosch dishwasher is a shallow plastic tray with a float in it. If water collects there, the float rises, the machine locks out with E15, and the drain pump starts running on its own, over and over, whether the door is open or shut.
That last part is what brings most people to this page. As one of our customers put it:
"There is an E15 code on the dishwasher. We can hear it just continuously try to run every few minutes. We tried to pull power and turn it back on, but all we get is the E15 error."
"Dishwasher is leaking bottom left and has error code E15. Will not shut off."
E15 is logged on 45 jobs in our dishwasher repair records, and Bosch is the dishwasher brand we service most — 369 Bosch jobs. So we know what is usually sitting in that tray.
What E15 actually means
The float switch in the base has detected water. The control board has no way to know where that water came from, so it assumes the worst and does two things: it refuses to start a new cycle, and it runs the drain pump continuously to try to empty whatever is down there.
Important: the machine will keep pumping even after you cut the power and restore it, because the float is still up. Power-cycling does not clear E15 — drying out the tray does.
What we actually find under the tub
Across the Bosch E15 jobs in our records, the water came from one of these:
- A leaking water inlet valve. One unit came in as "E15 error code and leaking"; the fix was the inlet valve, a part Bosch has since superseded with a revised version.
- A failing circulation pump. On a SHE65T55UC/02 the tech's note was short: "circulation pump needs replacement."
- A seal or gasket that has started weeping. Slow enough that you never see a puddle on the floor — it all goes into the tray.
- A one-time spill that never dried out. On a SHP68TL5UC/09 our tech wrote: "E15 is a drain pan leak. The drain pan did have water. I cleaned out the water. Ran several cycles and could not locate any leaks." Sometimes there is no ongoing fault at all — just water that got in once and had nowhere to go.
On a SHP865ZD5N/01 the whole repair was mechanical housekeeping: "Dishwasher was stuck in a drain pan pump cycle. The float switch had detected water and was triggering the pump. I removed the float switch and cleaned all the water underneath."
Other Bosch models we've cleared E15 on include SHX65T55UC/07 and SHV53T53UC/07.
Why E15 and E24 travel together
They are the same family — water where it shouldn't be:
- E24 — the dishwasher can't drain, or drains too slowly. Our most common dishwasher code, 67 jobs.
- E25 — the drain pump itself is blocked, or the pump cover is loose. 14 jobs.
- E15 — water has reached the anti-flood tray and the float has tripped. 45 jobs.
An E24 that gets ignored long enough often finishes as an E15, because the water that can't leave eventually finds its way down. If you've been living with a slow drain, this is the bill coming due.
What you can safely try
- Tilt the machine back about 45 degrees for a minute to let the tray drain, then stand it up and restore power. If the water was a one-off spill, E15 clears and stays clear. This is the single most useful thing a homeowner can do.
- Look under and behind for an obvious source — a weeping supply line, a wet spot at the inlet valve on the left-hand side.
- Don't just power-cycle. The float stays up until the tray is dry, so switching it off and on changes nothing.
Call a tech when E15 returns after the tray has been emptied — that means water is still arriving, and the source has to be found. Also call if you can hear the pump cycling by itself, or if there is any water on the floor rather than only in the tray.
We don't recommend pulling the base tray or the float assembly yourself: there is standing water sitting next to the wiring and the pump, and Bosch anti-flood systems re-trip easily if a seal is disturbed on reassembly.
Book same-day Bosch E15 repair
Bosch is the dishwasher brand we repair most across the SF Bay Area and Peninsula, and we stock the common Bosch valves and pumps. If your machine is locked on E15 and pumping on its own, we can usually get it cleared in one visit.
Call (888) 993-5699 or book online for same-day Bosch service.
Related pages
- Bosch Dishwasher E24 Error (Won't Drain) — the drain code E15 often follows
- Dishwasher Repair in the SF Bay Area & Peninsula — our full dishwasher service
- Dishwasher Not Draining? Standing Water in the Bottom — 532 jobs
- Bosch Appliance Repair — every Bosch appliance we service
Frequently asked questions
What does E15 mean on a Bosch dishwasher? E15 means water has collected in the anti-flood tray under the machine and the float switch has tripped. The dishwasher locks out and runs its drain pump continuously to clear whatever is down there. It is a flood-protection alarm, not a cycle fault.
Why does my Bosch dishwasher keep pumping with an E15 error? Because the float in the base tray is still raised. The board keeps the pump running until the water is gone, and it will carry on doing that after you switch the power off and on again. The pumping stops when the tray is actually dry.
How do I clear a Bosch E15 error myself? Tilt the machine back about 45 degrees for a minute so the tray drains, stand it up, and restore power. If the water got in once and there is no ongoing leak, E15 clears. If it comes back, water is still arriving from somewhere and the source needs to be found.
Does E15 always mean my Bosch dishwasher is leaking? No. In our repairs it has gone both ways: some units had a genuine leak at the water inlet valve or circulation pump, and on at least one the tech dried the tray, ran several cycles and could find no leak at all — it was a single spill that never evaporated.
Is E15 related to the E24 error? Yes, they are the same family. E24 means the machine cannot drain, E25 means the drain pump is blocked, and E15 means water has reached the anti-flood tray. An ignored E24 often ends up as an E15, because water that cannot leave the tub eventually works its way into the base.