Bosch E15: Leak Detected, Inlet Valve Locked
High severity
E15 means Bosch's Aquastop safety system has found standing water under the tub and shut off the water inlet valve so the machine can't flood any further.
The cycle stops partway through, the display lands on E15, and pressing Start again does nothing — the dishwasher won't take on any more water until the fault clears. Some owners only notice after wiping up a small puddle near the toe-kick, or after pulling the unit out and hearing water slosh around inside the base.
Applies to: Bosch 300, 500, 800 and Benchmark series built-in dishwashers with Aquastop leak protection (most SHE/SHP/SHX/SHV model numbers, 2010+).
What it means
The float switch or leak sensor in the base pan has detected standing water under the tub. Bosch's Aquastop safety system responds by shutting the unit down and locking the water inlet valve closed so it cannot flood.
This is a mechanical safety response, not a random software glitch — Bosch built Aquastop specifically so a leaking dishwasher fails safe instead of continuing to fill and eventually overflowing onto the kitchen floor.
Common causes
Because E15 only fires once the sensor actually gets wet, tracking down the leak itself is the real fix, not the code:
- Cracked, warped, or dislodged door gasket letting wash water past the door seal
- Loose hose clamp at the inlet or drain hose fitting on the back of the unit
- Worn circulation pump shaft seal leaking into the base pan
- Oversudsing from regular dish soap or too much detergent overflowing the tub
- Condensation build-up pooling in the base pan on older units
What you can check yourself
Work through these roughly in order — most E15 leaks trace back to the door seal or a loose hose fitting rather than a failed pump:
- Shut off the water supply valve under the sink before touching anything else
- Carefully tilt or pull the dishwasher out and check the base pan and toe-kick area for standing water
- Inspect the door gasket for cracks, gaps, or trapped food debris and clean or reseat it
- Confirm the inlet and drain hose clamps at the rear of the unit are tight and not leaking
- Dry the base pan completely, then cut power at the breaker for about a minute before restarting a cycle
- Only ever use dishwasher-rated detergent, never liquid dish soap, which oversudses and can trip the leak sensor
Call a professional when
If water keeps returning to the base pan after drying it out and reseating hoses/gasket, or you can hear or see the pump itself leaking, the pump seal or the float switch assembly likely needs professional replacement.
Related
- Bosch dishwasher codes hub
- Bosch E09 — heating element open circuit
- Bosch E27 — low supply voltage shutdown
- Dishwasher Leak Detected / Water Under the Unit