What to check yourself
Step 1. Check the tap is fully open
Not partly open, fully. Bosch expects roughly 2.5 gallons a minute at the hose, and a tap turned halfway will not deliver it. This sounds too obvious to check, and it is still the single most common answer, particularly after a machine has been moved or a plumber has been in the house.
Step 2. Clean the filter in the inlet hose
There is a small mesh filter where the hose meets the tap, and a second one where it meets the machine. Both silt up in hard water areas. Turn off the tap, unscrew the hose, and lift the mesh out with pliers if it does not come free. A toothbrush under a running tap is enough to clean it. Refit and check for drips before starting a cycle.
If the hose has an AquaStop head, the boxy plastic housing at the tap end, do not put that end in water. It contains an electric valve.
Step 3. Look for a kink or a crushed hose
Same check as for a drain fault, different hose. Pull the machine out far enough to see the whole run of the inlet hose. A hose pinched behind a machine pushed back against the wall throttles the flow enough to trip this code without ever leaking.
Step 4. Test the house pressure
Hold the hose over a bucket with the tap fully open for fifteen seconds. Less than about half a gallon in that time means the supply itself is weak, and no repair to the machine will help. That is a plumbing question, not an appliance one.
What a technician will look at
Described so you know what you are paying for, not as steps to repeat.
Replace the inlet valve
If the tap flows properly and the filters are clean, the solenoid valve inside the machine is not opening. It is an inexpensive part but it sits behind the back panel on a live circuit.
When to call a technician
Only after the tap, both filters and the hose have been ruled out. If water flows freely from the tap and the machine still reports E17, the valve or its wiring has failed and the back panel has to come off.
What the repair costs
| Repair | Part only | Fitted by a technician |
|---|---|---|
| Cleaning the inlet filters | - | Free |
| Water inlet valve replacement | - | $95 to $300 |
A new machine of the same class runs $500 to $1,500. Once a quote passes about a third of that on an older appliance, the repair stops making sense.
Codes people confuse this with
Questions people ask
- It started right after I moved the machine. Why?
- Moving a machine does two things at once: it kinks the hoses and it disturbs the tap. Check the tap is fully open first, then follow the hose along its whole length looking for a pinch point.
- Do I need to replace the whole hose?
- Rarely. The filter inside it is a separate mesh insert and can be cleaned. Replace the hose only if it is split, bulging, or more than about five years old, in which case it is cheap insurance against a flood.
Which machines this applies to
Applies to
All Bosch front loaders. Machines with sub-codes show the same fault as E:30 -10 or E:92 -01, and older European models show F17 or F29.
Last checked
2026-08-03