What to check yourself
Step 1. Turn off the tap and unplug the machine
In that order. This is the whole of the safe response. AquaStop has done its job by cutting the supply, but the tap is the only thing that guarantees no more water arrives.
Water and electricity are in the same box. Do not reach into the base of the machine and do not mop under it while it is plugged in.
Step 2. Look for where the water is
Worth doing before you call, because it shortens the visit. Water at the front usually means the door seal or the detergent drawer. Water at the back means a hose connection. Water underneath with nothing visible above means the tub or the sump, which is the expensive answer.
Step 3. Do not try to reset it by cycling the power
The code will clear once the base is dry, which tempts people into running another load. The leak has not fixed itself in the meantime, and the second flood does the damage the first one did not.
When to call a technician
Now. This is one of two codes on this page where Bosch itself sends you straight to service rather than offering a check to try, and that is the right call: the fault is by definition a leak inside a live appliance.
What the repair costs
| Repair | Part only | Fitted by a technician |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnosis and hose or seal replacement | - | $150 to $400 |
| Tub or sump repair | - | $400 to $700 |
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
- There is no water on my floor. Is it a false alarm?
- Usually not. The float sits in the base tray under the machine, so it trips on water that has not reached the floor yet. Treat it as a real leak that you caught early, which is exactly what the system is for.
- Can I disable AquaStop to finish the load?
- No, and it is worth being blunt about why: it is the one part of the machine standing between a failed hose and your floor. If it has tripped, it has found something.
Which machines this applies to
Applies to
Bosch front loaders fitted with AquaStop leak protection, which is most models sold in the last fifteen years. Shown as E:00 -23 on machines with sub-codes.
Last checked
2026-08-03