Error F18 in a Bosch washing machine

F18 in a Bosch washing machine is an error code for the self-diagnosis system of some models of this brand. This error does not occur on all Bosch washing machines. It happens that in a similar situation, a Bosch washing machine issues code E18, and sometimes it also produces d02. Everything will depend on which version of the self-diagnosis system is built into the software of a particular model. But it doesn’t matter which specific code of these three your German brand “home assistant” will give, the main thing is to decipher it correctly and understand what malfunction caused it.

Decoding the code

So, error F18 in a Bosch washing machine appears if the “home assistant” spends too much time draining the water. The fact is that the machine program contains minimum and maximum time intervals during which the washing machine must remove waste water. If the drainage is not completed completely within the maximum allotted time, the control module issues a command to stop the washing and displays code F18.

If the Bosch washing machine has a display, then error F18 is colorfully displayed on it. If there is no display, the machine informs the user about this error using a lit 1000 rpm indicator and a 600 rpm indicator.

Why does a Bosch washing machine drain water too slowly, what is the reason for this behavior of the equipment. In fact, there can be quite a few reasons for this.

1. One of the main reasons is incorrect connection of the drain hose when installing the washing machine.
2. Error F18 can be caused by blockages in the pump, garbage filter, drain pipe, and hose.
3. The same problem occurs when the pump and pressure switch break down.In the first case, the machine simply cannot pump water out of the tank, but in the second, the control module does not receive data about the water level in the tank and immediately displays error F 18.

Incorrect installation

If you are installing a Bosch washing machine yourself, especially if you are doing it for the first time, you need to pay attention to how to connect the drain hose of a washing machine to the sewer. And the point here is not even in the method of connecting the hose to the sewer, but in the correct positioning of the hose itself.

What do we mean? The hose must have some bend when connecting to the sewer. It is not permissible to connect the drain hose under tension. If the standard hose that comes with your Bosch washing machine is not long enough, you can lengthen it or buy a longer hose. However, it is necessary to understand that the longer the drain hose, the greater the load on the pump; the greater the load, the shorter the working life of the part.

The height of the connection relative to the legs of the washing machine should not be more than 1 meter; the hose should not be laid too low either. The optimal height for the connection point is 40-60 cm.

Also make sure that the drain hose is not pressed against anything or even kinked, as this will definitely hinder or stop the draining of waste water.

Various blockages

Blockages can become a real “scourge” of a Bosch automatic washing machine, or any other. If the drainage is difficult or absent and the washer displays error F18, know that it is very likely that some serious blockage is to blame. How will we look for this blockage?

• At first, we will not climb into the body of the washing machine and disassemble anything there.Let's look where this can be done most easily, namely, look into the hole in the garbage filter.
• After checking the garbage filter, disconnect the drain hose and check it, perhaps the blockage is hiding there.
• At the next stage, we will need to turn off the washing machine, pull it out, remove the powder receptacle and lower the Bosch machine onto the left side wall. Through the bottom you can easily get to the pump and drain pipe, because it is there that the blockage can also “lurk”.

Having checked everything possible and made sure that there are no blockages, you can proceed to the next stage of searching for the cause of error F18 - checking the pump and pressure switch. By the way, it will now be more convenient for you to do this, since the machine has already been turned off and disassembled. Moreover, you already have access to the pump through the bottom of the machine, so it would be wisest to start with the drain pump.

Pump and pressure switch

Checking the drain pump must begin with its dismantling. We pull off the clamps that connect this part to the pipes. Next, unscrew the outer screws that connect the pump to the garbage filter (screws around the hole of the garbage filter). Now all that remains is to disconnect the wires, pull the pump off the pipes and pull it out of the washing machine body.

Let's unscrew the pump and inspect its insides, mainly paying attention to the condition of the impeller. If the impeller is intact, there is nothing wound on it and there is no dirt, most likely the mechanics of the pump are in perfect order, let’s move on to checking the electrical system of the drain pump. We take a multimeter and call the contacts of the wires that power the pump, then we test the drain pump itself.

Perhaps after all the tests, error F18 will not disappear. In this case, you will have to check the water level sensor, which is located under the top cover of the Bosch washing machine. You can read about how to check and repair this sensor in the article Checking the washing machine pressure switch.

In conclusion, we note that we were able to understand the nature of the F18 error in the Bosch washing machine, provide a list of potential causes of its occurrence, and also talk about finding and eliminating the causes of this error. We hope you find this information useful, good luck!

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