Candy E3 fault codewhat it means and how to fix it
The dishwasher does not drain. Three flashes on a machine without a display, and Candy tell you exactly how to count them.
Take care
What E3 means
Candy give E3 as the dishwasher not draining water, and that single sentence is the whole of the official meaning — this is a manufacturer with a deliberately short code list, so each code covers more ground than a Bosch or an AEG equivalent would. What Candy do provide, and almost nobody else does, is a precise way to read the fault on a machine with no display. Their method: every LED flashes together, the number of flashes gives the code, then a five-second pause before it repeats. So three flashes, a five-second gap, three flashes again means error 3. The detail that every light flashes in unison matters, because on other brands it is a single specific indicator, and people watching the wrong lamp count the wrong thing. One caveat before you start counting. This flash method appears in the current generation of manuals. Older Hoover-branded machines say only that the indicator light for the selected cycle blinks rapidly, with no count attached at all — so on an older machine there is genuinely nothing to count, and the flashing tells you there is a fault without telling you which.
What causes it
| Cause | What is actually happening | How likely |
|---|---|---|
| Filter clogged | The assembly under the bottom basket, packed with debris. Designed to be removed and rinsed, and frequently never has been. | Common |
| Waste hose kinked or blocked | Crushed behind the machine, or blocked where it joins the sink waste in the cupboard beneath. | Common |
| Sink waste blocked | The machine discharges into the kitchen waste on most installations, so a greasy trap stops the dishwasher while nothing in the appliance is wrong. | Common |
| Drain pump jammed or failed | Glass fragments and fruit stones are the usual cause of a jam. Failure of the pump itself is the less common outcome. | Occasional |
What to try yourself
If your machine has no display, confirm the count first. Watch all the lights together, count the flashes, wait through the five-second pause and count again to check you got the same number.
Switch off at the wall, then bail out the standing water with a jug before touching anything. You cannot see the bottom of the tub through it.
Wear gloves and let it cool if the cycle stopped hot. There may be undissolved detergent in that water.Lift out the bottom basket, twist the filter free and wash both parts under a hot tap with a brush.
Check the recess underneath for anything hard that could jam the pump, using a cloth rather than bare fingers because broken glass is what usually turns up.
Refit the filter until it locks, then check the sink drains freely and the waste hose is not kinked behind the machine.
Get a qualified appliance engineer to look at your Candy E3
Vetted local appliance engineers. No obligation.
What it costs to fix
Typical repair cost
£0–£160
Time on site
30 minutes
Usually free. A replacement drain pump is around £90 to £160 fitted. A blocked sink waste is plumbing rather than appliance work.
Typical UK prices including parts and labour, updated August 2026. Your quote may differ.
What other owners found
Nobody has shared what worked for them on this code yet. If you have had it, you would be the first — and it genuinely helps the next person.
Related Candy fault codes
- E24Get it checkedThe machine cannot drain. Bosch publish a full owner procedure for this one, and two warnings about doing it that their UK page leaves out.Related: draining and filter
- i20Get it checkedThe machine could not drain. Two beeps on a model without a display, and the filter in the bottom of the tub is the first place to look.Related: draining and filter
- F11Get it checkedWater left standing in the cabinet because the machine cannot drain. Miele treat this as an owner job and walk you through the drain pump.Related: draining and filter
- F03Get it checkedDrain failure or timeout — one of only two codes Hotpoint invite you to look at yourself, and usually a blockage.Related: draining and filter
- OEGet it checkedDrainage problem. LG list this twice — once as a running fault and once as an installation fault — and the second is the one people miss.Related: draining and filter
Common questions about Candy E3
How exactly do I count the flashes?
Every LED flashes at once, so watch the panel as a whole rather than one lamp. Count the flashes, then wait — Candy specify a five-second pause before the pattern repeats. Three flashes, five seconds, three flashes is error 3.
My lights just blink rapidly with no pattern. What now?
That is the older Hoover behaviour, where the light for the selected cycle blinks rapidly and no count is given. There is nothing to read from it beyond the fact that something has faulted, so work through the drain checks anyway since they cover the most likely causes.
Is there an E1 for something else I should check?
No. There is no official E1 in any Candy or Hoover dishwasher documentation, despite it appearing in nearly every third-party code table online. If a site tells you E1 means something specific on a Candy, treat the rest of that table with caution too.
Sources and how we verified this
We establish the facts from the sources below and then write the explanation ourselves. We do not copy manufacturer wording and we do not host their manuals.
- Manufacturer technical and service documentation
Checked by Appliance technical reviewer (Qualifications to be displayed on appointment) on 5 August 2026.