Hotpoint F03 fault codewhat it means and how to fix it
Drain failure or timeout — one of only two codes Hotpoint invite you to look at yourself, and usually a blockage.
Take care
What F03 means
F03 is a water drain failure or timeout: the machine tried to pump out, and either nothing happened or it took longer than the programme allows. It is one of just two faults in Hotpoint’s dishwasher list that comes with a check they suggest you make yourself, which tells you how routine they consider it. Their wording is that they recommend you check the drain pipe and under-sink plumbing for any blockages.
Notice where Hotpoint point you: not into the machine, but at the plumbing behind and beneath it. That is well judged, because a large proportion of dishwasher drain faults are not faults in the dishwasher.
Where the machine shares a waste with the kitchen sink, a trap thick with grease will stop the dishwasher draining while the appliance itself is in perfect health. The other classic is a machine that has never drained since the day it was installed, because the blanking plug in the sink waste spigot was never knocked out. Inside the machine, the filter assembly in the base of the tub is the first thing to check and the most likely culprit on a machine that has been working fine for years. It is designed to be removed and cleaned by hand.
What causes it
| Cause | What is actually happening | How likely |
|---|---|---|
| Filters blocked | The assembly in the floor of the tub, clogged with food debris. The most common cause on a machine that has been in service a while. | Common |
| Sink trap or under-sink plumbing blocked | Hotpoint point you here explicitly. A greasy trap shared with the sink stops the dishwasher while nothing in the appliance has failed. | Common |
| Drain hose kinked or blocked | Usually crushed when the machine was last pushed back into its housing, or silted where it meets the waste. | Common |
| Drain pump obstructed or failed | Glass or a fruit stone jamming the impeller, or a pump that has genuinely stopped. This is the point at which it becomes an engineer’s job. | Occasional |
What to try yourself
Switch the machine off at the wall before putting a hand inside the cabinet.
Bail out the standing water with a jug and finish with a sponge, until you can see the base of the tub clearly.
If the programme stopped part way through, give it time to cool. Water in a dishwasher mid-cycle is hot enough to scald.Lift out the filter assembly, take it apart rather than rinsing it whole, and clean each part under a running tap.
Follow Hotpoint’s own advice and check the under-sink plumbing. Undo the trap into a bucket if you can, and look for grease.
Pull the machine forward and check the drain hose along its full length for kinks and crushing.
Restore power and run a short programme to confirm it empties properly.
Get a qualified appliance engineer to look at your Hotpoint F03
We do not pass enquiries to a repair firm, so there is no form here. When you book a qualified appliance engineer, tell them the make, the model and the exact code or message on the display, and ask whether they carry parts for this make — that is what turns one visit into a repair rather than a quote.
What it costs to fix
Typical repair cost
£0–£180
Time on site
45 minutes
Free if it is a filter, a hose or a sink trap, which covers most cases. A replacement drain pump is typically £90 to £170 fitted.
Typical UK prices including parts and labour, updated September 2026. Your quote may differ.
Own this appliance and had this code? . Nothing is published until a person has read it.
Related Hotpoint fault codes
- F10Get it checkedHeating element fault — and the page to read the safety notice on if your machine was built between 2005 and 2015.Related: same brand
- F06Get it checkedWater fill timeout. The other code Hotpoint hand back to you, and their own checklist covers pressure as well as the tap.Related: same brand
- F01Stop — call an engineerAnti-flooding overflow. The one code in the Hotpoint list that offers no owner check at all — it goes straight to an engineer.Related: same brand
- F08Get it checkedTemperature timeout on the two-digit system. Check the shape of your code first, because a single-digit F8 belongs to a different code set and is not about heat at all.Related: same brand
- F11Get it checkedWash pump failure. The dishes come out dirty because water is never reaching them with any force.Related: same brand
- F13Get it checkedMain board fault. Worth getting the price before the part, because a board can cost a serious fraction of a new machine.Related: same brand
Own a Hotpoint dishwasher? Save it and its codes come first next time.
Related guides
Common questions about Hotpoint F03
Why does Hotpoint send me to the sink plumbing first?
Because that is where a great many of these faults actually are. Most dishwashers drain into the same waste as the kitchen sink, and a trap full of grease will stop the machine even though the machine is fine. It is also the cheapest thing to eliminate.
It has never drained since it was installed. Same problem?
Almost certainly not. Sink waste fittings come with the dishwasher spigot sealed and whoever plumbed it in is meant to knock the plug out. When that gets missed, the hose is connected to a dead end. Nothing you clean will help.
What is the LED pattern for F03?
LEDs 6 and 7 lit, 8 and 9 off — 1 plus 2 makes 3. The lights stay on steadily rather than flashing a count.
Technical review
Not reviewed by an engineer
No engineer has read this page. Severity follows what the manufacturer publishes, and we would rather tell you that than let a byline imply a sign-off.
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 support portal
This page has not been reviewed by an engineer, and we would rather tell you that than imply otherwise. The severity rating follows what the manufacturer publishes: where they say isolate the appliance and call someone, so do we.