Hotpoint F05 fault codewhat it means and how to fix it
The pressure switch never confirmed the fill, though the turbine says the water went in. A code Hotpoint describe in detail and then leave off their own list.
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Get a qualified appliance engineer to look at your Hotpoint F05
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What F05 means
F05 is the strangest entry in Hotpoint’s dishwasher documentation, and the oddity is worth knowing about before you go looking for it. The code is not in the numbered list on any of the three brands’ service pages. It is skipped: the table runs F04, F06, F07. But the same pages carry a second section walking through the indicator lights, and there, sitting exactly where it should between F04 and F06, is a description — the pressure switch has not indicated completion of fill, even though the turbine has filled the appliance with correct water.
So the manufacturer describes this fault and declines to list it, which means a reader who finds F05 on their display and checks the official table concludes it does not exist. It does, and here is what it means. The machine has two ways of knowing about the water it has taken in. The flow turbine counts litres going through the inlet. The pressure switch senses the level actually reached in the tub. On this code the first is satisfied and the second is not: the right amount of water has gone in, and the device that should confirm it arrived is not confirming.
Because there are two components in that sentence, there are two quite different explanations, and they are not equally expensive. Either the pressure switch or its air tube has a problem and the water really is there — the usual case — or the water genuinely is not there despite having been metered in, which means it went somewhere it should not have, and that is a leak. The pressure switch on these machines does not touch the water. It reads the air pressure in a small tube whose open end sits in the sump, so a rising water level compresses the air and the switch senses that. It follows that a tube which is split, kinked, disconnected or silted up produces this fault perfectly with nothing electrical having failed at all, which is the cheap and common answer.
What causes it
| Cause | What is actually happening | How likely |
|---|---|---|
| Pressure switch air tube blocked or split | The switch senses air pressure rather than water, so a tube that is silted, perished or off its spigot stops the level being reported with no component broken. | Common |
| Pressure switch failed | The switch itself no longer changing state at the level it should. Hotpoint’s own description names it directly as the device that has not indicated completion. | Common |
| Water metered in but not present in the tub | The uncomfortable reading of the same code. If the turbine counted it and the level never came up, it has gone somewhere, which means a leak to find. | Occasional |
| Excess foam confusing the level | Washing-up liquid in the dispenser generates foam that occupies the space water should, so the level reads short with the correct volume present. | Occasional |
| Wiring or connector at the switch | A signal lost between the switch and the board rather than the switch failing. Reads to the machine as no confirmation either way. | Occasional |
Can you fix it yourself?
Stop — this needs an engineer
What it costs to fix
Typical repair cost
£80–£200
A pressure switch or a new air tube is typically £80 to £150 fitted, and the tube alone is a very cheap part. If the underlying answer turns out to be a leak, the figure depends entirely on where it is and has to follow the diagnosis.
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
- 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: water intake
- F07Get it checkedThe flow turbine reported no water arriving when the machine had in fact filled. The measuring device rather than the water supply.Related: water intake
- F03Get it checkedDrain failure or timeout — one of only two codes Hotpoint invite you to look at yourself, and usually a blockage.Related: same brand
- 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
- 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
Own a Hotpoint dishwasher? Save it and its codes come first next time.
Related guides
Common questions about Hotpoint F05
Why is F05 not on the official code list?
We do not know, and it is worth being straight about that. The numbered table skips from F04 to F06 on all three brands’ service sites, while the indicator-light section on the same pages describes the F05 fault in its proper place. F14 is missing from both sections entirely. It looks like an omission in one content record rather than evidence the code does not exist.
Does this mean my machine is leaking?
It might, and that is the reason to take it seriously rather than wait. If the turbine counted the correct volume of water in and the level never came up, the water is somewhere. Far more often it is the pressure switch or its air tube misreporting a tub that is perfectly full — but the other explanation is a leak, and you cannot tell which from the display.
What is a pressure switch on a dishwasher?
A level sensor that never touches the water. A small tube runs from the switch down to the sump, and as the water rises it compresses the air trapped in that tube. The switch feels the air pressure change and reports the level. It is why a perished or blocked tube produces a level fault with nothing electrical having failed.
Is this the same as F07?
The mirror image of it. F07 is the turbine saying no water arrived when it demonstrably did. F05 is the turbine correctly saying water arrived while the pressure switch declines to confirm the level. Same cross-check, opposite side.
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.