Miele [F11] fault codewhat it means and how to fix it

F11 is Miele’s drain code and their guidance on it contains two things almost nobody else publishes. The first is a hard number: the maximum delivery head is one metre. That is the height the pump can lift water to, and a drain hose whose high point is above it will produce this code even though nothing is blocked and nothing is broken.

It is the most commonly overlooked cause because it usually appears after a kitchen refit or a move rather than gradually. The second is a warning about the fix itself. Miele tell you to remove kinks and loops, and then add that you should keep an eye on those points for a while afterwards, because the plastic may weaken and tear, and that if it is damaged the drain hose must be replaced.

That is an unusually candid thing for a manufacturer to print and it is worth heeding — a hose that has been kinked in one place for two years has a memory in it, and straightening it stresses exactly the spot that is already thinnest. Beyond those two, the causes are the ordinary ones: the drain filter and the drain pump, both of which Miele expect the owner to clean.

1. 1

   Switch the machine off — Miele’s first step — and open the access panel for the drain pump. Put a suitable container under it; Miele suggest a universal tray.

2. 2

   Measure the highest point of the drain hose above the floor. Miele want it no more than one metre. If it is higher, that alone will cause this.

3. 3

   Do not unscrew the drain filters completely at first. Miele’s sequence is to unscrew them slowly to let the water out, tighten them back up if you need to interrupt the flow, and only unscrew them completely once the water has stopped. Then clean the filters thoroughly, check that the drain pump impellers rotate freely, and remove any buttons or coins.

   Miele’s own warning: if the drain outlet is blocked there may be a large quantity of water left in the drum, and there is a danger of scalding if the laundry has just been washed at a high temperature.
4. 4

   Straighten any kinks and loops in the hose run — then look closely at those spots afterwards.

   Miele warn that the plastic may weaken and tear where it was kinked, and that a damaged drain hose must be replaced.
5. 5

   Put the drain filters back — Miele note that each must go in on the correct side — and screw them tight, then close the access panel. Miele’s own words: if the filters are not screwed tight, water may leak out. A filter left short of home is the one cause they publish for F373.