I have an Electrolux ESF 4510 dishwasher.
It stopped half way on it’s washing cycle and started making a beeping sound while having a visible water leakage in front of it on the floor. Three beeps and a pause, three beeps and a pause. The beeping was accompanied with a i30 code on the LED screen so I realized, it was an error message. In addition I could hear the pump was always on trying to extract any water from the machine, but clearly it was already pumping air, all the water from the inside was long gone.
So I unplugged the machine in the midst of the cycle, tried to start it again, but the message still comes back and the machine starts beeping and pump working again.
The user manual for this dishwasher says that whenever code i30 is present on the screen it means flood protection is activated and you can’t repair it yourself, but need to take it to a workshop for maintenance.
I would first try anything myself rather than start disconnecting the machine from the water/electric system and carrying/transporting it to the city.
How is flood protection activated on Electrolux dishwashers?
There is a water collector pan at the base of the machines and inside of it there is a polystyrene plate that rises up and acts as a switch to turn on flood protection whenever there is some water going into this plate. The water usually drips off from the door while opening and removing wet dishes but also when the dirty water extraction filter is clogged and water cannot run away from the machine very well. This was my case.
I hadn’t cleaned the filter (which can easily be removed from the bottom of the inside of the machine and cleaned under running water) and some water started pouring out from the front side.
How did I disable the flood protection and get my dishwasher back to working without taking it to a repair shop?
If there is a water collection pan underneath the dishwasher with some water in it, it can be poured empty. This is what I did.
- Disconnect the machine from the power mains and close the water tap / valve for the dishwasher or the whole house
- Pull the machine out of it’s position inside the kitchen furniture
- Put some towels beneath the machine at the front side
- Tilt it towards the front side enough to pour all water out from the water collector pan.
- Clean the water extraction filter inside at the bottom of the machine.
- Clean the rubber gaskets from visible residue/limescale.
For me lets say a cup of dirty water poured out. After all the water out I cleaned the filter/gaskets and put the machine back at place and it finished it’s cycle and the i30 error was gone.
Be sure to find out the cause of the water outside of your machine. That’s what the workshop recommendation is for.
Things to check
- See, if the gaskets of the door are clean and undamaged. Limescale or residue may build up on the gaskets, clean them if present.
- Check for any mechanical damages inside and the back of your machine.
- Check the hoses (water inlet and extraction both), see if any leaks behind the machine.
If you find anything you cannot fix or water behind your machine that you don’t know the source of, you have to call for a maintenance guy.
The reason for my flood protection activation was?
For me the gaskets were having some limescale on them and since the machine was getting a lot of usage, a lot of the water just dripped off the door and built up over time. The final dose of water dripped in the flood protection pan and outside in front of the machine from using a wrong dishwasher liquid that generated a lot of foam which started pressing out with water from between the door. You just don’t use regular dishwasher liquid in a dishwasher machine.
Conclusion
If you are a bit of a handyman, you can do this easily yourself without any tools. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this or are sure of what you are doing, please DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS and call for a specialist.
Having a water leakage can be very expensive.
I wrote this article to show how I managed to get the flood protection off and that the reason for me was that I had a clogged extraction filter plus I used a wrong washing agent that caused a lot of foam which started pushing out of the front door of the machine. Be sure your machine isn’t actually broken and that you have an obvious reason for a leak before attempting this DIY turn off flood protection method.
The flood protection is meant to save you from a lot of trouble and probably a small fortune and is a very well purpose serving addition to any dishwasher. In conclusion I’m happy it turned on and saved my kitchen floor from a lot of water damage.