The short answer
F23 on this washing machine means the water protection system on the inlet hose has been activated — that is what the manufacturer published for it, and no more. Do not reset it and carry on: the device has shut the water off for a reason, and that reason is usually water where it should not be. One of the checks below is an owner check, and the rest of the work is behind a panel.
Error codes
Reference| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| F23 | These error codes indicate that the AquaStop Hose has been activated. |
What the machine does alongside the code
- Water or damp at the hose, under the machine or behind it — That is what the device reacted to, and where it is found matters more than the code.
- The appliance stops mid-cycle and will not restart — Leak protection latches deliberately: it is designed not to let you carry on.
What triggers F23, most likely first
- Water reaching the protection device from a leak — It goes first because it is what the device is for: a weeping fitting, a split hose or water in the base reaches the sensing part of the system and the supply is shut off before a flood.
- A cracked or split component in the water path — It ranks here because it is a real failure, it worsens rather than recovers, and it is the reason a leak protection exists.
- A false trigger from condensation or a wet sensor — Last: it is possible, but a leak protection has to be treated as real until a technician has proved otherwise, because the cost of being wrong is a floor.
Check in this order, and why
- Feel along the inlet hose and its fittings for damp — A slow weep is dry by the time you look, so feel as well as look, and check for mineral trails.
- Look for water under and behind the appliance — Where the water is tells a technician which half of the path to open.
- Check the visible hose connections by hand — A weeping fitting is often dry by the time you look, so feel as well as look.
- Body: Locate before you open anything — where and when the water appears decides which half of the path a technician opens.
The reset, then the owner-safe checks
- Dry the floor and put paper down to find the source — A dry floor with paper on it shows where the water comes from far better than a wet one.
Tools: towels, paperAbout 15 min
- Turn the water off at the tap, switch the machine off at the breaker, then dry the floor and put paper down — Paper on a dry floor shows where water is coming from far better than a wet floor does.
Tools: towels, paperAbout 20 min
- Check the visible connections and the hose runs — Feel along each fitting for damp and look for mineral trails, which mark a slow weep.
Tools: torchAbout 20 min
- STOP HERE — do not reset a triggered leak protection and carry on — A protection that has acted has a reason. Overriding it is how a contained leak becomes a flood.
Before anything is opened
Safety
Unplug the machine or switch off its breaker before any panel comes off — a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Close the supply tap before touching a hose, expect standing water when a filter comes out, and never work round the door interlock.
When this is a service call rather than a reset
Call at once, and do not reset the protection to get one more cycle out of it.
Neighbouring codes on Bosch washing machines
What this page does not cover
This reading applies to the Bosch washing machine line as a whole, not to one family or model. It does not cover what differs between model lines — wiring colours, connector positions, part numbers and service-mode sequences — which are in your own model manual and which a technician matches to the rating plate rather than to this code. Where a family- or model-specific page for this code exists, it is linked from the code index below and it is the more specific answer.
Links: - [Bosch washing machine error codes](/blog/bosch-washer-error-codes)
Where to go next
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
