Water supply light (tap)
The dishwasher cannot take in enough water: the tap under the sink is closed, the mains water is off, or the inlet hose or its filter is kinked or blocked.
What to do when it lights up
Check that the tap or stopcock feeding the dishwasher is fully open and that the supply is actually on (try the kitchen tap). Then check the inlet hose for kinks and clean the small filter where the hose screws on — with the tap off first. Bosch asks for a flow of at least 10 litres a minute. Beko pauses the programme and resumes by itself when water returns; Hotpoint and Miele need you to restart it.
What it does not mean
It is not a drainage problem: the tap light is about water coming in, not water that will not pump away. It also does not mean the machine is leaking — leaks and overflows have their own warnings, such as Beko’s E:01 and Bosch’s water protection system codes.
Makes differ, check your dishwasher’s manual: the same drawing can mean different things on different brands, and only your model’s manual says exactly what a light means and which programmes an option works with.
- What it looks like
- A water tap (faucet) drawn from the side, sometimes with a drop under the spout. On Beko the same warning is the code E:02 and on Miele it is a written message.
- Names makers use
- Water supply display (Bosch); Closed Water Tap indicator light (Hotpoint, Whirlpool); Water cut-off warning E:02 (Beko); Please open the stopcock (Miele display message)
Where makers differ
Bosch and Hotpoint light a tap symbol; Beko shows E:02 on the programme indicator; Miele writes “Please open the stopcock” and flashes its in-operation light.
Other symbols with the same shapes
Sources
No single published standard defines dishwasher panel icons, so this meaning is taken from the manuals of 4 different maker groups (Bosch, Hotpoint, Beko, Miele), each fetched and read on the date shown:
- Bosch: Bosch — User manual, dishwasher SMV4HVX32E (PDF) — Control panel item 6 “Water supply display”; fault table: “E:32-00 will light up alternately or indicator for water supply lights up … Water tap is turned off. ▶ Turn on the water tap. The flow rate must be at least 10 l/min.” Checked 2026-09-26.
- Hotpoint: Hotpoint — Dishwasher Daily Reference Guide, 15 place settings with 3D Zone Wash and ActiveDry (PDF, 05/2023) — Control panel item 8 “Closed Water Tap indicator light”; “WATER TAP CLOSED – Alarm – Flashes when there is no inlet water or water tap is closed.” Checked 2026-09-26.
- Beko: Beko — Dishwasher user’s manual, BDEN38640FG / BDEN38530FX (PDF) — “Water cut-off warning: If mains water is cut or water inlet tap is turned off the machine cannot take water in and E:02 icon will flash … when the water is restored E:02 icon will disappear after a while and the washing programme resumes.” Checked 2026-09-26.
- Miele: Miele — Operating instructions, dishwashers with touch display, M.-Nr. 11 831 681 (PDF) — Water inlet fault: the in-operation light flashes quickly, an alarm sounds and the display shows “Please open the stopcock”; remedies: open the stopcock fully, clean the filter in the water inlet; pressure below 50 kPa needs professional advice. Checked 2026-09-26.
Written in our own words; quotations are the makers’ wording.