- Appliances
- Washing machines
E20
Electrolux E20 on a washing machine: water is not draining
Risk level
Low
Usually safe to check without specialist tools.
Urgency
Medium
Quick answer
On Electrolux washing machines, E20 (also E21 to E24, C2 or 2 beeps) means the machine cannot drain the water within the expected time. Check the drain hose, clean the pump filter and test draining into a bucket before booking a repair.
Safety first
Stop and check this first
- Opening the pump filter releases the water still inside the washer: have a container and a towel ready and do it with the machine unplugged.
Safe checks you can perform
- Empty the water and clean the drain filter
- Drain hose free of kinks and fitted correctly
- Drain into a bowl or sink
- Foam and a 1 to 2 hour rest
Leave these tasks to a qualified professional
- Do not attempt this professional task: Drain pump diagnosis
- Do not attempt this professional task: Drain and spin test
What a technician must be able to justify
Technician visit
These are the steps they must carry out and show you. Tick them as they work: if steps are skipped, do not accept a part swap.
These are not instructions for opening or handling the equipment yourself. They are the checks that should support a technical conclusion.
Drain pump diagnosis
What they doWith the filter, hose and household drain already ruled out, the technician checks the drain pump and its connection, which Electrolux lists among the reasons for E20.
They must show youthe condition of the pump and the test they ran.
In writingthe cause found, any part replaced with its reference and the price.
Drain and spin test
What they doOnce the repair is done, the technician runs a drain and spin and confirms the drum ends up empty with no E20.
They must show youan empty drum at the end of the programme.
In writingthe drain and spin test they ran and how it finished.
Before accepting a part or repair
Nothing has been shown yet. Do not accept a part swap based on the code alone.
Follow these steps
Note: Follow the documented order. An error code identifies the affected system, but it does not prove by itself which part has failed.
Empty the water and clean the drain filter
- Who:
- you, with the washer unplugged, a towel and a shallow container.
- How:
- open the filter flap, let the water run into the container and take the filter out. Remove fluff and objects, and if the pump blade is visible, turn it with a pencil to see that it moves. Refit the filter and run a hot wash without detergent to clear the drain system. A little water in the filter area is normal.
- Result that matters:
- removing the most frequent cause of E20.
- If the filter was full of debris:
- with it clean, try a spin programme.
- If it was clean:
- check the hose and the household drain.
- Evidence to keep:
- photo of the debris taken out of the filter.
Evidence: La lavadora muestra el mensaje de error E20 o C2, o emite 2 pitidos o 2 parpadeos · Washing Machine Not Draining Water - Error Code E20 or E21
Drain hose free of kinks and fitted correctly
- Who:
- you.
- How:
- ease the washer forward and follow the drain hose to the drain looking for bends or crushed sections. Confirm it goes no more than 10 cm into the pipe and the drain is 60 cm to 100 cm above the base. If the hose has been extended, check the joint, which blocks more easily because the flow is narrower there.
- Result that matters:
- a clear path for the water to reach the drain.
- If it was kinked, pushed in too far, at the wrong height or the joint was clogged:
- fix it and test again.
- If the hose depth, height and joint are all fine:
- try the bowl test.
- Evidence to keep:
- photo of the hose and any joint.
Evidence: La lavadora muestra el mensaje de error E20 o C2, o emite 2 pitidos o 2 parpadeos · Washing Machine Not Draining Water - Error Code E20 or E21
Drain into a bowl or sink
- Who:
- you.
- How:
- put the end of the drain hose into a large bowl or the sink and run a wash. Also check that the sink the washer connects to empties normally.
- Result that matters:
- knowing whether the blockage is in the washer or in the home's drain.
- If it drains properly into the bowl:
- the siphon or outlet is clogged and needs clearing.
- If it will not drain into the bowl either:
- move on to the foam and rest step.
- Evidence to keep:
- note of the test result.
Evidence: La lavadora muestra el mensaje de error E20 o C2, o emite 2 pitidos o 2 parpadeos · Washing Machine Not Draining Water - Error Code E20 or E21
Foam and a 1 to 2 hour rest
- Who:
- you.
- How:
- if there is a lot of foam, remove it from the drum by hand, clean the filter again and run a hot wash without detergent. If there is no foam, switch the power off for about 1 to 2 hours: Electrolux explains that a bimetal fuse switches off a blocked pump and it should work again once cooled.
- Result that matters:
- giving the pump a chance to recover after a blockage.
- If after the rest it drains normally:
- use less detergent from now on.
- If it still will not drain:
- book an Electrolux authorised repair and quote the code.
- Evidence to keep:
- time you switched it off and the result when you tried again.
Evidence: La lavadora muestra el mensaje de error E20 o C2, o emite 2 pitidos o 2 parpadeos · Washing Machine Not Draining Water - Error Code E20 or E21
Still not solved
If the error persists, stop here. See what the technician must do and show you.
Where this code applies
A code is meaningful only inside the right product and version context.
Primary scope
- System
- Appliances
- Brand
- Electrolux
- Product type
- Washing machines
Known code variants
- 20
- AEG E20 error
- AEG Fehler E20
- AEG lavadora C2
- AEG lavadora E20
- AEG lavadora E21
- AEG lavatrice C2
- AEG lavatrice E20
- AEG lavatrice E21
- AEG lave-linge C2
- AEG lave-linge E20
- AEG lave-linge E21
- AEG Waschmaschine C2
- AEG Waschmaschine E20
- AEG Waschmaschine E21
- AEG washer C2
- AEG washer E20
- AEG washer E21
- aerotermia Viessmann E20
- Baxi 20
- Baxi E 20
- Bosch dishwasher E20
- Bosch E20
- Bosch E20 error
- C2
- code erreur AEG E20
- E20
- E20 AEG lavadora
- E20 AEG lavatrice
- E20 AEG lave-linge
- E20 AEG Waschmaschine
- E20 AEG washer
- E20 Bosch dishwasher
- E20 lavavajillas Bosch
- E21
- E22
- E23
- E24
- E:20
- Electrolux dryer E20
- Electrolux dryer E20 drain
- Electrolux E20 error tumble dryer
- Electrolux E20 lavadora
- Electrolux E20 secadora
- Electrolux washer 2 beeps
- Electrolux washer error E20
- Electrolux washer not draining
- Electrolux washing machine E20
- Error 20 Baxi
- error AEG E20
- error E20 Bosch
- error E20 lavadora Electrolux
- error E20 lavadora Zanussi
- error E20 secadora Electrolux
- error E20 secadora Zanussi
- errore AEG E20
- lavadora Electrolux 2 pitidos
- lavadora Electrolux no desagua
- lavadora Zanussi E20 no desagua
- lavavajillas Bosch E20
- Neodens Plus 20
- secadora Electrolux E20 desagüe
- secadora Zanussi 2 pitidos
- Viessmann E20
- Viessmann Vitocal 100-AW E20
- Vitocal 100-AW AM2V E20
- Vitocal E20
- Vitocal exhaust temperature overprotection
- Vitocal temperatura descarga E20
- Zanussi dryer 2 beeps
- Zanussi dryer C2
- Zanussi dryer E20
- Zanussi E20 error washer
- Zanussi E20 lavadora
- Zanussi secadora C2
- Zanussi secadora E20
- Zanussi tumble dryer error E20
- Zanussi washer E20 not draining
- Zanussi washing machine E20
What it means
Electrolux UK covers E20, E21, E22, E23, E24 and C2 together and says the washer cannot drain water within the expected time. Signs include water left in the drum, a spin that does not start or finish and clothes wetter than usual. The causes it lists are a blocked drain filter, a restricted drain hose or a drainage fault, and the Spanish page adds a faulty drain pump. It applies to front loaders, top loaders and washer dryers. The code on its own is no proof the pump is broken; a blocked filter or hose is the usual finding first.
Warnings and stop conditions
- Loweditorial warning
Opening the pump filter releases the water still inside the washer: have a container and a towel ready and do it with the machine unplugged.
Evidence: La lavadora muestra el mensaje de error E20 o C2, o emite 2 pitidos o 2 parpadeos · Washing Machine Not Draining Water - Error Code E20 or E21
Symptoms and causes
Probable causes · in order
- Blocked pump filterCommon
Electrolux names it one of the most common causes of E20: fluff, coins or small items stop the water leaving at the expected rate.
Evidence: La lavadora muestra el mensaje de error E20 o C2, o emite 2 pitidos o 2 parpadeos · Washing Machine Not Draining Water - Error Code E20 or E21
- Restricted drain hose or household drainCommon
A kink, a squashed section or a clogged sink trap or waste pipe holds the water back even when the pump is working.
Evidence: La lavadora muestra el mensaje de error E20 o C2, o emite 2 pitidos o 2 parpadeos · Washing Machine Not Draining Water - Error Code E20 or E21
- Drain outside the stated measurementsPossible
Electrolux sets a maximum of 10 cm of hose inside the pipe and a drain height between 60 cm and 100 cm above the base of the washer.
Evidence: La lavadora muestra el mensaje de error E20 o C2, o emite 2 pitidos o 2 parpadeos · Washing Machine Not Draining Water - Error Code E20 or E21
- Faulty drain pumpPossible
The Spanish page lists it among the reasons, but only a technician can confirm it after the filter, hose and household drain are ruled out.
Evidence: La lavadora muestra el mensaje de error E20 o C2, o emite 2 pitidos o 2 parpadeos
Virtual technician
Does E20 still appear after these checks?
Answer a few questions to narrow down the likely cause and the safest next action. Guidance only - it never replaces a professional.
Sources and technical references
- 1
La lavadora muestra el mensaje de error E20 o C2, o emite 2 pitidos o 2 parpadeos
Electrolux · official_doc
- 2
Washing Machine Not Draining Water - Error Code E20 or E21
Electrolux · official_doc
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