How we check our answers

An error code page is only useful if it is right for your appliance and safe to follow. This is the process every page goes through before it is published.

1. Sources, in order of preference

1. The manufacturer’s UK support pages.
2. The manufacturer’s official manual for a UK model.
3. The manufacturer’s pages for another English-speaking country, where the code clearly means the same thing. Pages that rely on these say so in a “check your model” note.
4. Other official manufacturer documents.

Other websites, forums and repair blogs help us find which codes people search for, but they are never the source of a code’s meaning. We write every page in our own words.

2. A record before a page

Each code is stored as a structured record: the meaning, the models it applies to, aliases, causes, the safe checks in order, the stop signs, the sources and the date we checked them. Pages are generated from those records. A build check stops the site being published if any page is missing a source, cites a source we haven’t read, or uses a check that isn’t in our safety-reviewed library.

3. Verified, conflict or held

• Verified: the manufacturer’s guidance is clear.
• Conflict: the manufacturer’s own pages disagree (for example between countries or model ranges). We publish only if we can explain the difference and give a safe set of checks, and the page says so at the top. 2 pages are currently marked this way.
• Held: we couldn’t confirm the meaning from an official source. We don’t publish it, even if other sites do. 8 codes are currently held.

4. What we will and won’t tell you to do

We only describe checks manufacturers say users can do: settings, taps, visible hoses, user-access filters, levelling and loading. We never describe removing panels, working on anything live, bypassing safety devices, tilting appliances, or any gas work. Every page shows the stop signs before the checks. Our full rules are in our safety information.

5. Keeping pages current

Each page shows when it was last checked. Records older than 180 days are flagged for re-checking, and we check product recalls on safety-related pages against the GOV.UK recall register.

6. Corrections

If something looks wrong, or your manual says something different, please tell us. We treat anything safety-related as a priority. Until then, follow your manual: it always takes precedence over FaultAid.