GE Profile Dishwasher F17 Fix (No-Nonsense Guide)

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What This Error Means

F17 on a GE Profile dishwasher means a water fill fault.

The control board doesn’t see enough water coming into the tub during the fill window, so it stops the cycle and throws F17.

Official Fix

The factory playbook is: fix the water supply, clear restrictions, then call service if the code comes back.

  • Hit Cancel/Drain and let the dishwasher pump out anything sitting in the bottom.
  • Shut off power at the breaker so you’re not working on a live machine.
  • Open the cabinet under the sink and find the dishwasher’s shutoff valve (small valve on the line going to the dishwasher).
  • Turn that valve fully on. Half-closed or bumped valves are a classic F17 trigger.
  • Follow the inlet hose from the valve to the dishwasher. Straighten out any kinks, sharp bends, or spots crushed by cleaning supplies.
  • Close the shutoff valve again, then disconnect the hose from the valve side if you’re comfortable with basic plumbing (have a towel or small pan ready for drips).
  • Look for a screen filter in the hose fitting or valve outlet. If it’s packed with sand, rust, or grit, clean it under running water with a soft brush or toothpick.
  • Reconnect the hose, snug but not over-tight. Turn the shutoff valve back on and check for leaks.
  • Restore power at the breaker.
  • Run a quick or rinse-only cycle and watch the first few minutes: you should hear the inlet valve hum and see water covering the bottom of the tub within a couple of minutes.

If F17 pops right back up after this, the official line is: call GE or a qualified tech to test the inlet valve, float/level sensor, and control board.

The Technician’s Trick

Here’s how a field tech chases F17 fast, before ordering parts.

  • Hard-reset the control.
    • Flip the dishwasher breaker off for 5–10 minutes, then back on.
    • Run a short or rinse cycle and listen: if it fills normally and the code disappears, you just cleared a one-time glitch from low pressure or a brief shutoff.
  • Unstick the float from inside the tub. (If your model uses a visible float.)
    • Kill power at the breaker first.
    • Open the door and pull out the bottom rack.
    • Look in one of the front corners for a small plastic dome or tower on the floor of the tub – that’s the float.
    • Lift it up and down. It should move freely and you may feel or hear a faint click.
    • If it’s sticky, clean around it with hot water and a brush, then work it up and down until it moves easily.
    • A float stuck “up” tells the board the tub is already full, so it shuts off fill and can trigger F17 even with good water pressure.
  • Do a quick bucket test on the supply.
    • Turn off the under-sink shutoff valve to the dishwasher.
    • Disconnect the dishwasher hose from the valve and aim it into a bucket or large bowl.
    • Crack the valve open briefly (1 second) into the bucket.
    • Strong blast of water = house plumbing and shutoff valve are fine.
    • Weak dribble = problem is your shutoff valve or home water pressure, not the dishwasher. Fix that first.
    • If the bucket test is strong but the dishwasher still doesn’t fill during a cycle, the tech’s money is usually on a bad inlet valve inside the machine.

If the float moves freely and the bucket test looks good but F17 keeps coming back, you’re down to parts: inlet valve, sometimes the float switch/level sensor, or in rare cases the control board.

Is It Worth Fixing? (The Financial Verdict)

  • ✅ Fix: Dishwasher under ~8–10 years old, tub is solid (no rust or leaks), and F17 tracks back to a clogged screen, stuck float, or single bad inlet valve. Parts are usually cheap, and labor is reasonable.
  • ⚠️ Debatable: Unit around 10–12 years, plus other issues (noisy wash pump, intermittent buttons, cosmetic rust). If you’re looking at valve + float/sensor + a service call that totals more than ~40–50% of a new mid-range dishwasher, think hard.
  • ❌ Replace: Over 12–15 years old, or you’ve got control board trouble on top of F17, or signs of leaks/rusted tub. Stacking a control, valve, and labor on an old machine is usually throwing good money after bad.

Parts You Might Need

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See also

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