What 9 Means
Fault 9 means the machine's stored capacity setting does not match what the hardware is telling it. F&P documents this across both its top-load platforms - as a size error on AquaSmart and as a size switch error on SmartDrive - and on the later phases the fix is to re-select the correct size through option adjustment mode rather than to replace anything.
Common Causes of 9
- A control module transferred from a machine of a different capacity
- A size switch or its plungers not aligned in the console housing
- Condensation damage around the size switch on earlier phases
🔧 One Safe Check You Can Try
Nothing to change from the normal controls, but one piece of history matters enormously: if a module has been moved between two machines of different capacities, that alone explains this problem and the fix is a setting rather than a part.
⚠ Why You Shouldn't Go Further Than That
- Isolate the machine at the outlet before the console is opened, because the size switch sits in the same housing as mains-fed parts.
- Entering the setting mode uses a specific button sequence, and pressing at random from the front panel can change options you did not intend to touch.
- Setting the wrong capacity gives a machine that fills to the wrong level for every load from then on, which is worse than the problem it replaced.
- The console housing is sealed against splashes, and one refitted without the seal seated lets water reach the switch that caused the problem.
Opening a panel to inspect or repair something yourself doesn't automatically cancel your manufacturer's warranty — but it can risk accidental damage, and some manufacturers do have specific service conditions. Check your product's warranty terms, or ask us, before deciding.