At the bottom of the unit there's a plastic tray that is designed to be levered out with a screwdriver. The tray collects any water from leaks inside the unit. A flood sensor (a cylinder of polystyrene that pushes up against a microswitch) registers if the tray contains a significant amount of water which generates the F1 error.
I emptied the tray. Ran a program to see if any water leaked (it didn't appear to) refitted the tray and all now seems to be well. I'm hoping the spill was caused by a surge when reconnecting the supply. But it's possible I still have a leak to contend with.
Andy Henderson
November 2014