On a Samsung dishwasher, 4C (or 4E) means no water, 5C (5E, SC, SE) means it is not draining, LC (LE) means the leak sensor in the base is wet, OC (OE) means too much water, HC and tE are heater and temperature-sensor faults, 3C is the wash pump, 7E is the Waterwall reflector and bE is a stuck button. Switch the breaker off for a few minutes, check the supply valve, the drain hose and the filter, let the base dry, and run a cycle. A code that comes back is a failed part; guessing at parts costs more than a diagnosis.
This page is written by a working technician at Cactus Appliance in Irvine, which repairs Samsung dishwashers across Orange County. It covers the codes on current and recent Samsung dishwashers, including the DW80 series and the Waterwall, Bespoke and StormWash models, what each usually turns out to be on a service call, and what you can safely check first.
Try this first
- Power cycle at the breaker. Samsung dishwashers have no reset button. Switch the breaker off, wait three to five minutes, switch it on and start a cycle. A glitch clears; a real fault returns within minutes.
- Check the water supply. The valve under the sink must be fully open and the inlet hose free of kinks. If the kitchen faucet has weak flow, so does the dishwasher.
- Check the drain path. The drain hose should rise in a high loop under the counter before the disposal or the air gap. If a disposal was installed recently, make sure its dishwasher knockout plug was removed; in our experience this causes more 5C codes than any failed part.
- Clean the filter. Twist out the cylinder filter in the tub floor, rinse it, and clear the sump underneath of glass, labels and seeds.
- Dry the base. For an LC code, switch the breaker off first. If the dishwasher slides out easily, pull it forward a few inches and tilt it slightly to let water out of the drip pan, then leave the door open overnight.
- Use the right detergent. Hand dish soap or too much detergent makes foam, and foam trips the leak and water-level sensors.
How Samsung dishwashers show errors
Models with a digital display show a two-character code such as 4C or LC. Samsung switched from an E suffix to a C suffix around 2015, so 4E and 4C mean the same thing, as do 5E and 5C, LE and LC, OE and OC. Models without a display blink a pattern of cycle lights instead; the owner’s manual maps each pattern to a code. Codes stay on until the fault clears or power is cycled; there is no owner-accessible error history, so photograph the code before you reset.
Water, drain and leak codes
| Code | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 4C / 4E | Water supply error: the dishwasher is not filling, or not filling fast enough. Samsung lists water temperature under 4C too; the dedicated hot-supply code is 3E. | Open the supply valve fully, straighten the inlet hose, and check the faucet has normal pressure. If the code returns, the inlet valve or its screen is usually the fault. |
| 3E | Hot water supply error: the incoming water is hotter than 176°F (80°C). | Turn the water heater down or check a recirculating loop. If the supply is cooler than that and the code returns, the thermistor or control needs testing. |
| 5C / 5E / SC / SE | Drain error: water is still in the tub after the drain pump has run. | Clean the filter and sump, check the drain hose for kinks and a high loop, and the disposal knockout plug. If it still will not drain, the drain pump, check valve or hose is blocked or failed. |
| LC / LE | Leak detected: the moisture sensor in the base pan is wet. On Waterwall models a jammed or off-track reflector can also set LC; check it first. | Switch off at the breaker, let the base dry for several hours, and look for drips at the door, hoses and sump. A code that returns with a dry base is a cracked part or a sensor fault; with water, a real leak. |
| OC / OE / 0C / 0E | Over-level water error: the tub filled above the level the sensor expects. | Clean the filter, drain hose and disposal knockout plug first: water left from the last cycle plus a normal fill reads as over-level. Then power cycle once. If it overfills again, the inlet valve is sticking open or the level sensor is wrong; both need a technician. |
| 9E | Low water level error: the dishwasher filled but the level sensor sees too little water. | Make sure the unit is level and nothing has fallen into the sump, then run an empty normal cycle. If it repeats, the level sensor or the fill system needs service. |
| 1E / IE | Waterwall models (moving reflector in the tub floor): clogged fine filter, water is not getting through. Rotary spray-arm models, including current StormWash and Bespoke units: high-temperature heater error, the same fault as HC. | Waterwall: clean the cylinder filter and the mesh plate under it, then restart. Spray-arm: power cycle at the breaker and run an empty Normal cycle; if it returns, the heater, thermistor or board relay needs testing. |
Heater, pump, sensor and control codes
| Code | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| HC / HE | HC: high-temperature heater error, the tub got hotter than the control allows. HE: heater error, the control is not reading the heater or its temperature correctly. | Power cycle once. If it comes back, the heater, its board relay or the thermistor needs testing; not an owner repair. |
| tE | Temperature sensor (thermistor) error: the reading is out of range or missing. | Power cycle. A repeat means the thermistor or its wiring has failed; the part is inexpensive, the access is not. |
| 3C | Wash pump (circulation motor) error: the pump did not start or did not reach speed. | Switch off, clear the sump of anything that could jam the impeller, and retry. If it repeats, the pump motor or its control needs replacing. |
| 7E | Waterwall reflector error: the moving reflector in the tub floor cannot travel its full path. | Remove the lower rack and check that the reflector slides freely, is clipped on and has nothing fallen behind it. If it is free and the code stays, the reflector motor or its position sensor has failed. |
| bE / 6E / bE2 | Button error: a button on the control panel reads as stuck. | Power cycle, then press each button once. If a button is stuck or the panel is wet inside, the touch panel assembly needs replacing. |
| PC / PE | Wash-zone distributor (half-load) error: the motorized valve that switches water between the spray arms is out of position. | Power cycle once. If it returns, the distributor motor or its sensor has failed. |
| CE | Communication error between the control boards. | Power cycle at the breaker. A repeat is a harness, a wet connector or a failed board, and needs a technician. |
| AP | Not an error: the dishwasher is in Wi-Fi access point (SmartThings pairing) mode. | Finish pairing in the SmartThings app; if you were not pairing, turn the dishwasher off and back on and AP clears. |
Codes and their meaning vary by model and production year, and the same code can have more than one cause. The owner’s manual for your model number (on the label at the door edge) is the definitive list. Only an on-site test confirms which part has failed; we test before anything is ordered.
What the common codes turn out to be on a service call
LC: leak sensor wet, but no puddle on the floor
Likely causes: a few ounces of water in the base from a door gasket, a loose sump seal, a cracked drain hose fitting or foam overflow; a dishwasher that was moved or tilted; and, on some models, a sensor that trips from humidity.
Try this first: cut power, dry the base overnight, run a cycle with the correct detergent and watch the door bottom and the kick panel for drips.
How we fix it: we pull the unit, find the wet trail in the base, and replace the gasket, seal, hose or sensor that caused it. LC with a dry base is usually the sensor itself or its harness.
5C: water left in the tub
Likely causes: a clogged filter and sump, a disposal knockout plug never removed, a kinked or sagging drain hose, a check valve stuck with debris, or a drain pump with a broken impeller or a dead winding.
Try this first: clean the filter, check the hose and the disposal connection, and run a drain-only or rinse cycle.
How we fix it: we test the drain pump under power, clear the check valve and hose, and replace the pump when it is the cause. The same job on a Bosch is in our Bosch E25 drain pump repair and on an Asko in Asko dishwasher not draining; the Samsung drain system fails the same way.
4C: no fill or slow fill
Likely causes: a half-closed supply valve, a kinked braided hose, a clogged inlet valve screen, a failed valve coil, or a level sensor that tells the control the tub is already full.
Try this first: open the valve fully and listen at the start of a cycle for the inlet valve’s hum and the sound of water. Silence points to the valve or the control; a hum with no water, to the screen or the supply.
How we fix it: we measure the supply pressure, test the valve coil and the level sensor, and replace the inlet valve when testing shows it is the cause.
OC: overfilling
Likely causes: water left from the last cycle, an inlet valve that does not close because of grit on its seat, a level sensor or its air tube clogged with grease, or heavy foam from the wrong detergent.
Try this first: run an empty cycle with dishwasher detergent only. If the tub still overfills or you hear water running with the door open, shut the supply valve and call.
How we fix it: we replace the inlet valve or the level sensor after testing both; a sticking valve is the usual answer.
HC, tE and 3C: heater, thermistor and pump
Likely causes: a heater with a failed element or a burned terminal, a thermistor that drifted out of range, a board relay that welded shut, or a wash pump that seized or lost a winding. HC and tE share the heater circuit and its sensor and can appear together; 3C is a separate pump fault, grouped here because the owner check is the same.
Try this first: one power cycle. Beyond that there is nothing safe to do from the outside.
How we fix it: we test the heater and thermistor resistance, check the board’s relay output and spin the pump by hand before anything is replaced. On an older unit with a failed pump and heater, you get the repair total before you decide, and sometimes the honest answer is a new dishwasher.
Stay safe. Switch the breaker off before you touch anything behind the kick panel or under the tub. Water and a heater circuit share that space. Never bypass the door switch or the leak sensor to make a cycle run; both exist to stop a flood or a fire. If you smell burning plastic or see scorching at the control panel, leave the breaker off and call.
When a code means a part has failed
The service call is $79 and covers the trip and the diagnosis. We confirm the failed part by testing it, not by reading the code: a 5C can be a pump or a knockout plug, an LC a gasket or a sensor. You get a written price for parts and labor before work starts, and the $79 is applied to it when you approve. Common parts such as drain pumps and inlet valves are usually on the van; others come from local distributors, usually the next business day. Parts and labor are under warranty, and if the same fault returns within 90 days the return visit has no service-call fee.
Dishwasher repairs we have written up
- Why Is My Asko Dishwasher Not Draining? (October 2026), Orange County
- GE Dishwasher Not Completing Cycle: UI Control Fix (October 2026), Orange County
- Bosch Dishwasher E25 Error: The Drain Pump Fix (September 2026), Orange County
- GE Dishwasher Not Turning On: Control Panel Fix (August 2026), Orange County
Samsung dishwasher error code FAQ
How do I reset a Samsung dishwasher?
There is no reset button. Switch off at the breaker, wait three to five minutes and switch back on. If the code returns during the next cycle, the fault is real.
What does LC mean on a Samsung dishwasher?
LC means the moisture sensor in the base pan is wet. Dry the base, use only dishwasher detergent and run a cycle; if LC returns, there is a leak at the door, a hose or the sump, or the sensor has failed.
What does 5C mean on a Samsung dishwasher?
5C is a drain error: water is left in the tub after the pump has run. Clean the filter, check the drain hose and the disposal knockout plug; a code that stays is usually the drain pump or a blocked check valve.
What does 4C mean on a Samsung dishwasher?
4C is a water supply error: the dishwasher is not filling or is filling too slowly. Check the supply valve and the hose; if the code repeats, the inlet valve or its screen is the usual cause.
Can I keep using the dishwasher with an error code on it?
With 4C, 5C or 9E you can usually run another cycle after the checks above. With LC, OC or HC stop and switch off the breaker: a leak, an overfill or a heater fault can damage the floor or the dishwasher.
How much does it cost to fix a Samsung dishwasher error code?
The service call is $79, applied to the repair. A hose, a filter blockage or an inlet valve is the affordable end; a drain pump or a thermistor is the middle; a wash pump motor or a control board is the expensive end. You approve a written price before work starts.
Do you repair Samsung dishwashers in Orange County?
Yes. Cactus Appliance repairs Samsung dishwashers in Irvine, Tustin, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Santa Ana, Anaheim and the rest of Orange County, same day, seven days a week.
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