Samsung Dishwasher 5C Error Code: Meaning, Causes & Fix

Drain error — the dishwasher did not drain in the allowed time.

5C (older/letter displays: SC, some OE) is Samsung's dishwasher drain fault. The control ran the drain pump and the level sensor said the water was still there. The dishwasher drain chain is short — filter, pump, hose, air gap/sink — and the blockage is in it in the great majority of cases, with filter condition the single biggest factor. Samsung UK's 5C row states the mechanism more precisely than the short definition most owners find: 'The control expects the water level to drop but detects no change.' That sentence explains the code's timing — 5C is not set when the pump starts or stops, but when a drain the control has commanded produces no fall in level within the time allowed, which is why the code can appear on a machine whose pump audibly runs. Samsung prints the drain family with several spellings for the same fault: its US page lists '5C, SC, 5E, SE — Drain error: the dishwasher can't drain', its Canadian page adds SR to the group, and its Australian page files the whole thing as a 'Drain check'. Samsung UK also publishes the branch code that subdivides this one: 5C2, where 'the dishwasher attempts to drain, but the pump either fails to start, runs only briefly or stalls'. A plain 5C with a pump that runs and a level that will not fall belongs to the drain path; the 5C2 presentation — a pump that will not start properly or stalls — belongs to the pump and the sump. Keeping the two apart is what decides whether you are cleaning a hose or booking a pump diagnosis, and Samsung's own lists are what draw the line.

What causes the 5C code on a Samsung dishwasher?

Matted sump filter

The leading cause; a greasy filter slows drain to a timeout.

Air gap blockage

Where an air gap is fitted on the sink, its inner passage plugs with food.

Drain hose kink or sink-connection plug

Especially after a new garbage disposal install (the knock-out plug left in is a classic).

Pump jam or failure

Glass/bone in the impeller; worn pumps fail open-circuit.

The drainage system outside the machine

Samsung UK's 5C solution starts outside the dishwasher: 'Make sure the drainage system outside the machine is working well and is not clogged or blocked.' The sink trap, the disposal inlet and the house drain are part of this dishwasher's drain path in every practical sense — water pumped perfectly out of the tub still has nowhere to go if the sink side is blocked, and the control reads the unchanged level as its own fault. A 5C that arrives alongside a slow-draining kitchen sink is this cause announcing itself.

The pump-stall branch Samsung codes as 5C2

Samsung UK separates the pump's own failure modes into their own row: on 5C2 the pump fails to start, runs only briefly, or stalls — and its published check is to force a drain by cancelling the cycle and listen, then, with the power disconnected, remove the lower rack and filter and inspect the sump for debris such as objects, food sludge, labels or bones that could jam the impeller. Debris in the sump is therefore not generic advice on this code family; it is Samsung's documented suspect for the stall presentation.

Checks to run before you replace anything

1. Wash the filter assembly in hot soapy water and retest with Cancel/Drain.
2. Pop the air gap cap and clear it if fitted.
3. If a disposal was recently installed, confirm its dishwasher inlet plug was knocked out.
4. Listen to the pump during drain: hum/buzz without flow = jam or downstream block.
5. Work Samsung UK's 5C order before disassembling anything: first the drainage system outside the machine (sink side clear and draining), then the mesh filter at the bottom of the machine clean, then the drain pipes checked for kinks. Samsung's Gulf-region page gives the same check as a numbered sequence — close the water supply valve, check the drain hose for clogs or kinks, and inspect the drain hole inside the pump for blockages — and closing the supply valve first is the right posture for any work around a machine that holds water.
6. Run Samsung UK's 5C2 listening test to place your fault: force a drain by cancelling the cycle and listen to the pump. A pump that starts and runs steadily while the level stays up points back at the path (filter, hose, sink side). A pump that fails to start, runs briefly or stalls is the 5C2 presentation, and Samsung's next step for it is the sump inspection — power disconnected, lower rack and filter out, looking for the debris it names (objects, food sludge, labels, bones) around the impeller.
7. Finish the drain-path check the way Samsung's not-draining guidance finishes it: inspect the dishwasher's drain connection at the sink, check the drain hose, and clean the drain, filter and sump in the tub. Samsung adds two filter rules that decide whether the fix holds: the entire filter assembly should be cleaned regularly, it must be reassembled fully in its seat, and the dishwasher should never be run without the filters in place — a filter reseated wrong can keep a drain code alive after a thorough clean.

How to fix the 5C error code

1. Clean filter and air gap; clear hose/sink path.
2. Clear pump debris (unplug first).
3. Replace the pump if it tests open or is mechanically stripped.
4. Clear whichever branch your checks isolated, in Samsung's order: free the outside drainage (sink/disposal side) if the sink was the blockage; straighten or clear the drain hose if it was kinked or clogged; clean the mesh filter and the sump if they were the restriction. Then prove the fix the way the code is set — run a cycle and confirm the level now drops when the control commands a drain, because 5C is a level observation, not a pump observation.
5. If the pump-stall branch is yours, clear the sump debris Samsung UK names with the power disconnected, reassemble the filter assembly completely (press it into its seat as the manual directs), and retest with a cancel/drain. A pump that still fails to start, runs briefly or stalls with a clean sump and a clear path has left the owner checks behind — Samsung routes a persisting drain error to its service centre, and a stalling pump is a diagnosis, not a cleaning task.

The part that usually fails: Drain pump

Continuity test across terminals; open winding = replace. Impellers also strip — a pump that 'runs' but moves nothing is equally failed.

Samsung dishwasher 5c error code reset

Cancel/Drain after clearing — 5C clears when the tub empties normally.

Samsung dishwashers clear most codes when you cancel the cycle (hold Start/Cancel for about 3 seconds so the machine drains), then cut power at the breaker for 5 minutes. Restore power and run a short cycle. Leak-related codes (LC) will return immediately if water is still sitting in the base pan — the reset cannot clear water that is physically still there.

Why does the 5C code keep coming back?

If 5C returns within a few cycles of cleaning, the blockage is downstream (house line) or the pump is dying under load. Samsung's own two-row structure defines the honest endings for a returning 5C. If the code returns with the pump running steadily, the restriction is still in the path — and the section most often missed on the second pass is the one Samsung UK puts first: the drainage system outside the machine, on the sink side. If the presentation changes to a pump that fails to start, runs briefly or stalls, your fault has declared itself as the 5C2 branch, and further hose-cleaning is work in the wrong place: with the sump inspected and clear, Samsung's route for a persisting drain error is its service centre. Record which of the two presentations you have — steady pump, standing level, or stalling pump — because that single distinction is the diagnosis the visit starts from.

How to stop 5C coming back

• Matted sump filter: The leading cause; a greasy filter slows drain to a timeout.
• Air gap blockage: Where an air gap is fitted on the sink, its inner passage plugs with food.
• Drain hose kink or sink-connection plug: Especially after a new garbage disposal install (the knock-out plug left in is a classic).

Retrieving stored fault codes on Samsung dishwashers

Samsung dishwashers have a service/test mode on many models (entered with a button combination such as holding Normal + Power or a Delicate/Heavy pairing, model-dependent) that runs each component — fill, wash motor, drain, heater, dispenser — and displays stored codes. The combination for your model is in the service manual; the user manual does not document it.

Other Samsung dishwasher error codes

See the full list on the Samsung Dishwasher error codes hub.

Codes 5C gets confused with

OE — Over-level water error (overflow) — Samsung groups the spellings OC, 0C and oE as one code: there is more water in the dishwasher than there should be. It is not the drain code; Samsung's drain error is 5C (also SC, 5E, SE). An earlier version of this entry defined OE as the drain fault, and Samsung's published lists contradict that — corrected here. Start with the spelling, because it is where this code is most often misread.

SC — Drain check error — the dishwasher is not draining properly (display variant of the 5C drain fault family). SC on Samsung dishwashers is the drain fault in letter form: the pump ran but the water level did not fall as expected.

7C — Water-level / wash-system error on WaterWall models — the WaterWall reflector (vane) movement is not being confirmed. 7C is specific to Samsung's WaterWall dishwashers, where a moving reflector vane sweeps the water wall across the tub instead of a rotating lower arm.

4C — Water supply error — the dishwasher is not filling (or filling too slowly). 4C on a Samsung dishwasher is the same supply fault the washer line uses: the control opened the inlet valve, watched the level/flow, and did not see the machine fill in time.

Working from a symptom instead? Read our troubleshooting guide for this problem.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

Facts on this page were checked against manufacturer documentation: www.samsung.com · www.samsung.com · www.samsung.com · www.samsung.com · www.samsung.com · www.samsung.com · mans.io · www.notice-facile.com · www.notice-facile.com · manuals.plus · downloadcenter.samsung.com