What to check yourself
Step 1. Empty the machine through the small drain tube
Behind the hatch at the bottom front there are two things: a large filter cap and a thin tube tucked beside it. The tube is there precisely for this, and using it first keeps the job dry. Put a shallow tray under it, pull the cap off the end and let it run. It will fill the tray several times over on a full drum, so cap it between trips.
Water from a cycle that stopped mid-wash can still be hot enough to scald. Give it an hour before you start.
Step 2. Clean the debris filter and look at what comes out
Unscrew the large cap and pull the filter out. What is caught in it tells you whether you are finished: coins, hair grips, buttons or a wad of lint mean the blockage was here. A filter that is genuinely clean means the problem is further along, and refitting it and hoping will not help.
Step 3. Check the machine is standing level
Samsung names this specifically for this code and it gets ignored, because it sounds like it cannot possibly matter. It does: a machine tilted back or sitting on a slope holds water in the sump that the pump cannot reach, and the drain check fails on time even though nothing is blocked. Put a spirit level on the top panel and adjust the feet.
Step 4. Follow the drain hose along its whole run
Pull the machine out and look at all of it. A kink behind the machine where it was pushed back against the wall is the second most common cause and costs nothing. Check the hose is not pushed too far down into the standpipe either: past a certain depth it siphons and blocks itself.
Step 5. Test the standpipe
Take the hose out and pour a jug of water down the pipe. If it backs up, the blockage is in the house plumbing rather than in the washer, and no work on the machine will fix it.
What a technician will look at
Described so you know what you are paying for, not as steps to repeat.
Replace the drain pump
If the filter is clear, the hose is open and the standpipe drains, the pump has failed. Worth listening first: a pump that hums without moving water has failed outright, while total silence points at the pump, its wiring or the board.
When to call a technician
Once the filter, the hose and the standpipe are all ruled out. Call sooner if the machine trips the breaker when the pump should run, or if there is a burning smell from underneath.
What the repair costs
| Repair | Part only | Fitted by a technician |
|---|---|---|
| Clearing the filter, hose or standpipe | - | Free |
| Drain pump replacement | $20 to $100 | $150 to $400 |
| Diagnostic call-out if nothing is found | - | $70 to $130 |
A new machine of the same class runs $500 to $1,500. Once a quote passes about a third of that on an older appliance, the repair stops making sense.
Codes people confuse this with
Questions people ask
- Is 5C the same as 5E?
- Yes. Samsung switched the letter partway through: machines built before the change show 5E or SE, later ones show 5C or SC. The fault, the checks and the repair are identical.
- The filter was clean and the hose is fine. What is left?
- The standpipe, then the pump. Pour a jug of water down the standpipe before you call anyone: house plumbing that has silted up looks exactly like a broken washer, and the repair bill goes to the wrong trade.
Which machines this applies to
Applies to
Samsung front load and top load washers. Older machines show 5E or SE, newer ones 5C or SC, and some models show nd for the same condition.
Last checked
2026-08-09