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Samsung Washer 4C Error: Causes & Fixes

4C is Samsung's not-filling error: water is not entering the washer correctly. Samsung lists it in the same entry as 1 4C, nF and 4E, which are the same fault shown by different display generations, and its UK support states the code means the machine has detected a problem with the water supply.

What Samsung washer 4C means

Read the code carefully before you start, because 4C and 4C2 are different faults. Samsung lists 4C2, 4E2, CE, 14C2 and nF1 as the hot/cold error, meaning the water arriving from the cold supply is extremely hot, and says service is never required for it: it always means the two hoses are on the wrong valves.

Before you work on your washer

  • Power: Unplug the washer or switch off its circuit breaker before removing panels or touching wiring.
  • Water: Turn off the water supply valve before disconnecting hoses or the inlet valve.
  • Heat: Water and the heating element can be hot right after a cycle; let the washer cool first.
  • Sharp debris: Wear gloves when reaching into the filter or sump; broken glass often collects there.
  • Stop: If you smell burning, see smoke or sparks, or find water near wiring, switch off the breaker and call a technician.
  • Mains wiring, the power cord, or the outlet is involved: Work on the washer's mains wiring, power cord, outlet, or house circuit is not a do-it-yourself repair. Do not open the cabinet to test or replace wiring, the drain pump's electrical connections, or the lid switch circuit.
  • Disconnect power before opening the washer: Unplug the washer or switch off its circuit breaker before removing the pump filter or access panel, before pulling the machine out, and before touching any wiring.
  • Heavy appliance: get a second person: A washer is heavy and awkward, and it can tip when it is pulled out or tilted. Do not move, tilt, or lift it by yourself; have a second person help you.
  • Water left in the tub can be scalding hot: A tub left full after a hot or sanitize cycle holds very hot water. Let it cool for about an hour, then drain the water out through the emergency drain hose into a flat container before you open the pump filter.
  • Shut off the water supply before disconnecting hoses: Close both water faucets and drain the inlet hoses before you disconnect any hose or move the washer, or the hoses will still be under mains water pressure.
  • Hard and sharp objects collect in the pump filter: The drain pump filter and coin trap collect loose change, buttons, pins, and other hard items from pockets. Pull debris out carefully and wear gloves; anything broken or pointed in there can cut you.

What causes Samsung 4C

  1. Inlet mesh filters clogged with grit and scale: Each inlet hose has a mesh filter in its end, and grit from the mains collects there until the flow drops below what the washer needs. Samsung's UK article has owners pull the mesh filters out, rinse them under running water and put them back, and says to do it at least twice a year. Difficulty 2/5. Part cost no parts needed.
  2. A water tap is closed or only part open: The first thing to check costs nothing: both taps. Samsung's instruction is to open the water valves completely and leave them open while the washer runs, and its UK article asks specifically whether the tap is open to full, not merely open. Difficulty 1/5. Part cost no parts needed.
  3. Inlet hose bent, kinked, pinched or damaged: A washer pushed back against the wall traps its own hoses. Samsung's check is that the hoses are not bent, kinked or pinched shut, and that a damaged hose is replaced rather than straightened; the UK article adds that the hose must not be damaged. Difficulty 2/5. Part cost inlet hose: low (estimate).
  4. Water inlet valve solenoid failed: If the taps are open, the hoses are clear and the filters are clean, what is left is the inlet valve itself: the pair of solenoids that open to let water in. Samsung's endpoint for that is service, and it says so plainly for both the code and the symptom. Difficulty 4/5.
  5. Hot and cold hoses on the wrong inlets: Hoses on the wrong valves are worth ruling out even when the display reads plain 4C, because the same check appears under Samsung's not-filling steps: make sure both supply hoses are on the correct inlets, hot to hot and cold to cold. Difficulty 1/5. Part cost no parts needed.
  6. Mains water pressure or flow below what the washer needs: There is a specification behind the code, and it is a range, not a minimum. Samsung UK states the water pressure must be between 0.5 bar and 8 bar, and gives low pressure or a low flow rate on the mains supply as the usual reason for a water supply problem. Difficulty 3/5.
  7. Only a cold line connected, and the water has gone below 60°F: A washer plumbed to cold only will run all summer and then throw this code in the winter. Samsung documents that settings labelled Cold still call for the hot line when the water drops below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and that a washer asking for a hot line that is not connected reports a water supply error. Difficulty 2/5. Part cost inlet hose: low (estimate).
  8. Drain hose too deep, sealed in, or at the wrong height, so the tub siphons out: The drain hose is on the not-filling checklist for a reason: a hose pushed too deep or sealed into the standpipe siphons water out as fast as the washer puts it in, so the machine never reaches its fill level. Samsung specifies 6 to 8 inches of insertion and no airtight connection. Difficulty 2/5. Part cost no parts needed.
  9. A Flood Safe hose is shutting the supply off: This is the cause most 4C guides leave out. Samsung tells owners of these washers not to use Flood Safe hoses at all: the safety valve inside them senses the washer's own fast fill as a burst and shuts the water off, which the washer then reports as a supply fault. Difficulty 2/5. Part cost inlet hose: low (estimate).

Find the cause of 4C on your washer

Before anything else: is there water on the floor around the washer, is it filling and refusing to stop, or can you smell burning?

Step-by-step checks for Samsung 4C

Check whether only a cold line is connected

About 5 minutes

  1. Look behind the washer: are both inlets connected, or only the cold one?
  2. If only cold is connected, note whether the fault started in cold weather.
  3. Try a Tap Cold or Coldest setting if your model has one; those never call for the hot line.

Measure how the drain hose sits in the standpipe

About 10 minutes

  1. Check how far the drain hose goes into the standpipe: it should be between 6 and 8 inches, no more and no less.
  2. Check the hose is not sealed into the pipe; there has to be an air gap around it.
  3. Check the standpipe height: not above 96 inches, not below 18 inches, or 24 to 35 inches into a sink or wash basin.
  4. Do not remove the screw that holds the drain hose to the back of the washer.

Check both taps and the run of both hoses

About 10 minutes

  1. Open both the hot and the cold tap fully and leave them open while the washer runs.
  2. Follow each hose from the tap to the washer, looking for a bend, a kink, or a hose pinched behind the machine.
  3. Pull the washer out far enough that the hoses are not crushed against the wall, and check neither hose is split, bulging or perished.
  4. Check the hot hose is on the hot inlet and the cold hose on the cold inlet.

Check whether the hoses are Flood Safe hoses

About 5 minutes

  1. Look at the tap end of each inlet hose. A Flood Safe or auto-shutoff hose has a bulky plastic housing there, usually labelled Flood Safe, FloodChek or auto shut-off.
  2. Samsung's instruction for these washers is not to use them at all.
  3. If you find one, replace it with a standard reinforced inlet hose.

Cut the power for one minute and retry

About 5 minutes

  1. Only after the hoses, taps and filters have been dealt with, unplug the washer or switch off its circuit breaker.
  2. Leave it off for one minute.
  3. Restore power and run a cycle to see whether the code returns.

Read the exact code, including any digit after the C

About 2 minutes

  1. Look at the display and note whether it reads 4C, 4E, nF or 1 4C, or whether there is a 2 after it: 4C2, 4E2, 14C2, nF1, or CE.
  2. A code from the first group is a not-filling fault and this page's checks apply.
  3. A code from the second group is the hot/cold error and means the two supply hoses are on the wrong valves; nothing else is wrong with the washer.

Check what the tap actually delivers

About 10 minutes

  1. Turn the tap off, disconnect the hose from it, and point the hose end into a bucket.
  2. Open the tap briefly. A healthy supply fills a bucket fast and steadily.
  3. A dribble, a surge that dies away, or nothing at all means the problem is upstream of the washer: the tap itself, a stop valve, or the house supply.
  4. Do both hot and cold separately.

Pull and rinse the inlet mesh filters

About 20 minutes

  1. Turn off both water supply taps.
  2. Disconnect the inlet hose from the tap, with a towel and a bowl underneath: the hose still holds water.
  3. Gently pull out the mesh filter from the hose end, rinse it under running water until it is clean, and reinsert it.
  4. Do the same at the washer end of each hose.
  5. Reconnect the hoses, open the taps, and check for leaks before running a cycle.

Fill on hot only, then cold only

About 20 minutes

  1. Run a short cycle with a cold-only setting and listen for water entering.
  2. Run one with a hot setting and listen again.
  3. Water on one side and nothing on the other points at that side's filter or solenoid; nothing on either side points at the supply, the valve as a whole, or the control.

How to fix Samsung 4C

Open both taps fully and leave them open

About 5 minutes · Difficulty 1/5

  1. Open the hot and the cold tap all the way, not part way.
  2. Leave both open while the washer runs; a tap closed between washes is a common cause of this code coming back.
  3. Restart the cycle.

Put the hot hose on the hot inlet and the cold on the cold

About 15 minutes · Difficulty 1/5

  1. Turn off both taps.
  2. Swap the two hoses at the washer end so hot goes to the hot inlet and cold to the cold inlet.
  3. Open the taps, check for leaks, and run a cycle.
  4. If the code was 4C2, 4E2, CE, 14C2 or nF1, this is the whole repair: Samsung states service is never required for a hot/cold error.

Clean the inlet mesh filters

About 25 minutes · Difficulty 2/5

  1. Turn off both water supply taps.
  2. Disconnect the inlet hose from the tap over a bowl and a towel.
  3. Gently pull the mesh filter out of the hose end, rinse it under running water until it is clean, and reinsert it.
  4. Repeat at the washer end of each hose.
  5. Reconnect, open the taps, check for leaks and run a cycle.
  6. Put it in the diary: Samsung asks for this at least twice a year.

Connect a hot line, or use a Tap Cold setting

About 30 minutes · Difficulty 2/5

  1. If your model has a Tap Cold or Coldest setting, use it: those use only cold water whatever the temperature.
  2. Otherwise connect a hot water line to the hot inlet, which is what Samsung recommends to stop the errors.
  3. Do not cap or bypass the hot inlet: the washer will still call for it on settings labelled Cold when the water is below 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Swap a Flood Safe hose for a standard inlet hose

About 20 minutes · Difficulty 2/5

  1. Turn off both taps.
  2. Unscrew the Flood Safe hose at both ends and fit a standard reinforced washing machine inlet hose of the same length.
  3. Open the taps and check for leaks.
  4. Run a cycle: Samsung's guidance for these washers is not to use Flood Safe hoses at all.

Reset the drain hose to Samsung's dimensions

About 20 minutes · Difficulty 2/5

  1. Pull the drain hose back so it sits between 6 and 8 inches into the standpipe.
  2. Make sure it is loose in the pipe with an air gap around it, not sealed in with tape or a tight rubber boot.
  3. Check the standpipe is between 18 and 96 inches high, or 24 to 35 inches into a sink or wash basin.
  4. Leave the screw that holds the hose to the back of the washer alone; if it is already missing, the washer needs service.

Free the kink, or replace a damaged hose

About 25 minutes · Difficulty 2/5

  1. Turn off both taps first.
  2. Pull the washer out far enough to give the hoses a clear run and take the bend out.
  3. Replace any hose that is split, bulging, perished or permanently kinked; Samsung's instruction is to replace a damaged hose rather than reuse it.
  4. Leave the washer far enough forward that the hoses are not crushed again when it goes back.
  5. Open the taps and check both connections for leaks before running a cycle.

When to call a technician about Samsung 4C

  • Get the water supply itself looked at
  • Book service for the water inlet valve

Sources

  1. GE Appliance - Circuit Breaker Trips, GE Appliances (retrieved 2026-09-21)
  2. Washing Machine Has No Water - iFixit Troubleshooting, iFixit (retrieved 2026-09-22)
  3. Washing Machine Not Draining - iFixit Troubleshooting, iFixit (retrieved 2026-09-20)
  4. LG Washer - How to Clean the Drain Pump Filter, LG Electronics USA (retrieved 2026-09-20)
  5. Samsung washing machine information and error codes, Samsung Electronics America (retrieved 2026-09-22)
  6. Samsung washing machine will not drain, Samsung Electronics America (retrieved 2026-09-20)
  7. Water fill issues with Samsung washing machines, Samsung Electronics America (retrieved 2026-09-22)
  8. How to resolve a 4E or 4C error code on a Samsung washing machine, Samsung Electronics UK (retrieved 2026-09-22)
  9. GE Recalls Front-Load Washers Due to Fire and Shock Hazards, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (retrieved 2026-09-20)
  10. Cleaning the Pump Filter - Front Load Washer, Whirlpool Corporation (retrieved 2026-09-20)
  11. Moving a Front Load Washer, Whirlpool Corporation (retrieved 2026-09-20)
  12. Properly Moving the Washer - Washer, Whirlpool Corporation (retrieved 2026-09-20)

Last updated September 29, 2026 · facts last verified September 25, 2026 · How we source and verify

Guidance only; follow your appliance manual and local codes. If anything looks unsafe, stop and call a qualified technician. Safety disclaimer