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Samsung Dishwasher 5C or SC Code: Not Draining? What to Do

Fix soonUpdated Checked against Samsung US Support

Also shown or searched as: SC, 5E, SE

On a Samsung dishwasher, 5C (also SC, 5E or SE) is the drain error: the dishwasher can't pump its water out. Switch off the power, clean the filter in the tub, check the drain hose for kinks and the sink or disposal for clogs. If water still won't leave, the drain pump may need service.

What to try first

Safety: Switch off the breaker before you reach into the sump, and work slowly: Samsung warns that the drain area can hold sharp debris such as broken glass.

  1. 1

    Switch off the power and close the water valve

    Turn the dishwasher off at its circuit breaker or unplug it, then close the water supply valve under the sink. Samsung's manual starts its 5C check with the water valve, and says to cut power before servicing.

  2. 2

    Clean both filters

    Pull out the lower rack and sponge out standing water. Turn the filter handle counterclockwise, lift out the coarse filter and the round fine filter beneath it, rinse both under running water, refit them and turn the handle clockwise until it locks. Go slowly: there may be broken glass.

  3. 3

    Clear the drain-pump cover, if your model has one

    Samsung's manual for its DW80CG and DW80CB models shows a small drain-pump cover under the fine filter. With the filters out, sponge the area dry, push the cover's handle the way the arrow points and lift it off, pick out any debris around the impeller, then press the cover down until it clicks.

  4. 4

    Check the drain hose under the sink

    Make sure the hose is not kinked or squashed between the dishwasher and the sink drain. It should rise in a high loop at least 10 inches above the sink connection, fixed to the cabinet wall, or run through an air gap on the countertop.

  5. 5

    Test the sink and the disposal

    Run the disposal if you have one, then run water in the sink for about 30 seconds. If the sink backs up, the clog is in the house drain and a plumber is the right call.

  6. 6

    Ask about the disposal plug after a new install

    If the disposal or the dishwasher went in recently, have the installer confirm the knockout plug inside the disposal's dishwasher inlet was removed before the hose was connected.

  7. 7

    Reset with Cancel & Drain, then watch

    Samsung's error-code page asks you to troubleshoot before you reset or clear a code, or the cause stays and the error can return, which is why this step comes last. Open the water valve and restore power, then press and hold Start for three seconds. Samsung's manual calls this Cancel & Drain: it cancels the cycle, drains the tub and resets the dishwasher. Listen for the pump and check whether the water level drops. If it does not, request service.

Most likely causes of 5C

  1. 1. Food debris in the filter or the drain hole in the sump (most common)

    Dirty water stands over the filter at the bottom of the tub, and the filter has not been cleaned in a month or more.

  2. 2. A drain hose that is pinched, kinked or blocked (most common)

    5C started right after the dishwasher was installed or pushed back into place. Samsung names a dishwasher sitting on its own drain hose as a common cause after installation.

  3. 3. A clogged sink drain or disposal, or a disposal plug never knocked out (common)

    The sink drains slowly too, the disposal is full of food waste, or the disposal was just installed.

  4. 4. Glass, a pit or a small part jammed at the drain pump (common)

    You hear grinding or a hum with no water moving, or a glass broke in a recent load. Samsung's manual links 5C to a drain pump clogged with foreign matter or making an abnormal noise.

  5. 5. A frozen drain line (less common)

    The drain runs along an outside wall or through a cold cabinet, and 5C appeared during a freeze.

  6. 6. A failed drain pump, or the sensor that confirms draining (less common)

    Water stays put with every path clear, or the dishwasher empties normally and still shows 5C.

When to call a pro

  • Water stays in the tub after the filter, hose and sink checks, and a forced drain does not move it.
  • The dishwasher drains but 5C keeps coming back.
  • Something is stuck in the pump chamber that you can't reach. Samsung's manual says a technician should remove foreign objects such as a screw or a plastic piece.
  • The drain hose is blocked inside or damaged. Samsung's manual sends an obstructed hose to a technician, and its drain guide says to request service for a hose that cannot be straightened.
  • The sink backs up or a drain line stays frozen: call a plumber. Samsung says frozen lines are not covered under warranty.

What a 5C repair costs

$100–$400

HomeGuide's 2026 national ranges, parts and labor: a new drain pump $100 to $400 and a new drain hose $80 to $180. Cleaning the filter or freeing a pinched hose yourself costs nothing; minimum service fees run $70 to $130.

Source

What 5C means on a Samsung dishwasher

Samsung's US list groups 5C, SC, 5E and SE as one drain error: the dishwasher can't drain. On the display the digit 5 and the letter S are drawn almost the same, which is why owners search for SC and SE as well; Samsung lists all four.

Models without a digital display show the drain error as a blinking light: Delicate on some panels, Quick+ on others, according to Samsung's blinking-light guide. Samsung's user manual calls the fault a drain check and points owners to three places: the drain hose, the drain hole inside the sump, and the drain pump under its cover.

When the filter is the cause, and when there is no filter to clean

Samsung recommends cleaning the filter every month and warns that missing or wrongly fitted parts in the filter and drain area can cause drain errors on their own. If 5C showed up right after a filter cleaning, a filter that never locked is the first thing to suspect.

Older Samsung models are different. The 2013 manual for the DW80F600 series describes a self-cleaning filter that holds food waste during the cycle and drains it away with the water, so owners have nothing to take out. On those models, the drain hose and the sink are where owners can look; the rest belongs to a technician.

Why a new install so often shows 5C

Samsung's drain guide names a dishwasher pinching its own drain hose as a common cause right after installation. Two other install slips end the same way: a garbage disposal whose knockout plug never came out, and a hose with no high loop or air gap.

The loop is there for a reason. Samsung's installation manual has the hose tied up to the cabinet wall to stop backflow, so dirty sink water cannot run back into the dishwasher, and it asks for a hose clamp at the sink connection because a loose hose leaks.

When it drains with no blockage and still says 5C

Some Samsung owners see 5C on dishwashers that empty normally. One owner of a DW80R9950US had cleaned every hose in the drain path, cleared the impeller and replaced a dirty filter, and 5C still appeared in a test cycle; Samsung's community manager said the sensor likely needed replacing. Another owner's DW80R7061UG kept stopping mid-rinse with 5C even after a new pump went in.

In that situation more cleaning will not help. Book service and tell the technician that the water does leave, so the visit starts with the sensing side rather than a new pump.

What a technician will check

  • The drain pump: whether it runs, and whether its impeller is cracked or jammed by glass or a fruit pit.
  • The drain hose and its check valve along the full run under the tub, where a clog can sit out of sight.
  • The sump and the drain hole under the filters, which Samsung's 5C check includes.
  • The sensor and control signal that tell the dishwasher the tub has emptied, when it drains but still shows 5C.
  • Power to the pump from the control board, and the wiring between them.

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Questions people ask about Samsung 5C

How often should I clean the filter on a Samsung dishwasher?

Samsung's manual recommends once a month. Scrape food off plates before loading them, but Samsung says there is no need to rinse them first.

Can cold weather cause a 5C code?

Yes. Samsung lists a frozen drain line among the causes. Leave the doors under the sink open or warm the area; if the line stays frozen, call a plumber, because Samsung does not cover frozen lines under warranty.

How much does it cost to fix a 5C error?

Often nothing, when the filter or the hose is to blame. If the drain pump is at fault, HomeGuide puts a replacement at $100 to $400 and a new drain hose at $80 to $180, both including labor.

Sources