How to decode appliance error codes

Your dishwasher is blinking. Or your washer is showing a code that looks like F21 or E15. It's late and you don't want to read a manual. Fine, but you do need to know what the code means before you start unscrewing anything.

Error codes are not random

Every major brand has a documented set of codes. They're in the service manual, sometimes in the user manual, and almost always on the manufacturer's support site if you dig. The problem is they're never where you actually want them, which is in front of you, right now.

Here's the rough shape of each brand's system.

Bosch (and Siemens, Thermador)

Bosch uses E codes. E15 is a leak in the base. E22 is a clogged filter. E24 is a drain problem. The dishwasher will often blink the code on the time display, or via specific light patterns if there's no display.

If your Bosch doesn't have a screen, the codes are blinked out by the "rinse" or "active" light. Count the blinks, look up the pattern.

Whirlpool (and KitchenAid, Maytag, JennAir, Amana)

Whirlpool uses F codes followed by E codes. F2E1 is a stuck button. F8E1 is a water supply issue. These show up on the display if there is one, or as blinking light combinations on the front panel.

Newer Whirlpool washers also do a thing where they show codes after the cycle finishes instead of stopping mid-cycle. Check after the wash is done if you suspect something is off.

GE (and GE Profile, Monogram, Cafe)

GE tends to use blink codes more than alphanumeric ones, especially on older dishwashers. The start light or clean light blinks a certain number of times, pauses, and repeats. You have to count.

Newer GE appliances show codes like H20 or LC on the display. GE keeps a master list on their support site that's actually pretty usable.

LG

LG uses two-character codes. OE is a drain error (the letter O, not the number zero, which is confusing). IE is an inlet error. LE is a motor lock error. LG appliances will usually beep three times when they show a code.

Samsung

Samsung uses codes like 4E, 5E, OE, and so on. Similar pattern to LG. Some newer Samsung washers and dryers send the code to the SmartThings app on your phone, which is useful when the code disappears before you can read it.

Frigidaire / Electrolux

E codes, two digits. E11 is a fill timeout. E13 is a leak. Similar to Bosch in style.

How to actually look one up fast

Three options, ranked by how annoying each one is:

Google the brand, model, and the code. Usually works. But the top result is often a repair company that wants to send someone out, so scroll past the ads.
Open the manual (PDF or paper) and Ctrl-F the code. Assumes you can find the manual.
Ask the manual a question directly. This is the thing I built into ManualVault. Type "what does E15 mean on my dishwasher" and it pulls the answer from the actual manual you uploaded, with the page reference so you can verify.

The third one is why I built it. I was on my hands and knees at midnight reading a 60-page PDF on my phone trying to find what E22 meant. It was a clogged filter. It took me 25 minutes to find out. Should have been 25 seconds.

One more thing

If the code keeps coming back after you fix what it says is wrong, the code is sometimes a symptom, not the cause. A drain error can mean a clogged hose, but it can also mean a dying pump. Don't keep clearing codes if the same one returns three times. That's when you actually call someone.

If you want to skip the PDF scrolling part next time, ManualVault lets you upload the manual and ask it questions like you'd ask a friend. manualvault.io.