Samsung Washing Machine E5 Error
Listed by Samsung UK together with E6 — the same fault and the same instruction. E6 has its own page; HE1, which carries the identical UK wording on other models, is on the HE page.
What to check first
- Read the display carefully first: Samsung UK warns that the 5 and S symbols look alike, as do 3 and E — confirm the code really is E5 (it is not the 5C/5E drain family).
- There are no user checks to run. Samsung UK publishes no procedure for E5 beyond contacting the Samsung Service Centre.
- Do not open the cabinet to inspect or test the heater. Samsung publishes no user procedure for it — the same boundary its HE heater family page states.
E5 is one of the shortest entries in Samsung's documentation. Samsung UK's code list gives it three words of meaning — “Water heater not functioning” — and one instruction: please contact the Samsung Service Centre. There is no check, no reset and no workaround published for this form, so this page does not invent any: it tells you what the code is, how it relates to the HE heater family that carries the same wording, and how to be sure the display really says E5 before you book.
Safety first
- Never open the cabinet to inspect or test the heating element. It is an internal, mains-powered component in a water-filled appliance, and no Samsung document we checked publishes a user procedure for it.
- Do not borrow a reset from another code family. The reset waits published on this site belong to the families Samsung files them under; E5 is not filed under any of them.
- Stop condition: stop using the machine and unplug it — and do not run it again until it has been checked — if you smell burning, see smoke, find damaged electrics (a scorched plug, a melted or cut cable), or water is leaking in quantity.
Common causes
What Samsung documents — and what it does not
Samsung UK lists E5 and E6 together: “Water heater not functioning — please contact the Samsung Service Centre.” That is the complete published content for this form: no cause at component level, no user-level check, no reset. A heater fault can sit in the element, its wiring or its control, but Samsung does not say which, and neither will we.
The same wording on the HE family
Samsung UK gives HE1 the identical entry — “Water heater not functioning” — on models that display the HE family instead. E5/E6 and HE1 are different display forms of the same documented fault on different model lines; the HE page carries that family, including the one check Samsung UK publishes for HE/HC/H1. That check is published for the HE forms, not for E5, so it is not repeated here as an E5 instruction.
Step-by-step checks
- Confirm the exact codeSamsung UK's own warning heads its code list: do not confuse number and letter codes — the 5 and the S symbol can appear similar, as can the 3 and E. E5 (heater) is easily misread against the 5C/5E drain family, which is a different fault with a full user procedure. Read the display twice before doing anything.
- Stop there — no published checksUnlike most codes on this site, E5 has no step 2. Samsung UK publishes nothing for the owner to check, adjust or reset for this form.
- Contact the Samsung Service CentreSamsung's stated endpoint for E5. Quote the exact form — E5 — when you book; if your machine shows E6 instead, quote that (the E6 page covers it).
When to call a technician
For E5, the technician section is the whole story — the same pattern as HE1 and HE3 in the HE family. Samsung UK directs the form straight to the Samsung Service Centre, and no Samsung document we checked publishes a user procedure for the wash-water heater behind it.
Book with the exact display form in hand: E5 and E6 are the forms this model line shows; HE1 is the same documented wording on the HE-family models. The form tells the technician which model line — and which heater circuit documentation — applies.
Model differences
| Form | What Samsung says |
|---|---|
| E5 · E6 | “Water heater not functioning” (UK list, one joint entry) — contact the Samsung Service Centre. |
| HE1 | The identical UK wording, on models that display the HE family instead — covered on the HE page. |
| 6E | Samsung UK also lists 6E separately with the same wording, “Water heater not functioning”, and the same service instruction — a distinct entry on the same page, not a form of E5. |
One-page checklist — E5
- Exact form confirmed as E5 (not 5E, not SUd — Samsung UK's 5/S warning)
- No cabinet opened, no heater tested — no user procedure exists
- No reset borrowed from another code family
- Samsung Service Centre contacted, exact form quoted
Official Samsung references
Frequently asked questions
Is E5 the same fault as HE1?
By Samsung UK's wording, yes — both are listed as “water heater not functioning” with the same instruction to contact the Samsung Service Centre. They are display forms used by different model lines: E5/E6 on one, HE1 on the HE-family models. The procedure is the same because Samsung publishes the same one-line instruction for both.
Can I reset the washer to clear E5?
Samsung publishes no reset for E5. The power-off waits on this site (1 minute, 30 seconds, 2–3 minutes) belong to other code families in Samsung's documentation; E5 is not filed under any of them, and we will not borrow one across.
My display might say 5E, not E5. Does it matter?
Completely. 5E is the older display form of 5C, the no-drain family, which has a full user procedure (emergency drain, pump filter, hose). E5 is the heater form, which is service-only. Samsung UK warns that 5 and S look alike on its displays — read the code slowly, character by character.