Samsung Washing Machine HE Error
Also shown as: HC · H1 · Hr · 1 HC · HE1 · HE2 · HE3
What to check first
- Read the exact form first — HE, HE1, HE2 and HE3 are different faults with different instructions; the table below is the map.
- Samsung UK's one check for HE/HC/H1: make sure the cold water hose is connected to a cold supply — cold is usually indicated by a blue tap.
- Power off for 2–3 minutes, power back on, restart the cycle once — Samsung's procedure for the group this family is filed under.
- HE2 (washer-dryers): the dryer section has shut down for safety because it detected overheating — let the machine cool completely before anything else.
- If the code returns, stop there. Samsung sends HE1 and HE3 straight to the service centre, and publishes no DIY repair for any heater form.
This page is deliberately safety-led, because HE is where Samsung's code list stops being a do-it-yourself list. Samsung's US and Latin pages group HC, HE, HE1, Hr and 1 HC under one heading — “Heater Error” — and file them under “all other errors”: power off for 2–3 minutes, restart the cycle, and if the error continues, request service. Samsung UK adds the family's only real user check (the cold-supply connection) and gives HE1, HE2 and HE3 their own, more serious entries. Everything Samsung publishes on this family is on this page; where its guidance ends, this page ends — a heating element inside a water-filled, mains-powered appliance is not a user part.
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.
- HE2 means the dryer section detected overheating and shut itself down for safety (Samsung UK). Let the appliance cool completely, and do not keep restarting it to try to clear the code.
- Resetting a heater fault over and over to get a wash finished is not a fix. Samsung's procedure allows one reset; if the error continues, its instruction is service.
- 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
HE, HC, H1 — a water temperature problem
Samsung UK files H1, HC and HE together as a “water temperature issue” and gives one cause to check: the water hose connected to a hot supply instead of a cold one — cold water is usually indicated by a blue tap. Samsung's US and Latin pages file the same letters as Heater Error and publish no user-level cause beyond the grouping.
HE1 — water heater not functioning
Samsung UK's wording, and its whole instruction: the water heater is not functioning — please contact the Samsung Service Centre. No checks are published for this form.
HE2 — dryer heater not functioning (washer-dryer combos)
Samsung UK: “Dryer heater not functioning. The dryer section has shut down for safety reasons as the appliance detected that the temperature was getting too hot.” This form belongs to washer-dryer combination machines.
HE3 — steam function not operating normally
Samsung UK's wording for the steam models: the steam function is not operating normally — please contact the Samsung Service Centre.
Step-by-step checks
- Read the exact form on the displayHE and HC/H1 get the cold-supply check below. HE1 and HE3 go straight to service. HE2 means cool down first. The table below maps each form.
- Check the cold supply (HE, HC, H1)Samsung UK's check: make sure your water hose is connected to a cold supply and not a hot supply — cold water is usually indicated by a blue tap.
- Reset once: power off for 2–3 minutesSamsung's “all other errors” procedure, which is where the HE family is filed in its US and Latin documentation: power off the washer for 2–3 minutes, power it back on, and restart the cycle.
- HE2: let the machine cool completelyThe dryer section shut down because it detected the temperature getting too hot. Do not restart until the appliance has cooled.
- If the error continues, request serviceSamsung's stated endpoint for this family. Quote the exact form — HE, HE1, HE2 or HE3 — when you book; the forms point at different heater circuits.
When to call a technician
For most HE forms, the technician section is the whole story. Samsung UK directs HE1 (“water heater not functioning”) and HE3 (“steam function not operating normally”) straight to the Samsung Service Centre, and its US and Latin documentation ends the family's generic procedure at “if the error continues, request service.”
Book with the exact display form in hand: the wash-water heater (HE1), the dryer heater on combo machines (HE2) and the steam function (HE3) are different circuits, and the form is what tells the technician which one your machine is reporting.
Model differences
| Form | What Samsung says | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| HE · HC · H1 · Hr · 1 HC | “Heater Error” (US/Latin grouping). Samsung UK files H1, HC and HE as a water temperature issue. | |
| HE1 | “Water heater not functioning” (UK). | |
| HE2 | “Dryer heater not functioning” — the dryer section shut down for safety after detecting overheating (UK; washer-dryer combos). | |
| HE3 | “Steam function not operating normally” (UK). | |
| E5 · E6 | Lookalikes, not HE forms: Samsung UK lists E5/E6 separately as “water heater not functioning”, with the same service instruction. |
One-page checklist — HE
- Exact form noted (HE / HC / H1 / HE1 / HE2 / HE3)
- Cold hose confirmed on a cold (blue) supply
- One reset done: power off 2–3 minutes, restart
- HE2: machine allowed to cool completely
- Code returned → service booked, exact form quoted
Official Samsung references
Frequently asked questions
My display shows HC (or H1), not HE. Is it the same fault?
Same family. Samsung's US and Latin pages list “HC, HE, HE1, Hr, 1 HC” together as Heater Error, and its UK page lists “H1, HC, HE” together as a water temperature issue. The procedure on this page covers all of them.
What is the difference between HE1, HE2 and HE3?
Per Samsung UK: HE1 is the water heater not functioning; HE2 is the dryer heater not functioning on washer-dryer combos, with a safety shutdown after overheating; HE3 is the steam function not operating normally. HE1 and HE3 go straight to the Samsung Service Centre.
I reset the washer and HE cleared. Is it fixed?
Samsung's procedure ends with a condition: if the error continues, request service. Treat the reset as a test, not a repair — a code that clears once and comes back is exactly the service case Samsung describes.
Can I keep washing on cold cycles with an HE code?
Samsung publishes no such workaround for the HE family, and we will not invent one. Its documented paths for this family are the cold-supply check, one reset, and service.
Related Samsung codes
“Water heater not functioning” in E-family letters — its own guide.E6
The second E-family heater display — and how it differs from 6E.tE
Temperature sensor error — the sensing side of the same system.4C2
Very hot water arriving through the cold inlet — hoses reversed.9C1 / UC
Voltage & power errors — supply outside the safe range.