If you noticed the OE Error code on the screen of your Samsung appliance, it is a signal that the drum of the machine is full of water. On different models, the same error can be indicated by OF, E3, or OC codes. For the washers, without any display, the danger of overflow is indicated by flashing the lights on all wash modes and the temperature indicators 30°C and 40°C simultaneously.
The error usually occurs in 5 or 10 minutes after the beginning of the cycle, but sometimes it may appear at the same exact moment when the program was started.
What can cause the OE Error?
The OE Error reports an overflow, which means the pressostat (water level sensor) signals that the washing tank is full of water, so it stops washing and starts draining.
The most common cause of the malfunction may be the use of the wrong detergent or exceeding its recommended amount. This user error generates a large amount of foam in the drum, which causes increased pressure in the drain hose. The electronic control detects the situation as an excess of water and signals it to the user.
Sometimes the cause of the OE error is the incorrect connection of the machine to the sewerage system. The water and drain hosepipes could have been confused while installation, confuse the water and drain hosepipes, and as a result, the machine does not fill the tank from the plumbing, but from the sewer system. A sensor detects a large amount of water and signals this. To eliminate the problem, the user must reconnect the unit to the water supply and drain.
So, the most common explanations for the OE error code are:
- The wrong connection of the drain hose to the sewer pipe;
- The blocking of the water filling valve;
- The use of poor quality powder or exceeding the amount of detergent;
- The failure of the control module.
How to fix the OE Error?
To fix the situation and get your the device to work properly proceed with the following steps:
- If there’s a lot of powder in the drum, then there is plenty of foam. It hits the pressostat tube and generates high pressure. In this case, it is necessary to drain water, to take out the laundry, and to start the rinsing program to clean the drum.
- If the washing machine is not properly connected to the drain hose, It is pretty easy to fix. Check the connections and make sure the right pipes are connected to the proper parts. The drain must be made only through the sewer hosepipe.
- If there is a temporary malfunction in the control module, try to reset the machine – switch it off and unplug it for 10-15 minutes. Connect it back and try to run a test cycle.
If none of the above steps helped you in resetting the OE error, you will need a professional diagnostic of your appliance. There can be some serious malfunctions, which could lead to the error code occurrence on the screen:
- Failure of the water level sensor — demands replacement of this element. Before checking the sensor itself, inspect the air tube attachment. If the connection is loose, there may be air leakage and the switch doesn’t generate enough pressure. To check the pressostat, attach a small tube of a suitable diameter to it and carefully blow it through. If you don’t hear the “click” sound, the sensor is broken. As the last step in checking the pressure switch use multimeter.
- The tube and air chamber of the pressostat are clogged — it is necessary to clean these elements. The sensor must be cleaned. To do it, take the pressostat out of the machine, disconnect an air tube from the connection and check it for clogs. If you see some — rinse it.
- The control unit is faulty — demands replacement of the fuse or the whole controller. It will most likely require a professional diagnostic, as it is a complicated mechanism with many different components, which can be burnt out or damaged and have to be fixed or replaced. In the worst case, the whole module has to be changed to a new one.
- The filling valve is broken. In case there are visible signs of damage, the valve has to be replaced. In another case, there might be some clogs, which only need to be cleaned.
Weak or missing wire contact of the water level sensor — it is necessary to connect the damaged wires or to establish a new loop with wires. Check the connections. Some of them may need to be soldered or insulated, others — to be replaced. The cause of this fault is machine vibration. In order to avoid this and other breakdowns caused by vibration, it is necessary to install the machine correctly.