LC
Samsung Dishwasher LC Error
LC means the leak sensor in the base of the dishwasher has detected moisture. The machine assumes water is escaping somewhere it shouldn't, and it refuses to run until the base is dry and the alert clears.
Also displayed as: LE on some models · Moderate — patience · 30 min + drying time
The short version: LC is a warning, not a death sentence — but treat it as a real one until proven otherwise. Sometimes the 'leak' is a spoonful of condensation or oversuds. Sometimes it's a hose quietly dripping into your floor. The checks below separate the two.
STEP 1 Likely causes, in order
Work down this list — it runs from the most common and cheapest to fix, to the least common and most involved.
- A genuine small leak from a hose or connectionThe inlet hose connection, a clamp, or the circulation pump seal can weep slowly. Water collects in the sealed base pan — exactly what the sensor is watching.
- Too much detergent, or the wrong detergentDish soap (even a pre-rinse with it) or an overdose of detergent makes suds that foam over internal vents and trickle into the base. The sensor can't tell suds-water from leak-water.
- A dish or utensil blocking the door sealA long utensil or a pan handle holding the door a few millimetres open lets wash water spray past the gasket for an entire cycle.
- Condensation after a hot cycle in a cold kitchenOccasionally the sensor trips on moisture alone, with no leak at all. This is the best-case LC — and the only one you should accept without finding water somewhere.
STEP 2 The safe checks
Power off and water off wherever a step says so. Nothing here opens the machine's cabinet, touches a gas line, or defeats a safety device.
- Cut power at the breaker and close the water supplyA dishwasher is hard-wired or plugged in behind the unit; the breaker is the reliable off. The supply valve is usually under the sink.
- Look and feel for waterCheck the floor in front of and beside the unit, and inside the cabinet under the adjacent sink. Shine a flashlight under the kick plate. Any standing water means treat this as a real leak until the checks say otherwise.
- Dry the base and let the sensor resetIf you found no leak source, mop any moisture you can reach and leave the machine off for several hours — the base pan needs to dry fully before LC will clear. A fan pointed at the kick plate speeds it up.
- Review the detergentConfirm you're using dishwasher detergent only, in the measured dose — and never more because the load is dirty. If anyone pre-washes with dish soap, rinse it off fully before loading.
- Check the door closes cleanLook for anything bridging the gasket line, and run your finger along the seal for tears or flattened spots.
- Run an empty express cycle and watchPower back on, supply open, run it empty while you stay nearby. Check underneath every few minutes with the flashlight.
Stop here and call a professional if…
- LC comes back within a cycle or two of drying the base. Water is getting in there from somewhere, and finding it means pulling the dishwasher out and opening panels.
- You can see an active drip from a hose, valve, or the pump area at any point — close the supply valve and leave it closed.
- The floor under or around the unit is soft, swollen, or stained. The leak has been going longer than the code has. That's a repair plus a floor check, not a reset.