Samsung washing machine error H1: why did it appear and how to fix it?

Korean-made Samsung washing machines enjoy well-deserved popularity among consumers. These household appliances are reliable and economical in operation, and the longest cycle of washing clothes for machines of this brand does not exceed 1.5 hours.

Samsung production began its activity back in 1974, and today its models are among the most advanced in the market for similar products. Modern modifications of this brand are equipped with an electronic control unit, which is displayed on the outer panel of the front of the washing machine. Thanks to the electronic unit, the user can not only set the necessary program parameters for washing, but also see malfunctions that the machine informs about by certain code symbols.

Such self-diagnostics, which is carried out by the software of the machine, is capable of detecting almost any emergency situations, the accuracy of which is 99%.

Each manufacturer of washing household appliances denotes a fault code differently. In Samsung machines, the coding of a breakdown or program failure looks like a Latin letter and a digital symbol. Such designations began to appear on some models already in 2006, and now code designations are available on all machines of this brand.

If, during the execution of the operating cycle, a Samsung washing machine of the last years of production displays an H1 error on the electronic display, this means that there are malfunctions related to water heating. Earlier models of the release could indicate this malfunction with the HO code, but this code also indicated the same problem.

Samsung machines have a whole series of codes that start with the Latin letter H and look like H1, H2, and there are also double letter designations that look like HE, HE1 or HE2. A whole series of such designations refers to problems associated with water heating, which may not only be absent, but also be excessively high.

At the moment of a breakdown, the H1 symbol appears on the electronic display of the washing machine, and at the same time the washing process stops. Therefore, even if you did not notice the appearance of an emergency code in a timely manner, you can find out about a malfunction even by the fact that the machine stopped working and made the usual sounds accompanying the washing process.

The probable reasons for the breakdown of the washing machine, indicated by the H1 code, are the following.

1. Heating of water in a washing machine occurs with the help of special elements called heating elements - tubular heating elements. After about 8-10 years of operation, this important part fails in some washing machines, since its service life is limited. For this reason, such a breakdown is in the first place among other possible malfunctions.
2. Slightly less common is another problem, which also stops the process of heating water in the washing machine - a breakdown in the contact in the electrical circuit of the heating element or failure of the temperature sensor.
3. Often, power surges occur in the electrical network to which our household appliances are connected, as a result of which a fuse located inside the tubular system of the heating element is triggered, which protects the device from excessive overheating.

When the washing machine issues an H1 error on the control panel, the malfunction is looked for, first of all, in the operation of the heating element. You can do diagnostics on your own if you have a special device, called a multimeter, which measures the amount of current resistance at the electrical contacts of this part.

To diagnose the heating element in Samsung washing machines, the front wall of the case is removed, and then the procedure depends on the result of the diagnosis.

• Tubular heating element burned out. Sometimes the cause of the breakdown may even be that the electric wire has moved away from the heating element. Therefore, after the panel of the machine body has been removed, the first step is to inspect the two wires that fit the heating element. If any wire has come off, it must be put in place and tightened, and in the case when everything is in order with the wires, you can proceed to the measuring diagnostics of the heating element. You can check the heating element without removing it from the machine body. To do this, check the resistance indicators of the electric current on the wires and contacts of the heating element with a multimeter.

• Thermal sensor burnt out... A temperature sensor is installed in the upper part of the tubular heating element, which looks like a small black piece. To see it, the heating element does not have to be disconnected and removed from the washing machine in this case. They also check the performance of the temperature sensor using a multimeter device. To do this, disconnect the wiring and measure the resistance. In a working temperature sensor, the device readings will be 28-30 ohms.

• Inside the heating element, the overheating protection system has worked. This situation is quite common when a heating element breaks down. The heating element is a closed system of tubes, inside of which there is a special inert substance that surrounds the heating coil on all sides. When the electric coil overheats, the substance surrounding it melts and blocks the process of further heating. In this case, the heating element becomes unusable for further use and must be replaced.

Modern models of Samsung washing machines have heating elements with a reusable fuse system, which are made of ceramic components. In conditions of overheating of the coil, part of the ceramic fuse breaks off, but its performance can be restored if the burnt parts are removed and the remaining parts are glued together with high-temperature glue. The final stage of work will be to check the performance of the heating element with a multimeter.

The operating time of the heating element is influenced by the hardness of the water. When the heating element comes into contact with water during heating, the salt impurities contained in it are deposited in the form of scale. If this plaque is not removed in a timely manner, it will accumulate every year the washing machine is in operation. When the thickness of such mineral deposits reaches a critical value, the heating element ceases to fully perform its functions of heating water.

Besides, limescale contributes to the rapid destruction of the heating element tubes, since corrosion forms on them under the scale layer, which over time can lead to a violation of the integrity of the entire element... Such a turn of events is dangerous because the electric spiral, which is under voltage, can come into contact with water, and then a serious short circuit will occur, which may not be eliminated by replacing the heating element alone. Often, such situations lead to the fact that the entire electronics unit in the washing machine fails.

See below for the options for eliminating the H1 error.