Samsung 5E on a washing machine
Drain fault — the machine could not pump the water out.
You can fix this yourself
No special tools or qualifications needed
About 45 min to work through
Free to £130
DIY: Up to £40 in parts
What 5E actually means
The drain pump ran and the water level did not fall far enough in time. As on every brand, this is a blockage far more often than a failure, and the pump filter is the first and usually the last place you need to look. Newer machines display this as 5C.
Before you start
Electrical safety: Unplug the machine before opening the pump filter.
Water: The drum is full — several litres will come out of the filter housing. Towels and a tray first.
What causes it, most likely first
Blocked pump filter
Most likelyThe filter behind the bottom-front flap traps coins, hair grips and underwires until the pump cannot move enough water.
Pump filter / trap£8–£20 for the partDIYKinked or blocked drain hose
CommonCrushed behind the machine, or silted up with detergent scum.
Blocked sink trap or standpipe
CommonA fat-blocked kitchen waste stops the machine draining even when the machine is clear.
Jammed or failed drain pump
OccasionalAn object past the filter stalls the impeller, or the pump motor fails. A hum with no water movement points here.
Drain pump£15–£40 for the partDIY with care
How to fix it, step by step
Isolate and prepare for water
Unplug at the wall. Towels down, shallow tray ready.
5 minTowels, Shallow trayDrain down through the emergency hose
Open the bottom flap. Pull out the small emergency drain hose beside the filter, hold it low over the tray, remove the bung and let it empty in stages.
10 minClean the filter and free the impeller
Unscrew the filter, clear it under a tap, then shine a torch into the housing and turn the impeller with a finger. It should spin freely.
10 minTorchCheck the hose and waste, then test
Straighten the drain hose, confirm it runs clear into a bucket, clean the sink trap. Refit the filter hand-tight and square, then run a rinse-and-spin watching for leaks.
20 minBucket
Need an engineer for this 5E?
We list 83 washing machine repair businesses across the UK, 32 of which are Samsung-authorised. Diagnostic callouts typically start around £55, and many will put that towards the repair if you go ahead.
- 0115 8719265NottinghamSame day
- 0800 037 4915London
- 07407 734204Bonnybridge
Parts you might need
Typical UK prices for the part alone, before fitting. Worth knowing before you accept a quote — the part is often a small share of what a repair is priced at.
Pump filter / trap
A removable mesh trap in front of the pump that catches coins, hair grips and buttons before they reach the impeller.
£8–£20Drain pump
The small electric pump that pushes waste water out of the drum and into your waste pipe at the end of a cycle.
£15–£40
Worth repairing, or replace it?
At the top of this range the repair costs a significant share of a graded replacement, which typically starts around £200. Worth getting the quote first, then deciding — on a machine under about five years old a repair usually still wins.