Drain pump
Common dishwasher and washer water-removal part.
The nd error on a Samsung washer means “no drain” — the washer completed the wash cycle but failed to drain the water at the end. Your clothes are sitting in standing water. Start with the pump filter cleaning below; it clears nd in the majority of cases.
What This Error Means
nd is similar to 5E but specifically occurs at the end of the cycle rather than mid-wash. The pump ran but water didn’t move, the drain time expired, and the machine gave up.
Unlike 5E, which can trigger mid-cycle, nd usually means the pump is partially working — enough to handle light drainage during the cycle, but not fully clearing water at the drain-and-spin phase when it needs to work harder.
Common Causes
- Partially clogged pump filter — The most common cause. The filter is partially blocked, limiting pump flow. During light drainage it’s tolerable; at end-of-cycle full drain it fails.
- Drain hose too high — The hose routed to the standpipe or sink drain must not be higher than 96 inches (8 feet) above the floor. Beyond that, the pump lacks the pressure to push water up.
- Drain hose pushed too deep into standpipe — If inserted more than 6 inches, it creates a siphon effect that fights the pump. Should be 4–6 inches maximum.
- Partial pump failure — The drain pump motor is wearing out and can’t maintain flow under load.
- Slow household drain — A sluggish standpipe drain backs up and limits pump output.
Step-by-Step Fix
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Clean the pump filter. Open the access panel at the bottom front of the machine. Use the small drain hose to empty standing water into a pan before opening the main filter. Unscrew the filter, remove all debris, rinse it clean, reinstall.
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Check drain hose height. Trace the drain hose from the back of the machine to where it terminates. Measure the height — if it’s above 96 inches, reroute it lower or use a drain hose extension that terminates lower.
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Check drain hose insertion depth. At the standpipe, the drain hose should only go in 4–6 inches. If it’s pushed all the way down, pull it out to the correct depth and secure it with a hose guide or cable tie so it stays at the right depth.
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Run a Drain+Spin cycle. After addressing any of the above, run a dedicated Drain+Spin cycle to test.
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Test the pump. If nd still appears after the filter is clean and the hose is correctly routed, press your ear against the front of the machine and start a drain cycle. You should hear the pump running. If silent, the pump is not starting. If humming but no water movement, the impeller is jammed or broken.
Parts You May Need
- Samsung washer drain pump
- Washing machine drain hose extension kit
- Washer drain hose guide/standpipe holder
When to Call a Technician
If the filter is clean, hose routing is correct, and the pump is either silent or running without moving water, the drain pump needs to be replaced. It’s a moderately involved DIY repair on Samsung front-loaders — you’ll need to remove the front panel and disconnect the pump wiring and hoses. If that’s beyond comfortable, a technician can do it in under an hour.