Samsung Dryer Error Codes: C80 and C90 Tell You How Blocked Your Vent Is

Samsung's dryer runs a vent test and reports the result as a percentage. On its Canadian support page the codes read like a measurement rather than a warning:

• Clg or Cg: "The vent is clogged."
• C80 or C8: "About 80% of the vent is clogged."
• C90 or C9: "Over 90% of the vent is clogged."

That turns a vague complaint into a number. A dryer reporting C90 is not merely slow, it is working through a tenth of the airflow it was designed for, which is why cycles stretch and the cabinet runs hot.

Two more results from the same test are worth knowing. C1 or CL1 means "Laundry detected in the drum," so the test needs an empty machine. And Ct means the "Dryer is below freezing or above 104F," which is the machine refusing to test in the wrong conditions rather than a fault.

If the code looks like an F, it is probably a t

Samsung publishes a note that solves a specific and very common misread: "Please note that an upside-down F in a code is intended to be a t. Refer to the Temperature errors section for more details."

So a code you are reading as F5 or FC is likely t5 or tC, which puts you in the temperature group rather than hunting for an F code that does not exist.

The core Samsung dryer codes

Code	What Samsung says it means	What to do
tC, tE	"Air temperature sensor problem."	Clean the lint filter or the heat exchanger, check for a clogged lint screen, and check whether the vent system is restricted.
tC5, tE5	"Compressor temperature sensor problem."	Wait two to three minutes, turn the power back on and start again, then the same lint and vent checks.
HC, HE	"Compressor overheating / High temperature heating check."	Check whether the breakers in your electrical box have tripped and reset them, and clean the lint filter. Samsung notes that checking the heating element wiring "requires a licensed professional electrician."
NC, NC1	"Lint filter problem." The display shows Check filter.	"Check the lint filter assembly."
NC2	"Internal heat exchanger cover problem"	"Check the internal heat exchanger cover assembly."
FIL with tEr	The buzzer rings and "Heat exchanger needs to be cleaned."	"Clean the heat exchanger."
5C, 5E	"Check drainage." Samsung lists a draining or pump malfunction, a frozen drain hose, or a full water tank.	Check the hose is not bent or damaged, empty the water tank, and restart. For ice, see below.
dC, dE	"Door is open."	Close the door and start again, and check nothing is caught in it. See the Child Lock note below.
dF	"Incorrect door switch."	Unplug the dryer and check for loose or damaged wiring in the door and lock switch circuit. Samsung says it may be necessary to replace the entire door lock or switch.
3C, 3E	"Check the Inverter motor for operation."	Try restarting the cycle.
AC, AE	"Electronic control problem (Invalid Communication)."	Samsung's UK page sends this straight to a service centre.
AC6, AE6	"Check the communications between the main and the inverter PBAs."	Try restarting the cycle.
FC, FE	"Invalid power source frequency"	Try restarting the cycle.
9C1, 9E1, 9C2, 9E2	"The electronic control needs to be checked."	Check the power is supplied properly and the cord is plugged in. Samsung Canada reads these differently, see below.
bE, bE2, 6E, 6C2	A jammed button.	"Power off the dryer, and press each button to release any stuck buttons."
dn	A firmware download is in progress.	"Avoid unplugging the dryer during this." Samsung says to contact service only if it lasts beyond 24 hours.

Where Samsung disagrees with Samsung

We read four of Samsung's regional dryer pages. Four codes get materially different explanations depending which one you land on, so it is worth knowing that a conflicting answer may still be Samsung's.

Code	Samsung Canada	Samsung UK, Australia and Latin America
dF	Grouped with door errors: issues with the door, its latch, or the sensors detecting their status. Check the latch is secure.	"Incorrect door switch." Unplug and check wiring, possibly replace the door lock or switch.
9C1, 9E1	"These codes indicate abnormal voltage supply to the dryer."	"The electronic control needs to be checked."
HC, HE	"Indicates the dryer is overheating," commonly from a clogged lint screen or vent. For electric dryers it adds that low voltage can cause insufficient heating.	"Compressor overheating / High temperature heating check," with breaker and wiring steps.
AC, AE	"Restart the dryer to try resolving this."	Contact a Samsung service centre, with no restart step offered.

The Canadian page is also the only one that covers the vent test codes, the tS and t5 temperature variants, and the upside-down F note. The other three carry the NC, NC2, 5C and FIL codes that Canada's page omits. Neither list is complete on its own.

Almost everything points back at lint and venting

Reading the whole set together, one cause dominates. Samsung ties airflow to the temperature group, the heating group and the filter codes:

• Temperature errors are "Often caused by a clogged lint screen or vent system. Clean these to correct the error."
• Heating errors are "Commonly due to a clogged lint screen or vent. Clean these areas thoroughly."
• HC and HE both list "Clean the lint filter" among the steps.
• NC is a lint filter problem outright, and FIL with tEr means the heat exchanger needs cleaning.

So tC, tC5, HC, HE, NC, FIL and the C80 and C90 vent results are largely one underlying problem wearing different labels. If several of these appear over a few months, the vent run is the thing to deal with, not the sensor each code names.

One honest caveat: Samsung publishes no cleaning interval anywhere on these pages. It tells you to clean the filter and the vent, but never how often, so do not trust a specific schedule attributed to Samsung.

A frozen drain hose, and Samsung's thawing method

For 5C and 5E on models with a water tank, Samsung gives a cold weather instruction with a real number: "If the hose is frozen, wrap the hose with a towel soaked in warm water for approximately ten minutes to thaw the hose." Then empty the water tank, turn the dryer on and start again.

The reset, and the Child Lock trap

Samsung's UK, Australian and Latin American pages all open with the same instruction: "The first step to get the dryer back in operational mode is to unplug the dryer and wait at least 30 seconds before reconnecting it." The Canadian page gives no reset instruction at all.

And a door message that makes no sense has a specific cause. Samsung: "Check if the Child Lock is on. If the Child Lock is on, you may get this message when you open the door even though the dryer is not operating."

Frequently asked questions

What does C90 mean on a Samsung dryer?

Over 90% of the vent is clogged, according to Samsung's vent test. C80 means about 80% clogged and Clg or Cg means the vent is clogged. Clear the lint filter and have the full vent run cleaned.

My Samsung dryer shows an F code that does not exist. Why?

Samsung says an upside-down F in a code is meant to be a t. Look in the temperature group for tC, t5 or tC5 instead.

What does HC or HE mean on a Samsung dryer?

Samsung Canada calls it overheating, commonly from a clogged lint screen or vent. Samsung's UK, Australian and Latin pages call it compressor overheating or a high temperature heating check and have you check tripped breakers and clean the lint filter. Either way, start with the lint filter and the vent.

What does NC or Check filter mean?

A lint filter problem. Samsung's instruction is to check the lint filter assembly. NC2 is the internal heat exchanger cover, and FIL with tEr means the heat exchanger itself needs cleaning.

How do I reset a Samsung dryer?

Unplug it and wait at least 30 seconds before reconnecting, which is the first step Samsung's UK, Australian and Latin American pages give for any code.

Why does my Samsung dryer say the door is open when it is shut?

Check Child Lock. Samsung says that with Child Lock on you can get this message when you open the door even though the dryer is not running. If the code persists, dF points at the door switch itself rather than the door.

Do Samsung heat pump dryers use different codes?

Not according to these pages. None of the four regional pages we read gives a separate code set for heat pump or condenser models, though several codes do involve a heat exchanger and a water tank, which only those machines have.

Sources: Samsung's Canadian dryer error code page, its UK dryer information codes and its Australian dryer information codes. Samsung notes codes "may have a different code depending on the model," so check your manual.

Related guides: Samsung washer error codes, LG dryer error codes, where d75 to d95 also report vent blockage as a percentage, Whirlpool dryer error codes, and dryer taking too long to dry.