A Samsung washer not spinning is usually stuck on the drain step or an unbalanced load. Samsung’s own order is to clean the pump filter, check the drain hose, balance and level the washer, then run Calibration mode. If the tub won’t turn even in Calibration mode, Samsung says it needs service.
That order matters. Before a Samsung spins, it drains, and if the water can’t get out it never reaches the spin step. So the problem often isn’t the spin at all.
Samsung was one of the brands I saw most after the Whirlpool family. On a front loader that wouldn’t spin, the pump filter door was the first thing I opened.
Is your Samsung washer not spinning at all, or spinning badly?
Samsung treats a washer that never spins and one that spins badly as two separate problems, with two separate guides. The order of your checks depends on which one you’ve got, so pick the one that matches what you see.
It never spins at all. The drum fills, washes, maybe drains, and then sits. Samsung’s checks for this are short.
You go pump filter, drain hose, Calibration mode, then service.
It spins, but badly. It starts and stops, spins slowly, runs long, or leaves the clothes soaking. Samsung treats that as a balance problem first.
So you start with the load and the leveling feet, and then you do the same drain checks.
What the code on your Samsung display means
Look at the display before you touch anything. Samsung’s washer code list tells you which of those two problems you’ve got, and one code isn’t a problem at all.
| Code | What Samsung says it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Ur | Unbalanced load retry. The washer adds water, rebalances and tries again. | Nothing. It’s telling you why the cycle is running long. |
| Ub, U6, UE | Unbalanced load. The cycle won’t finish. | Untangle and spread the load, close the door and press Start. |
| dC | A door error on some models, an unbalance error on others | Check your manual. Then either close the door firmly or rebalance. |
| SUd, Sd | Too many suds. The washer pauses so they can settle. | Wait. It carries on by itself. Use less HE detergent next time. |
| nd, 5C, SC, 5E | The water isn’t draining. | Pump filter and drain hose, below. |
| 3E, 3C | Motor error (on some models, 3E is voltage) | Check the manual for your model, then call service. |
The dC split catches people out. If you’ve got a dC and the door is shut tight, your manual may list it as an unbalanced load. For the full list, see my Samsung washing machine error codes page.
Clean the pump filter first
Only front loaders have a pump filter. If you own a top loader, skip to the drain hose.
Samsung wants this filter cleaned about once a month or every 40 washes, whichever comes first.
Have towels and a shallow pan ready, because the whole tub of water comes out here.
- Press the small cover at the bottom front of the washer to open it.
- Pull out the short rubber drain hose and set the pan under it.
- Twist off the hose cap and let the water run out. The cap seals tight, so you may need some force.
- Once it’s empty, turn the filter counterclockwise and pull it out. On some models it’s a push-and-turn cap, like a medicine bottle.
- Brush the filter clean with an old toothbrush. Look inside the housing and make sure the impeller is clear.
- Put the filter back, turning it clockwise until it sits upright. Cap the drain hose and clip it in place.
Anything you can pick out by hand is the easy outcome. Gray or black grit that looks like small stones is a worse sign. One owner pulled exactly that out of a Samsung that had stopped spinning and posted a photo.
The top reply was blunt:
“It’s toast. The spider support on the back broke”
– r/appliancerepair, May 2026 (10 upvotes)
The spider is the bracket on the back of the drum. Other techs in that thread said the same thing and called the repair not worth the money.
That’s their read from a photo, not Samsung’s, but it tells you what to look at next.
Check the drain hose against Samsung’s numbers
A drain hose can be wrong for years before it causes a problem. Samsung’s won’t-spin guide says to check it even if your washer was installed long ago.
The depth is the one I’d check first. Push the hose more than 8 inches into the standpipe and it siphons. Less than 6 and it can fall out.
Samsung says to set it with the hose guide and hold it with a zip tie.
Don’t seal the hose into the pipe with tape either. An airtight fit causes the same siphoning. Look along the hose for kinks, and skip extension kits.
One more thing on the back of the washer: leave the screw that holds the drain hose holder in place. Samsung warns that removing it can make the washer drain on its own and throw an LC or 4C code.
Balance the load and level the washer
If your Samsung spins but stops, slows down or throws Ub, start here. An unbalanced drum won’t go to high speed.
Samsung’s load guide puts a small load at 3 to 5 pounds, about a third full. A large load, Samsung says, is 6 to 16 pounds, about three quarters full. A pair of jeans weighs roughly a pound.
Small loads are the surprise. A few heavy items bunch on one side, so you add more laundry or lower the spin speed.
Sheets and blankets tangle into a ball, so spread them out by hand. Samsung says not to wash floor mats or pillows at all.
Then check the feet. Leave about an inch between the washer, the dryer and the wall.
Push on each corner. If one rocks, shorten the other legs first, and only lengthen the loose one if the others are already as short as they go. On a front loader, loosen the locking nuts before you turn the legs and tighten them after.
Finish with a small test load and watch the spin.
How do you force a Samsung washer to spin?
The closest thing to forcing a Samsung washer to spin is Calibration mode. With the drum empty, hold Temp. and Delay End for 3 seconds until Cb shows, then press Start/Pause. Samsung says it can restart a stuck spin.
It works best after you’ve fixed the drain.
Some models want the buttons held while the washer is off, then Power pressed. If Temp. and Delay End don’t work for you, your manual has the right pair.
No mention of Calibration mode in your manual means your model doesn’t have it.
The tub rocks back and forth for 1 to 3 minutes, shows En, End or 0, and switches off. Make sure it’s truly empty, because one forgotten sock throws the reading off.
Did the tub turn? That’s your answer. If it moved during calibration, the motor can drive it, and your problem was drain, load or level. If it didn’t move at all, Samsung’s next step is service.
How do I reset my Samsung washing machine?
To reset a Samsung washing machine, unplug it or switch off its circuit breaker for 1 minute, then restore power and start a cycle. That’s the reset Samsung gives in its code list. It clears a glitch, but it won’t fix a blocked filter or a bad load.
Why are clothes still soaking wet after the spin?
Soaking wet clothes after a Samsung spin mean the drum never reached full speed. Samsung lists wet laundry and long cycle times as signs of poor spinning, which it traces back to balance first. A load that’s too small is the usual surprise.
Check the spin speed setting too. If someone turned it down for delicates, your next load comes out wet.
And watch for SUd. Too much detergent makes the washer pause for the suds, and if you’re using regular soap instead of HE, switch.
When the washer itself is the problem
You’ve cleaned the filter, fixed the hose, balanced the load and run Calibration mode, and the tub still won’t turn. Samsung’s answer is service, and a 3E or 3C motor code points the same way.
If you found that gray grit in the filter, the spider arm reports in the thread above are the likely match. That’s a job for service, and often a question of whether the washer is worth fixing.
Free tool
Fix it or replace it?
Enter the year you bought your Samsung and the repair quote. The Appliance Age Calculator checks the age against the typical washer lifespan and runs Consumer Reports’ 50 percent repair-or-replace test.
Don’t drill the balance ring. A post on r/Appliances credited holes in the ring with fixing an off-balance Samsung, and the replies from techs called it bad advice.
The ring is meant to hold liquid. One commenter said the real fix for that washer was new suspension rods.
If your Samsung grinds or hums while the drum stays still, my guide to a washer that makes noise but won’t spin covers those sounds. Write down the model number and any code before you call Samsung.
