Dishwasher Will Not Fill: E16, H2O, IE and 4C

Not enough water

A dishwasher that hums and never fills, or that fills and then throws a low-water code, is not a drain problem. Drain codes leave you with a tub of dirty water. Fill codes leave you with dishes that are still dry, or with a code partway through the cycle. The supply is a hose from the hot water shutoff, usually under the sink, to a valve on the dishwasher. A closed valve, a kink, or water that is outside the temperature the brand states will all stop the cycle.

Code	Meaning
Bosch E16 / E17	Water inflow problem. Water may not be able to enter, or the filling system is at fault.
Bosch E18	Water flow problem. The water level is too low, or water is not being pumped correctly.
Bosch E14	Flow meter failure, or an issue with water flowing in or with the filling system.
GE H2O	Low water situation.
LG IE	Water inlet error. The specified amount of water was not supplied to the tub.
Samsung 4C	Water supply error. The dishwasher is not getting water at the pressure or temperature it needs. Some models show 4E. On models without a display, a blinking Auto or Express 60 light can mean the same thing.
Samsung 9E	Low water level. There is not enough water in the dishwasher.

The washer versions of IE and 4C are LG washer IE and Samsung washer 4C. Different hoses, different pages.

Bosch E16, E17 and E18

E16 and E17. Bosch’s cause is a kinked or damaged inlet hose. The step is to check that hose and make sure it is not kinked or damaged. If the hose is fine and the code remains, contact Bosch Customer Support. There is no temperature specification on this entry.

E18. Causes are a kinked or damaged inlet hose, and a water supply that is turned off or too low. Steps: check the inlet hose, and make sure the water supply is turned on. Bosch gives the required flow rate as 10 liters per minute. If the code remains, contact Bosch.

E14. Bosch reads this as a flow meter failure or a problem with water flowing into the dishwasher or the filling system. Unlike E16, E17 and E18, Bosch gives no hose or supply check for E14: its only step is to contact Bosch Customer Support.

Ten liters per minute is a house-plumbing number. If every faucet in the kitchen is weak, the dishwasher is reporting the house, not a failed inlet valve. If only the dishwasher is weak, the hose and the shutoff under the sink are the parts Bosch has you look at before you call.

GE H2O

GE’s meaning is a low water situation during the cycle. The steps split by which cycle was running:

• If H2O appears only during a 1-Hour Wash cycle, GE says to schedule service. You can run any other cycle until service is done.
• If it appears during AutoSense, Heavy, Normal or Light, double-check that the inlet water hose is not kinked.
• If neither case applies, GE says to call for service.

That is the whole homeowner list. Do not add Samsung’s pressure range to a GE code. GE’s temperature numbers live on C6, which is incoming water that is too cold for the wash, not H2O. C6 is in the temperature guide.

LG IE

Causes: a water outage, a bent inlet hose, and a closed water inlet valve, for example after installation.

Steps:

• Check whether the kitchen and bathroom taps have water. An outage causes IE.
• Make sure the inlet hose is not pressed or kinked, and straighten it. Look for objects pressing on it. A disposal or a bucket of cleaning supplies under the sink is enough.
• Open the sink cabinet and check the inlet valve connected to the dishwasher and the shut-off valve above it. Open each by turning it anti-clockwise.

If the valves are open and IE persists, LG says a technician needs to inspect it. Contact LG support, or your installer if the dishwasher was just installed. A valve left closed at install is the cause LG names. The installer is the right call when the unit has never successfully filled.

Samsung 4C and 9E

4C is the detailed one. Samsung says to troubleshoot before you reset, because clearing the code without fixing the cause makes it return.

Causes and figures Samsung publishes:

• Household water pressure outside 20 to 120 psi. Below 20 psi, Samsung says the water supply valve can fail and then not shut off properly. That is a flood risk, not only a no-fill code. If you know the house pressure is below that, fix the pressure before you keep running the dishwasher.
• Hot water outside 120 to 149°F (49 to 65°C). Samsung says the supply should not exceed 149°F, to avoid severe burns.
• A problem with the supply line. Samsung says supply-line issues can cause error codes or blinking lights. It recommends a stainless steel supply line, sold separately, up to 10 feet, and a 90-degree elbow with 1/2-inch NPT on one end and a 3/8-inch compression fitting on the other.

Steps: check the hot-water temperature against that range, check that pressure is between 20 and 120 psi, and inspect the supply line and its connections. If temperature and pressure are inside the range and the error continues, switch the dishwasher off at the breaker and request Samsung service.

How you measure house water pressure is not in the Samsung page. A plumber or a gauge on a hose bib is the usual way. Do not invent a reading. If you cannot measure pressure, you can still confirm the shutoff is open and the hose is not kinked, then request service rather than guessing that the inlet valve is the part.

On models without a digital display, Samsung says a blinking Auto or Express 60 light can mean the water pressure or temperature is not correct. Same 4C checks.

9E means there is not enough water. Samsung does not list a specific cause. The steps are to empty the dishwasher, add detergent, and run a normal cycle. If the error still occurs, switch off the breaker and request service. Do not treat 9E as if it had 4C’s pressure table unless 4C is the code on the display.

The hose under the sink

The shop button searches for a dishwasher water supply line. Replace a line that is kinked, bulged or leaking, with the water off and the breaker off. Match the fittings. Samsung’s elbow description is for Samsung’s recommendation, not a universal part list. The supply line page repeats that.

A supply line that leaks at the connection is also a Samsung LC cause. If you see water, you are on the leak guide as well as this one. Tighten or replace the leaking connection, and do not run a fill test until the connection is dry.

Temperature is its own code

Water that arrives, but arrives cold, may be GE C6 or Samsung 3E (water too hot, a different problem) or LG HE (the heater). Those are not fill-flow codes. They are in the temperature and detergent guide. Samsung 4C is the one code in this list that includes a temperature range inside the fill fault. The others separate “no water” from “water at the wrong temperature.”

Safety first: Close the shutoff under the sink before you loosen a supply line. Switch the breaker off before you move the dishwasher. Water at the top of Samsung’s or GE’s stated range can scald. Test it in a glass or with a thermometer, not with your hand.