# Washer Suds Codes: HE Detergent and Too Many Suds

> What LG Sud, Samsung SUd and Whirlpool Sud mean, how much detergent those pages allow, and how suds also cause drain and leak codes.

Sud, SUd and Sd are detergent codes. The washer saw too many suds, paused or added a rinse, and is trying to finish the cycle. Use HE detergent in the amount the manufacturer describes. Non-HE detergent, too much detergent, and a few other products these pages name are the causes, not a failed motor.

## Why front loaders are strict about suds
A front-load washer uses less water than a top loader of the same capacity. Detergent made for a deep-fill top loader throws more suds than that small water volume can rinse away. The control can see the result: the tub will not spin the water out, suds climb toward the door, or the drain pump sucks foam instead of water. The brands on this site each publish a code for that, and they each tell you to switch to high-efficiency detergent and to use less of it.

This is not a guess about "HE" as a marketing word. It is what the support pages say to do when the code is already on the display.

| Code | What the support page says |
|---|---|
| [LG Sud](https://thefaultcode.com/washers/lg/sud/) | Excess suds. The washer adds a suds-reducing cycle (about 2 hours extra) and, if suds appear during spinning, stops to help prevent leaking. |
| [Samsung SUd](https://thefaultcode.com/washers/samsung/sud/) | Excessive suds. The washer stops for a short period, then continues automatically. Some models show 5UD, Sd, 5d, SUdS or 5Ud5. |
| [Whirlpool Sud](https://thefaultcode.com/washers/whirlpool/sud/) | Too many suds. The washer cannot spin out water with excess suds, so it extends the rinse and pauses tumbling to let the bubbles break. Some models show Sd. |

Let the washer finish that extra time. Cancelling it leaves the suds in the tub, and the next cycle often shows the same code.

## What each brand says to change
**LG.** Causes: more detergent than LG recommends, non-HE detergent, or powder detergent placed in the liquid detergent cup.

- Use no more than the manufacturer's recommended amount, and cut it back until the sudsing stops.
- Use HE detergent. For liquid, fill only to the Max line. For powder, remove the liquid detergent cup so the powder is not sitting in a cup that was meant for liquid.
- Pods go in the drum, one per load, before the clothes, and never in the dispenser drawer.

LG says this is a detergent-use issue, not a repair. If it continues after you reduce detergent, request service.

**Samsung.** The only cause on the SUd page is incorrect detergent use: too much, or a detergent that is not HE. Let the pause finish. The code may flash again at the end as a reminder. Next load, use less, and make sure it is HE. Samsung says this code does not indicate that service is needed.

**Whirlpool.** Causes go beyond the detergent bottle. Whirlpool lists non-HE detergent, "no splash" or "easy pour" liquid chlorine bleach (it contains a thickening agent that can create suds), and a restricted drain hose or standpipe.

- Let the pause and extra rinse run. Whirlpool says it may happen several times.
- Use HE detergent.
- If you used that style of bleach, run the washer with regular liquid bleach instead.
- Make sure the drain hose is not kinked or clogged. A slow drain and a suds code can be the same load. The drain measurements for a slow drain are on [F9 E1](https://thefaultcode.com/washers/whirlpool/f9e1/), not on the Sud page. Do not mix them.

Whirlpool says Sud is usually a detergent or drain-hose issue. If it persists, contact them or schedule service.

## Suds that show up as a different code
Suds are also named as a cause of codes that do not say "Sud" on the display. Treating those as a bad pump or a leak sensor sends you after the wrong part.

- [LG OE](https://thefaultcode.com/washers/lg/oe/), the drain error, lists too many suds as a cause: air pockets that make the pump pull air instead of water. After you clear a real clog, LG says to run Tub Clean and use less detergent. The drain steps are in the [will not drain](https://thefaultcode.com/guides/washer-will-not-drain/) guide.
- [Samsung washer LC](https://thefaultcode.com/washers/samsung/lc/) is a water-level or leakage error. One cause is too much detergent or non-HE detergent. The check Samsung gives is an empty cycle with no additives. If suds appear, keep running empty cycles until they are gone, then see whether LC returns. If no suds appear and the code continues, Samsung says to request service.
- [Whirlpool F9 E1](https://thefaultcode.com/washers/whirlpool/f9e1/) lists excess suds as one reason drain times run long, and it tells you to use HE detergent along with the hose checks.

Dishwashers have the same class of mistake, with different codes. LG dishwasher bE is a bubble error from dish soap or too much detergent, and Samsung dishwasher LC can be triggered by dish soap. Those steps are in the [dishwasher leak guide](https://thefaultcode.com/guides/dishwasher-leak-codes/). Do not put dishwasher detergent in a washer, or laundry detergent in a dishwasher, because a code page told you to "use less soap."

## A clogged dispenser is not a suds code
[Whirlpool F8 E2](https://thefaultcode.com/washers/whirlpool/f8e2/) means a dispenser system problem: the detergent drawer or detergent cartridge may be clogged. Whirlpool's step is to check that the drawer or cartridge is not clogged with detergent and clean it. The brand points to its own "How do I clean my washer dispensers?" guide for the procedure. If F8 E2 returns after cleaning, contact Whirlpool. This is select models, which the code page notes. It is not the same display as Sud.

## LG tCL is a reminder, not a fault
[LG tCL](https://thefaultcode.com/washers/lg/tcl/) means it is time to run Tub Clean. LG's steps: empty the tub, pour in a powder washing machine cleaner (LG says these are sold near the detergent in most retail stores), run the Tub Clean cycle, and run it monthly so the reminder does not come back. No repair is needed. The message clears once Tub Clean has been run.

That cleaner is the product the [washer cleaner](https://thefaultcode.com/parts/washer-cleaner/) page describes. Follow the cleaner package and the washer manual. Do not run Tub Clean with clothes in the drum. LG says to empty the tub.

## How much is "less"
None of these three pages publish a teaspoon measurement that applies to every model. LG says not to pass the Max line on liquid, to remove the liquid cup for powder, and to use one pod. Samsung says "less" and "HE." Whirlpool says use HE detergent. The measuring marks are on the cap and in the manual for your model. If a load still suds at the mark, the next step those pages give is to cut back further, not to add a second product to knock the suds down. Whirlpool's bleach note is the exception: it names a specific kind of bleach to stop using.

The shop buttons search Amazon for HE laundry detergent and for washing machine cleaner. The listings change. Read the bottle for the HE mark and match the cleaner to a Tub Clean or Clean Washer cycle your washer has. A detergent that is not marked HE is what these codes are complaining about, even if the bottle says it is concentrated.

## When it is no longer a detergent problem
Request service if you have run the empty or extra-rinse behavior the brand describes, the next loads use HE detergent within the marks, the drain hose is not kinked, and the code still returns every cycle. At that point LG and Whirlpool both say service is the next step. Samsung's SUd page still says the code itself does not mean service is needed, but Samsung's LC page does say to request service when an empty cycle produces no suds and the leak code remains. Follow the page for the code on the display, not this summary.

> **Safety first:** Unplug the washer before you pull out a detergent drawer that the manual tells you to remove. Do not reach into a spinning or filling tub. Door locks are not to be bypassed. If suds are pouring onto the floor, close the taps and kill the power, then treat it as a leak.

## FAQ
### Will the washer finish the cycle by itself?

Samsung says SUd stops the washer for a short period so the suds can dissipate, then the cycle continues automatically. Whirlpool says the washer extends the rinse and pauses tumbling, and that this may happen several times. Let that run.

### Where do pods go?

LG says to put one pod directly in the drum before you load the laundry, no more than one per load, and never in the dispenser drawer.

### Is tCL a suds code?

No. LG tCL is a reminder to run the monthly Tub Clean cycle. It is maintenance, not a fault. Empty the tub, add a powder washing machine cleaner, and run Tub Clean.

## Sources
- [LG Front Load Washer – Error Code List (LG USA Support)](https://www.lg.com/us/support/help-library/lg-front-load-washer-error-code-list--20155069413456)
- [Samsung washing machine information and error codes (Samsung Support)](https://www.samsung.com/us/support/troubleshoot/TSG10000997/)
- [Error Codes in Front Load Washers (Whirlpool Product Help)](https://producthelp.whirlpool.com/Laundry/Washers/Product_Info/Washer_Product_Assistance/Error_Codes_in_Front_Load_Washers)

Canonical page: https://thefaultcode.com/guides/washer-suds-and-detergent/