Setup modes, not failures
41 codes
Nothing is wrong with the new appliance; it has come out of the carton in a state the store or the factory left it in. A showroom or demo mode lights the display and the fans while the unit never cools or heats, a Sabbath setting holds the oven light and hides the controls, a control or shipping lock refuses every key, and some laundry and dish care machines ask for a first calibration cycle before normal use. The manual gives the key sequence that turns each one off; once it is off, the appliance runs as it should.
- Usually leads to
- No installation — the setting is changed back
- Shows up as
- Cold Storage Slow to Cool on the First DayBurning Smell on the First Run: When It Is Normal and When to StopAppliance Installation Code on a New Unit: Setup Modes and Hookup Messages
Water supply and drain
39 codes
The new appliance is reporting what it gets from the water connections behind it. A no-water or slow-fill message on the first fill usually means the supply valve is still closed or only half open, or the new line kinked when the unit slid back; a drain message means the drain hose is pinched, pushed too deep into the standpipe, or looped higher or lower than the installation instructions allow. Open the valve fully, straighten the hose, set it to the height the manual gives, and run the cycle again.
- Usually leads to
- Water supply and shutoff connection
- Shows up as
- Ice Maker Not Filling After the Install: Valve, Line and PatienceDrain Backing Up After an Install: Plug, Loop and StandpipeWater Leak After an Install: Close the Supply Valve FirstWater Hammer After a Hookup: Banging Pipes When a Valve ShutsAppliance Installation Code on a New Unit: Setup Modes and Hookup Messages
Vents and ducting
4 codes
A restricted-exhaust message on one of the first loads means the new dryer is pushing against its duct. The cause is almost always the install: a run longer than the maker's table allows for its number of elbows, a transition duct crushed flat when the machine was pushed to the wall, a duct pulled off its collar, or a wall cap whose flap cannot open. Stop the cycle, unplug, and have the run shortened, straightened and reconnected before the next load.
- Usually leads to
- Laundry exhaust run installation
- Shows up as
- Laundry Exhaust Crushed, Loose or Blowing Into the RoomHood Not Drawing Smoke: Duct Size, Damper and Makeup AirAppliance Installation Code on a New Unit: Setup Modes and Hookup Messages
Level and balance
9 codes
An unbalance or not-level message on a brand-new laundry machine is usually a leftover from delivery. The shipping bolts that hold the drum still in transit may still be in the back panel, one leveling leg may be off the floor, the lock nuts may be loose so the legs creep, or the floor itself may slope more than the legs can take up. Take the bolts out, set all four legs so the machine sits level and does not rock, tighten the lock nuts, and run the load again.
- Usually leads to
- Anti-tip bracket and leveling
- Shows up as
- New Unit Vibrating or Walking Across the FloorNew Appliance Not Level: Rocking Cabinets and Uneven GapsDoor Not Closing Flush After the InstallAppliance Installation Code on a New Unit: Setup Modes and Hookup Messages
Gas and first light
2 codes
A new gas appliance that clicks and retries, or shows an ignition message, on its first light is often only clearing air from a fresh gas line, and the manual allows for a few tries before the flame catches. When it goes on well beyond that, or the flame is lifting, yellow and sooty, the usual cause is a fuel mismatch: a unit set up for natural gas fed from propane, or the other way round, without the conversion kit the maker specifies. Smell gas at any point and it stops being a setup message: leave and call from outside.
- Usually leads to
- Gas hookup and leak check
- Shows up as
- Igniter Clicking After a Gas Hookup: Air in the Line or a Wet CapGas Smell After a Hookup: Leave the House, Then CallAppliance Installation Code on a New Unit: Setup Modes and Hookup Messages
Some new appliances check the supply they are plugged into and say so when it is wrong: voltage too low or too high, the live and neutral reversed, or no ground. On a new install that points to the outlet, the circuit behind it or the cord kit, not to the appliance. Leave it unplugged or the breaker off; a changed outlet, a new circuit or a panel repair is a licensed electrician's job, and the appliance is connected once that is done.
- Usually leads to
- Pre-installation site check
- Shows up as
- Breaker Trips on the First Run: Leave It Off and Find Out WhyPlug Does Not Fit the Outlet: Cords, Receptacles and CircuitsBurning Smell on the First Run: When It Is Normal and When to StopAppliance Installation Code on a New Unit: Setup Modes and Hookup Messages
A warm alarm in the first day is the most common message a new cold storage unit shows, and the maker's manual usually expects it: from room temperature, a full-size unit can take many hours, and sometimes a full day, to reach its setting. It becomes an installation question when the alarm lasts past that, when the unit was pushed tight against the back wall or into an opening without the air clearances the drawing asks for, or when a door fails to close because the unit tips forward. Leave it closed and empty for the first day and check the gaps against the instructions.
- Usually leads to
- Built-in and panel-ready fitting
- Shows up as
- Cold Storage Slow to Cool on the First DayDoor Not Closing Flush After the InstallAppliance Installation Code on a New Unit: Setup Modes and Hookup Messages
