Washer will not fill, or fills too slowly

14 error codes across 7 washer brands mean this. The fastest route is your own code, so start there.

Is the machine taking too long to fill, or not filling at all?

If the machine shows a code, find your brand below. 7 of these codes have a full page with the free checks in order; the rest open the brand table at their row.

LG

IELG washer error IE means the washer did not reach its first expected water level within 8 minutes, or its final level within 25 minutes. The usual reason is a closed tap, a kinked hose or a blocked inlet filter.Low

Maytag

F8E1F8E1 means the washer is not detecting the correct amount of incoming water. The top-load table words it as the washer taking too long to fill, the front-load table as sensing a low flow of water.Low
HCHC means the hot and cold inlet hoses are connected the wrong way round. It appears at the end of the wash cycle.Low
F8E4F8E4 means low water flow: the flow meter has measured a fill that took too long.Low

Samsung

4CSamsung washer error 4C means the washer has a water fill problem: it filled for 40 minutes, or the water level did not change in 6 minutes. Older machines show the same fault as 4E or nF.Low
4C24C2 means the hot and cold hoses are connected to the wrong inlets.Low

Whirlpool

F8E1Whirlpool washer error F8E1 means the washer is not sensing that the right amount of water is coming in. The door can stay locked and the panel can stop responding while it is active, and the same fault shows as LF or Lo FL on some machines.Low
FHFH means the washer detected no water supply, or not enough water reaching it.Low
F3E2F3E2 indicates the hot and cold inlet hoses are connected the wrong way round — the cold hose on the hot inlet and the hot hose on the cold inlet.Low
F20F20 indicates a water inlet problem — no water, or not enough of it, reaching the washer.Low
HCHC means the hot and cold inlet hoses are connected the wrong way round. It appears at the end of the wash cycle rather than during it.Low

GE

7E7E is a water supply error.Low

KitchenAid

FHFH means no water is entering the machine, or the pressure switch never tripped to confirm that it did.Low

Speed Queen

E:FLE:FL is a fill error, raised when the pressure switch has not opened within 30 minutes on any fill-and-agitate cycle.Low

No code shown?

Every step below is already verified on the code pages it links back to. It appears here because two independent publishers each documented it for two different manufacturers’ machines — so it is not one company’s house advice, and not one repair site’s wording reused across brands.

Check both the hot and cold supply valves are fully open and both hoses are connected — the washer needs both, even for a cold wash.
3 manufacturers · 3 independent publishers · verified on KitchenAid FH, LG IE, Maytag F8E1, Maytag F8E4, Samsung 4C, Whirlpool F20, Whirlpool F3E2, Whirlpool F8E1, Whirlpool FH
Check neither fill hose is kinked, and in cold weather check the lines for freezing.
3 manufacturers · 3 independent publishers · verified on LG IE, Maytag F8E1, Samsung 4C, Whirlpool F20, Whirlpool F8E1, Whirlpool FH
Turn off the supply, take the hoses off into a bucket, and brush any scale off the inlet screens — leave the screens in place.
2 manufacturers · 3 independent publishers · verified on LG IE, Maytag F8E1, Whirlpool F20, Whirlpool F8E1, Whirlpool FH
Check the hoses are on the right inlets, hot to hot and cold to cold, and swap them if they are reversed.
2 manufacturers · 2 independent publishers · verified on Maytag F8E1, Maytag HC, Samsung 4C2, Whirlpool F3E2, Whirlpool F8E1, Whirlpool HC

These are not in likelihood order. No source ranks a symptom’s causes across brands, so the list is ordered by how widely each step is corroborated. Your own code’s page does put its checks in order — that is the better place to start if the machine is showing one.

Before you check anything

Disconnect the power first. Unplug the machine at the socket, or switch off its circuit at the consumer unit if it is hard-wired. Do this before opening any panel, reaching into a pump filter, or moving the appliance.
Turn off the water before disconnecting a hose, and have a towel and a shallow tray ready — a drain hose holds water even when the drum looks empty.
Gas, mains wiring and sealed refrigeration are for a qualified professional — in many countries that is a legal requirement, not advice. If you smell gas, do not touch any switch: leave, and call your gas emergency number from outside.
Stop if you smell burning, see scorched wiring, or find water near an electrical connection. None of those is a code to look up.

The checks on this page are the manufacturer’s own, rewritten and sourced, and they are reference information rather than a repair instruction for your particular machine. Model, age and installation all change what is safe to do. You are the one standing in front of it — if a step looks wrong for the machine you have, trust that and call a technician.