How to Reset a GE Washer

Read the display before cutting power

A button that won't respond after a cycle stops can point you toward two different next moves. We'd read the display before cutting power, because unplugging during the H2O SUPPLY, IE, or CAnCELEd lockout starts its four-minute timer over. With no such message, think back to whether the cycle lost power or was stopped before it finished.

Keep the message exactly as it appears while you check your washer's model. Display messages vary by model, and your model number lets you download your washer's manual (opens in a new tab) for its specific messages. That check is useful before treating a displayed message like an interrupted control.

H2O SUPPLY and IE point to the water supply

On 2017-and-newer GE washers with electronic controls, H2O SUPPLY, IE, or blinking Wash and Rinse lights point to water not entering the washer. Check the household water supply, including whether one or both supply valves were left off after installation or a trip away. This gives you something specific to check before restarting a cycle.

Once the water-supply message starts scrolling, the controls won't respond or change for four minutes. Leave power connected while you wait, because unplugging restarts that timer. After the four minutes, you can begin the cycle again and see whether the water-supply message returns.

CAnCELEd needs time with the power on

On those 2017-and-newer electronic-control washers, CAnCELEd may scroll after a pause longer than 24 hours or when the washer stops itself before a cycle ends because of certain errors. The scrolling message starts a four-minute period during which the controls won't respond. Give that period time to finish with the power on.

You can begin a cycle again after the four minutes. Unplugging to get past the lockout starts the timer over, so a power reset works against the wait this message calls for. If the problem persists after the wait, contact service and tell them the message you saw.

A different displayed message needs its own model-specific meaning. For example, dE indicates an open lid on these covered washers. If that's what you're seeing, what dE means on a washer helps you follow that message instead of applying the control reset.

FE means shut off water and power

On the covered electronic-control washers, FE means water has reached a critical level. The next action is to stop the washer's water and power, not to try a reset.

An interrupted cycle can leave the controls stuck

A power failure or a cycle stopped before completion can leave the electronic controls locked up. The same can happen if Stop/Pause interrupted the wash and the cycle wasn't restarted. Those are the situations the two-minute control reset addresses.

In the Stop/Pause situation, the washer may pump out and spin after 24 hours while its controls remain stuck at the interrupted cycle's final-spin position. If your machine has a timer knob, that position matters: you'll move the knob away from it before restoring power.

A new washer left in factory test mode is another listed reason for controls to appear stuck. Follow the same control-reset procedure when an interruption or that new-washer condition fits what happened, then judge it by whether the controls work again.

Use the two-minute control reset

For stuck controls after a cycle interruption, unplug the washer or shut off its circuit breaker or fuse. Keep power disconnected for two minutes. How you finish depends on the controls in front of you.

If your washer has a timer control knob, turn it around and back to any position other than final spin for the interrupted cycle, then restore power. That moves it off the position where the interrupted cycle may have left it.

If it has an electronic control knob or panel, restore power, select the wash cycle again, and start it. The controls should respond after the reset. If they still won't work, have a service person diagnose and fix the problem, and tell them that the two-minute reset didn't restore control.

The lid sequence is for Hydrowave top-loaders

A top-loader that fills but doesn't agitate or spin may need a motor reset if it's equipped with the Hydrowave wash system. Check the specifications for your washer model to confirm Hydrowave before using the lid sequence. It was generally fitted to select models manufactured from 2011 through 2015.

A power spike or surge, an unbalanced load, or a power disruption can put the motor into a fault state on these washers. That's why this is a separate motor procedure: the one-minute unplug and lid movements address a fills-but-won't-move symptom on a Hydrowave top-loader. The two-minute procedure above addresses stuck controls after a cycle interruption.

Make six full lid movements within 12 seconds

Once you've confirmed Hydrowave and the washer fills without agitation or spin, unplug it from the outlet for one minute. Plug it back in, then begin lifting and lowering the lid within 30 seconds of restoring power.

Lift and lower the lid six times within 12 seconds. Raise it at least two inches each time to interrupt the lid's magnetic connection, and close it completely each time. After the sixth full close, the motor reset is complete and the washer is ready to start a cycle.

Check that the washer responds

Set the Hydrowave washer to run a small wash load without clothes. Watch for it to fill and begin to agitate: that movement is the check that the motor reset took effect. If it still doesn't agitate, or it stops again after a couple of loads, schedule a repair appointment and describe which of those results you saw.

If the washer fills and begins to agitate, you can add clothing and complete the wash cycle. For the two-minute control reset, the corresponding check is that the controls respond when you select and start the cycle again.