Cl error code in washing machine LG – what does it mean and how to fix it

The very appearance on the screen of the washing machine LG of an incomprehensible abbreviation in English can alert the owners. But if at the same time the machine still does not turn on, the reaction can be completely different in terms of adequacy. Someone immediately calls the master, someone to friends, someone looks at the instructions, and someone goes to the Internet.

And the last two options are the most reasonable, since both in the instructions and on the Internet you can find out completely free of charge that the Cl error is not an error at all. This is an abbreviation for the English 'child lock', that is, literally, 'child lock', and it means that the lock is turned on in the washing machine.

How to block and unblock

Blocking the dashboard from a child is a smart solution. The kid can turn on or stop the washing machine, just by touching it, because the control panel is just at the height of a small child. But for people who have not read the instructions carefully, the Cl message can come as an unpleasant surprise.

To disable blocking, you need to press the appropriate key combination. This could be:

1. super rinse plus pre-wash;

2. intensive wash and additional rinse;

3. temperature and one of the setting buttons.

4. Holding the combination, you need to wait a few seconds – this provokes both switching on and off the mode.

Often on washing machines LG with this function there is a special designation of the necessary keys: a smiling child's face or just a smile, and arrows to both. If there is no marking, you can look at the instructions, in the section in which it is written what the different letters that light up on the screen mean.

Spontaneous activation of blocking

When the lock on the washing machine is turned on by a child during a game or an adult member of the family through negligence, it can be removed in a few seconds – minutes if you have to look for instructions. However, the situation may be different: the blocking mode can turn on spontaneously:

1. the washing machine turns on, and the lock is already working on it and no key combination turns it off;

2. the lock turns on during the washing process, and often several times, turns on and off spontaneously, does not react to the actions of the owners;

3. the user activates the lock, but it is impossible to turn it off – Cl lights up on the washing machine screen all the time, regardless of any actions;

4. the lock is activated by the user and it even turns off, but only if you press the buttons for several minutes in a row, with different pressures, looking for the right angle.

This is more serious and there are two main reasons for this behavior:

1. The washing machine has completely or partially detached contacts that connect the buttons to the control unit. This happens from old age, from being constantly in a humid room, from mechanical damage.

2. Control box defective. This happens mainly from old age: small parts wear out, contacts break, wires fail.

You can try to cope with both on your own, but for this you will need at least a multimeter and a new control panel, and as a maximum a soldering iron, a good bright lamp and well-developed fine motor skills.

For most people, it would be much wiser to go to a master.

Self repair: cleaning contacts

However, if you have some skills in working with electronics, you can take up the repair yourself:

1. Detach control panel. Different models of the washing machine LG do this differently, but you can always use the instructions.

2. Wipe the panel with alcohol. As a result, a layer of grease, washing powder and dirt that could cram into the grooves and prevent the buttons from being pressed will be removed.

3. Take a multimeter and use it to check if there is contact between the buttons and the board. To do this, just touch the contacts. There is tension – everything is fine, the washing machine can be put back, the cause of the error is not here. No tension? There was a gap somewhere.

4. Inspect the wires. If there is a break, then you need to see where the wires are faulty. Often, contacts come off due to moisture or rust; a break is usually clearly visible even with the naked eye.

5. Clean the wires at the break. To do this, they are slightly trimmed, dirt and oxidation products are cleaned off, and then carefully twisted together.

6. The final check is again with a multimeter. If contact appears, then everything is fine, you can put the washing machine back. Did not appear – somewhere else there is a gap and the actions must be repeated.

7. It is also possible that the entire button is out of order. Then you have to buy and install a new one – or find somewhere similar and swap it with the first one. This is done with a soldering iron:

8. The terminals are soldered to hold the button in place.

9. A new button is inserted that will definitely work.

10. The terminals are soldered back.

It is not difficult to work with such minor problems, it requires patience and perseverance for the most part. In extreme cases, if, due to inexperience, something is irretrievably damaged, replacing a few buttons or the control panel of the washing machine is completely inexpensive.

Workshop repair: malfunction of the control unit

Fiddling with buttons on a washing machine is fun. If, as a result, the sudden blockages have stopped, that's just fine. But, if the CL error persists, despite the fact that the buttons are clean and there are no breaks, most likely the problem is in the brain of the washing machine – in the control unit.

A person without specific knowledge will not be able to do anything with it, so the only way out is to take the car to the workshop and let the professionals deal with it.

Important! You should take everything as a whole, not a separate module. So the chances that the car will be able to reanimate are increased.

Conclusion

Dealing with the child lock on the washing machine LG is easy. The procedure is as follows:

1. Look for arrows with a smiling baby face on the control panel or look at the instructions. Hold down the indicated buttons and hold for a couple of seconds.

2. Did it not help or the machine continues to turn on the lock at random moments? Remove the control panel, clean the buttons and check for an open circuit.

3. Did not help? Contact the master, as the problem is most likely in the control unit.

4. All washing machines LG have a child lock – this is a very useful function, especially when there is a baby in the house who cannot be explained by age that washing is not a game.

The main thing is to figure out how it turns on, how it turns off and not to worry if sometimes it happens as if by itself. If not on your own, then with the help of a wizard, the problem can be easily solved.

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