Brand: Samsung Model Number: DVE45R6100W/A3 Main Symptom: HC Code Displayed What happens & when: Dryer starts, runs a few seconds, displays HC and shuts down
Error Code (if any): HC
Parts or tests already tried: None
Photos / video link: None
Our Samsung dryer has been acting up for a few weeks. Today, it won’t run and displays a flashing HC for all cycles, including “Air Fluff”
We typically run it on Normal. A few weeks ago, Normal wouldn’t dry the clothes, so we went to Bedding which worked for a while. Then that stopped drying and we went to time dry and ran it an hour at a time and it took multiple cycles to dry.
Additionally, my wife uses the Refresh cycle to wrinkle release her clothes most mornings. It was working fine until this AM, when it displayed HC.
During this time there was also a scraping sound when the dryer ran.
I manually spin the drum clockwise it is fine, counter clockwise it makes a growling / clicking sound like a gear skipping.
On this Samsung DVE45R6100W/A3, the combination of HC after only a few seconds + HC even on Air Fluff + the previous poor drying makes me want to check the temperature-sensing circuit and heater for a ground fault before replacing anything.
Samsung defines HC as an invalid/high heating temperature while the dryer is running, and the service manual specifically directs you toward the thermistor and main PCB.
The scraping/growling is probably a second mechanical problem, but it’s worth addressing at the same time.
1. Start with one very useful test
Let the dryer become completely cold.
Disconnect the exhaust hose from the back and run Air Fluff for 20–30 seconds.
Carefully check whether the air coming out of the dryer starts getting warm.
If Air Fluff produces heat: stop there. Air Fluff should not energize the heater. I’d strongly suspect a heating element that has broken and shorted/grounded to its metal housing, or less commonly a stuck heater-control circuit.
If the air remains completely cold but HC appears within seconds: move the thermistor circuit to the top of the list. The control is essentially being told the dryer is already excessively hot when it isn’t.
Samsung also recommends checking the lint filter and exhaust restriction for HC, so running briefly with the exhaust disconnected eliminates the house vent as a variable.
2. Test the thermistor
Unplug the dryer first.
The main exhaust temperature thermistor on this model is DC32-00007A.
Disconnect its wires and measure directly across the thermistor.
At approximately 77°F / 25°C, Samsung specifies:
Thermistor = approximately 10,000 Ω (10KΩ).
It is an NTC thermistor, so:
Warm it → resistance should decrease smoothly.
Let it cool → resistance should increase smoothly.
Open/infinite, near 0 Ω, wildly incorrect, or jumping readings → replace the thermistor.
Since you’re getting HC rather than tC, don’t automatically condemn the thermistor just because there isn’t a thermistor-specific code. Samsung’s HC troubleshooting specifically says to check the PCB and thermistor.
3. Definitely test the heating element to ground
This one is important because you’re getting HC on Air Fluff.
Disconnect the heater wires.
Measure across the heating element. This model uses the single 5300-watt heater; Samsung specifies approximately:
10 Ω across the heater.
Then perform the more important test:
Either heater terminal → metal heater housing
You should read:
OL / infinite resistance.
If you get any meaningful continuity from a heater terminal to the metal housing, the element has sagged/broken and grounded against its housing.
That can produce some very strange symptoms, including unintended heating.
4. Check the thermostats while you’re there
Samsung specifies the heater thermostats/thermal cutoffs at less than 1 Ω when closed.
An open thermostat normally gives you a no-heat problem rather than HC, though, so I wouldn’t start replacing those.
5. The scraping/growling needs inspection
The fact that the drum turns smoothly clockwise but growls/clicks when turned counterclockwise makes me suspicious of the idler pulley, drum rollers, belt, or something caught between the drum and bulkhead.
Once the front is removed and the belt is released from the idler, you can isolate it quickly:
Turn the drum by itself. If it’s still rough → inspect the drum rollers/drum contact surfaces and look for an object caught around the drum.
Spin each roller by hand. They should turn smoothly without grinding, wobbling or binding.
Spin the idler pulley. It should be smooth and quiet.
Spin the motor/blower separately. If the clicking/growling remains with the belt removed, inspect the blower wheel for something caught in it, a cracked hub, or contact with the blower housing.
The service manual specifically includes foreign objects and leveling among its noise checks.
Where I’d put my money
Given the entire history, I would not start with the control board.
I’d check in this order:
1. Run Air Fluff with the vent disconnected — does it actually heat? 2. Thermistor — approximately 10KΩ at 77°F. 3. Heating element — approximately 10Ω terminal-to-terminal AND OL from each terminal to the heater housing. 4. Inspect rollers/idler/blower for the scraping noise. 5. Inspect thermistor wiring back to the main PCB. 6. Only after those pass would I suspect the main PCB.
One detail is especially useful: if the dryer is stone cold and throws HC within 5–10 seconds while Air Fluff is producing no heat, a clogged vent isn’t going to raise the actual dryer temperature that quickly. In that situation I’d concentrate heavily on the thermistor, its wiring/connectors, and finally the control board.
The thermistor measures 472 with my meter set on 2000Ω. The heating element is right at 10Ω and OL from each to the housing. Seems like I need a thermistor.
Also, one of the rear rollers is making a small sound, probably amplified by the drum when assembled.
However, it looks like the thermistor is out of stock. When will it be back in stock?