LG PF status codewhat it means
Not a fault. The machine lost power mid cycle and is telling you so. LG’s remedy is simply to restart the cycle.
Before you start
What PF means
PF is POWER FAILURE, and it is the gentlest thing in LG’s table. Their stated cause is that the appliance experienced a power failure — the current washer manual adds "or inadequate electrical service" — and their stated remedy is to restart the cycle, which that manual spells out as pressing the Start/Pause button. That is the whole of it. Nothing has broken, no part is implicated, and there is no repair. It is worth understanding why a washing machine bothers to tell you this rather than just carrying on.
A wash cycle is a sequence with a memory: the machine knows how much water it has taken in, what temperature it reached and how far through the programme it was. Cut the power and all of that is gone, and the machine cannot safely assume the drum is empty, the water is cold or the door is unlocked. Reporting the interruption is more honest than guessing. The useful diagnostic value in PF is what it tells you about your electrics.
A code after a genuine power cut is unremarkable. The same code repeatedly, with the lights in the house never having flickered, means the machine is losing supply on its own, and the causes of that — a failing socket, a loose plug, an overloaded extension lead or a breaker on the edge of tripping — are worth finding. LG publish a related instruction that bears on exactly this: plug the machine into a wall outlet directly, not a power strip.
What causes it
| Cause | What is actually happening | How likely |
|---|---|---|
| Genuine power cut or brownout | The unremarkable case. If the clocks in the house need resetting too, that is your answer and there is nothing else to do. | Common |
| Loose plug or failing socket | The machine vibrates hard at spin, and a plug that is not fully home works looser over months. A warm or discoloured socket is worth taking seriously. | Occasional |
| Extension lead or shared circuit | LG publish an instruction to plug into a wall outlet directly rather than a power strip. A machine drawing heating current through a thin lead is exactly what that is for. | Occasional |
| Breaker or RCD tripping | Where the trip is caused by the machine itself, this is a symptom rather than the fault. Worth an electrician if it repeats on one circuit. | Occasional |
What to try yourself
Restart the cycle, which is LG’s entire published remedy — their current washer manual puts it as pressing the Start/Pause button rather than reselecting the programme.
Look around the house for evidence of a real power cut — a flashing clock on the oven, a router that has rebooted. If you find it, you are done and there is nothing wrong with the machine.
If there was no power cut, pull the machine out and check the plug is fully home in the socket and that the socket and plug are not warm or discoloured.
A socket or plug that is warm, browned or smells of hot plastic is an electrical fault in the house rather than a washing machine problem. Stop using that socket and have an electrician look at it.Take the machine off any extension lead or multi-way adaptor and plug it straight into a wall socket. LG publish that as an instruction rather than a suggestion.
If PF keeps appearing on a machine plugged directly into a sound socket with no power cuts in the house, note the dates and get the circuit checked. The machine is reporting something real.
Get a qualified appliance engineer to look at your LG PF
We do not pass enquiries to a repair firm, so there is no form here. When you book a qualified appliance engineer, tell them the make, the model and the exact code or message on the display, and ask whether they carry parts for this make — that is what turns one visit into a repair rather than a quote.
What it costs to fix
Typical repair cost
£0
Time on site
10 minutes
Nothing. If it turns out to be a socket or a circuit rather than the machine, that is an electrician’s job and priced as one, but there is no appliance repair here.
Typical UK prices including parts and labour, updated September 2026. Your quote may differ.
Own this appliance and had this code? . Nothing is published until a person has read it.
Related LG fault codes
- CEStop — call an engineerAn over-current in the motor circuit. LG’s own instruction is to close the water tap, unplug the machine, and have it repaired.Related: electronics and power
- OEGet it checkedThe machine could not drain the water it used. LG point at the drain filter and the drain hose, and both are owner-accessible.Related: same brand
- IEGet it checkedThe drum did not fill to the level it wanted in the time allowed. LG treat IE and 1E as the same code, so you do not need to tell them apart.Related: same brand
- UEUsually simple to fixThe load is heaped on one side of the drum. LG describe it as laundry piled to one side, and it is normal behaviour rather than a breakdown.Related: same brand
- LEGet it checkedThe drum failed to turn. LG name overloading and a foreign object first — and if it is the motor, the ten-year warranty may cover the part but not the labour.Related: same brand
- FEGet it checkedLG publish two different answers for FE. Their manual says close the tap and call an engineer; their UK website says clean the filter and change detergent.Related: same brand
Own a LG washing machine? Save it and its codes come first next time.
Related guides
Common questions about LG PF
Do I need to do anything except restart it?
After a one-off power cut, no. LG’s remedy is to restart the cycle and there is nothing else published. Bear in mind the drum may still have water and heat in it, so let the machine work through rather than opening the door immediately.
It happens every few washes. Is the machine faulty?
Not necessarily, and that is the point of taking it seriously. A machine that loses power repeatedly with no power cuts in the house is usually being let down by the socket, the plug or the lead rather than failing internally. LG’s own instruction to avoid power strips is aimed squarely at this.
Will the washing be all right?
It will be fine. Restarting picks the cycle up and the load gets washed. If the machine was part way through a hot wash you may want to add a rinse, because detergent that has sat in a cooling drum is worth flushing through properly.
Is PF the same as the machine simply being switched off?
Effectively yes, from the machine’s point of view — it is reporting that its supply went away while a programme was running. Someone knocking the switch, a plug being pulled to use the socket for something else, or an isolating switch above the worktop being flicked will all produce it.
Technical review
Not reviewed by an engineer
No engineer has read this page. Severity follows what the manufacturer publishes, and we would rather tell you that than let a byline imply a sign-off.
Sources and how we verified this
We establish the facts from the sources below and then write the explanation ourselves. We do not copy manufacturer wording and we do not host their manuals.
- Manufacturer technical and service documentation
This page has not been reviewed by an engineer, and we would rather tell you that than imply otherwise. The severity rating follows what the manufacturer publishes: where they say isolate the appliance and call someone, so do we.