PF stands for “Power Failure” on most washer brands, and it means exactly that: the machine lost power partway through a cycle. It is a record of what happened, not a diagnosis of a broken part — the fix is almost always to resume or restart the cycle, not to repair anything.
What PF means
Modern washers keep a small amount of memory of where they were in a cycle. If mains power is interrupted mid-cycle and then restored, the control board reports PF to let you know the cycle did not run to completion uninterrupted — rather than silently resuming and risking an incomplete wash or rinse.
Common causes
| Cause | How likely | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Household power outage | Very common | Other clocks and appliances also lost time or reset |
| Tripped circuit breaker or blown fuse | Common | Nothing else on that circuit has power either |
| Machine accidentally unplugged or switched off at the wall | Common | Recent cleaning or rearranging near the machine |
| Brief voltage dip or surge | Occasional | No obvious outage, but sensitive electronics like a router also reset |
| Faulty wall socket or loose plug connection | Less common | PF recurs repeatedly with no external outage |
How to clear it
- Check the cycle result
If the power loss happened late in the cycle, the wash may be effectively finished — open the door and check. If it happened early or mid-cycle, the load may still be soapy or only partly rinsed.
- Restart the cycle
Most machines simply need you to select a cycle and press start again. On some models, pressing start once resumes from where it left off; check your manual if you want to confirm which your machine does.
- Run an extra rinse if in doubt
If you are not sure how much of the wash completed before the outage, run a rinse-and-spin cycle to be safe rather than risk detergent residue in the clothes.
- Confirm the socket and plug
If PF appears with no explanation — no household outage, nothing else affected — check that the plug is fully seated and the socket itself is not loose or faulty.
When it is worth investigating further
If PF keeps appearing with no corresponding power outage anywhere else in the house, have an electrician check the socket, the circuit and the plug connection — a loose or failing connection at that specific outlet is worth ruling out before assuming it is a one-off.
Stop and call a qualified appliance technician or electrician if you find scorched or melted wiring, smell burning, see water that has reached electrical components, or if the fault returns immediately after a repair. Never bypass a safety device — thermal fuses, door interlocks and flood switches fail for a reason, and defeating one converts a broken appliance into a fire or flood risk.
