Whirlpool Washer rL error code

Appliance and code

Whirlpool washer · rL

Status message, not a fault

Items were detected in the drum during the Clean Washer cycle.

What it means	Items were detected in the drum during the Clean Washer cycle.
Fault familyNot a fault at all — the machine is telling you what it is doing.	Status message, not a fault
Same fault, other codes on this branddifferent model years display it differently	F34
Step 1	Empty the drum completely and restart the Clean Washer cycle.
Same fault on other brandsuseful when the house has two machines, or when searching a repair forum	LG tcL · LG Cd · LG dcL · Samsung Cb · Samsung dn
Service call?work through the steps above in order; they run cheapest first	Not necessarily

Notes

rL on a Whirlpool washer means: Items were detected in the drum during the Clean Washer cycle.
The same fault appears as F34 on other Whirlpool models. The code changed between generations; the fault did not. A search that turns up nothing under one spelling will usually turn up plenty under another.
Across brands this is the same fault as LG tcL, LG Cd, LG dcL, Samsung Cb. No manufacturer publishes that mapping, because each one documents only its own codes — but the underlying failure and the order you check things in are identical.
Work the steps in order. They are arranged so the free checks come before the ones that cost money, which is also the order in which the causes actually occur.
Clearing the code is not fixing it. Every one of these machines will show the code again on the next cycle if the underlying condition is still there. A code that clears and stays away means the fix worked; a code that clears and comes back means it did not.

What the code means

Whirlpool washer, code rL — Items were detected in the drum during the Clean Washer cycle.

Fault family: Status message, not a fault.

The same fault under other names

Where	Code
This brand, other model years	F34
Other brands	LG tcL, LG Cd, LG dcL, Samsung Cb, Samsung dn

Manufacturers document only their own codes, so nobody publishes that second row. It matters more than it looks: a household usually owns two brands over time, and a repair thread that solves your problem is often written about the other one.

Work the checks in order

The steps below are ordered so the free ones come first. That is also the order in which the causes actually occur — the cheap check is cheap because it is the common cause, not despite it.

Start with: Empty the drum completely and restart the Clean Washer cycle.

Clearing the code is not the fix

Every machine here will show the code again on the next cycle if the condition that caused it is still present. Two outcomes are worth telling apart:

the code clears and stays away — the fix worked
the code clears and returns — it did not, and the next cycle costs you the same diagnosis again

Cutting power for a minute clears the display on nearly all of these. It does not tell you anything about the fault.

When to stop and call someone

A code is a service call when the next step would put you next to something live, pressurised, or holding water above the door line — or when the maker itself says so, which is noted on this page where it applies.

Everything else on this list is a filter, a hose, a latch or a load. Those are worth twenty minutes before anyone charges a call-out fee.

Nearby sizes

Washer Hums But Won't Start: Door Lock, Drain, or a Seized MotorMost machines that appear dead are actually waiting for a condition that is never met, and they cannot tell you which one.
Clothes Still Soaking After a Cycle: The Machine Skipped the SpinWet clothes are the visible end of a chain that started earlier in the cycle, and the machine usually gave up for a reason.
A Squeaking Dryer: Rollers, Idler or Bearing, and How to TellDryers are simple machines with three things that rub, and each one makes a different noise.
Water Under a Dryer: Condensation, Not a LeakThe first thing to establish is which kind of dryer it is, because one of them has no water in it to leak.