HVAC Code Lookup

LG Mini-Split Code CH38

Hard lockoutShown as: Outdoor LED1 blinks 3 times, LED2 blinks 6 times (2-LED type; service manual lists this row as '36 (38)')

Refrigerant leakage detection - the system is low on refrigerant. LG's consumer support page states plainly that CH38 means the air conditioner is low on refrigerant (gas).

Manual wording: “Refrigerant leakage detection”

Documented for: LG residential mini-split outdoor units with refrigerant leak detection (including LSU363HLV-class dual inverter units)

Likely causes, most common first

  1. Pipe break damage
  2. Bad connection of the pipe (flare joints)
  3. Pipe damage due to corrosion
  4. Corrosion damage of the heat exchanger
  5. Compressor damage (crack)
  6. EEV body clogging
  7. Refrigerant shortage, including too little refrigerant added at install for the line length

What you can safely check yourself

  • Turn the system off so the compressor is not running short of refrigerant until a technician can look at it

When to call a technician

A leak has to be found, repaired, and the system evacuated and recharged by weight. That is EPA-regulated work for a licensed technician - topping it off without finding the leak just repeats the failure.

A LG mini-split throwing this code repeatedly has a reason — clearing the code without fixing the cause just hides it.

Sources

Other LG codes