If Your LG Washer Won’t Drain, Follow These 6 Steps

If Your LG Washer Won't Drain, Follow These 6 Steps

Is your LG washer having drainage issues? Then find out why it’s backed up and how you can get the water to empty again with the help of the tips in this article.

If your LG washer won’t drain you should check the position of the drain hose, straighten out any kinks, and remove any clogs from it. Ensure you clean the filter and load the washer correctly. Use high-efficiency detergent and level the washer.

We have worked with a wide variety of LG washing machines. Therefore, we have a lot of experience working with the issues listed above. Take a look at the results of our research, and see if you can figure out why your LG washing machine is not behaving as it should.

Materials Needed To Address Your LG Washing Machine

Before you can fix your LG washing machine, you need to make sure you have the right materials. Of course, you need to have access to the washing machine itself. Furthermore, you need to have the manual with you. That way, you can figure out where the parts are located, and what type of work you might need to do to remove or replace a specific part.

You may also want to have tools you can use to remove clogs from your washing machine. For example, you might want to have a snake device, a few towels, and a powerful cleaning solution. That way, you can remove any of the obstructions and test the washing machine further.

Once you have all the materials you need, it is time to get started fixing your washing machine. 

6 Steps to Fix Your LG Washer

LG washers are well sought after because of their ability to spin and their economic water and electricity consumption. But what should you do if your LG washer isn’t draining well? Take a look at the following two steps to find out

Step #1 Balance the Load

You must load your LG washer correctly for it to drain well. A load that is unbalanced or overly packed will not allow the washer to spin as it should. This will leave the machine with too much water inside it and will struggle to drain. 

Here are a couple of tips that will help you to fix this problem:

  • Evenly arrange your load
  • Do not overfill the washer
  • Use the SPIN setting. This will remove excess water from the clothes and out of the washer. 
Fully Loaded Washer
Evenly arrange your load.

Step #2 Use High-Efficiency Detergent

Which detergent do you put in your LG washer and how much of it do you use? Putting too much detergent or the wrong type of detergent in your washer can cause draining issues. It can produce excessive suds and wet loads. 

To prevent this from happening, follow these tips:

  • Only use high-efficiency detergent in your LG washer
  • Do not overfill the washer with detergent
  • Use less detergent if you live in a soft water area
Pouring Detergent On Washer
Only use high-efficiency detergent.

Step #3 Check the Drain Hose’s Condition

The next thing to do is to check the condition of your drain hose. If the drain hose has any kinks in it, the water will not be able to flow out of it properly. Any clogs inside the hose will also inhibit the water from draining. 

To fix these problems do the following:

  1. Straighten out the hose pipe and remove any kinks
  2. Unclog the hose

Do you live in a very cold climate? Then your drain hose will stop working if it is frozen. You will need to thaw out the drain hose before you use the machine. To thaw it, do the following:

  1. Pour in water that is 50 to 60 degrees Celsius
  2. Close the door
  3. Wait for 1 to 2 hours for the hose to thaw out
  4. Open the access panel and drain the water out through the hose

Step #4 Take a Look at the Drain Hose’s Position

Your LG Front Load washer needs to be in the right position for the water to drain properly. If the hose is not in the right place, water could drain back into it instead of draining out of it. This is what yours should look like:

  • The drain hose should drain into the standpipe or laundry tub
  • The hose should be no less than 34 inches high from the ground
  • The hose should be no more than 96 inches from the ground

Step #5 Clean the Filter and Test the Drain Pump

The drain pump is the mechanism that draws water out of the washer and into the drain. You should hear the drain pump hum while your washing machine operates. Here’s how you can test and see if your LG washer’s drain pump is working properly. 

  1. Turn the power on
  2. Put the washer on a high spin cycle
  3. Press the START button to begin a spin only cycle. You should hear a humming sound for the first 15 seconds of the cycle. You may also be able to hear the sound of water draining. If you cannot hear a humming sound or the sound of water draining, your drain pump may be faulty. You will need to replace it.

Your LG Front Load Washer’s filter needs to be kept clear. When clear, the water will easily be able to drain away from the machine. You should clean the filter on your washer periodically. 

Clogged Filter From Washing Machine
Remove any clogs from the hose.

Step #6 Level the Washer

Does your LG washer rock back and forth when you lean on one side of it? Then it seems like the washer is unbalanced. A washer that is not balanced will not be able to drain properly. 

To fix this problem, you should level your LG washing machine. Here are a couple of ways you can do that. 

  • Use nonskid pads to even out the washer
  • Loosen the lock nuts on the leveling feet under the washer

Although leveling out the washing machine is very important, you should ensure that this does not compromise its stability. A washer that does not have its feet sturdily on the ground will not drain well. If the floor underneath it is not sturdy enough, it will not drain properly. 

To ensure that your washer drains, move it onto a solid and sturdy section of the floor. If necessary, reduce your spin speed. 

Fixing an LG Washing Machine That Won’t Drain

These are just a few common reasons why your LG washing machine might not be draining. You need to take a closer look at the drain pump, and you need to make sure there is not a clog in the washing machine itself. You may also want to take a look at the door motor and the lid switch assembly.

If you have to replace a part of your LG washing machine, you may want to reach out to a professional who can help you. That way, you can figure out how expensive this is going to be, how much a new washing machine is going to be, and whether it is worth it for you. 

Finally, maintaining your washing machine is key. If you do, you should be able to reduce the risk of developing issues with it.

Conclusion

Do you have an LG washer that won’t drain? This is a frustrating and not-too-uncommon issue with LG top and front-load machines. Thankfully, this article has run through a bunch of ways that you can fix this problem no matter the model of your washer. 

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Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

Cheers,

Craig

Hi there! I’m Craig, and I’m the founder of Appliance Analysts. When it comes to appliances and anything electrical, I’ve always loved opening things up, figuring out how they work, and fixing them. This website is where I share free advice from myself and our experts to help our readers solve their appliance/HVAC problems and save money. Read more