5 Reasons of LG Dishwasher Not Draining [Solution]

5 Reasons of LG Dishwasher Not Draining [Solution]

The LG dishwasher not draining issue is a common issue. The older model of dishwashers is more prone to draining-related issues.

If you are using an older model of the dishwasher, you are more likely to experience draining issues in your dishwasher.

However, you can avoid this draining issue through proper cleaning of the dishwasher. 

There are two main parts where food particles are likely to build up in the LG dishwasher.

The first one is a Mesh filter, and the second one is a drain hose.

If you don’t clean this part while cleaning the dishwasher, you will surely encounter a drain issue in your dishwasher. 

If you are experiencing a drain issue in your dishwasher, you’ve come to the right place.

Here in this article, we will discuss the LG dishwasher draining issue in detail, along with its causes and solutions.

Therefore, I suggest you stay in the article until the end so you won’t miss any important points from the article.  

Why is the LG dishwasher not draining?

As mentioned earlier, the main issue behind the draining issue in LG dishwashers is a clogged filter or drain hose.

If any of these parts in your dishwasher is blocked with food particles, it will create a draining issue in the dishwasher.

In addition, sometimes air gap inside the dishwasher drain pump can also escalate the drain issue in the dishwasher. 

Error codes are one of the easiest ways to identify and detect drain issues in the dishwasher. Nowadays, the most modern dishwasher is equipped with an automatic error detection system.

This helps the user to detect almost every minor issue with the help of an error code.

The error code for the draining issue in the LG dishwasher is OE. If the dishwasher control panel shows Error code OE, it is associated with the drain issue. 

What causes a drain issue in the LG dishwasher?

5 Reasons for LG Dishwasher Not Draining [Solution]

There are various reasons that can cause drain issues in LG dishwashers depending upon the model. However, we can’t become certain about one particular case.

Therefore, in this section, we will be discussing causes and solutions for draining issues in LG dishwashers. Here is the list of causes that can escalate drain issues in LG dishwashers. 

Clogged drain hose

A clogged drain hose is one of the major reasons that cause of the draining issue in the LG dishwasher.

Drain issues play an important role in the dishwasher passing water after the wash cycle. If the drain hose is blocked due to food build or clogged, your dishwasher will face a draining issue. 

The drain hose is located at the bottom of the dishwasher. One end of the dishwasher drain hose is connected to the drain pump and another end to the garbage disposal.

You can easily inspect the dishwasher drain hose by removing the bottom access panel from your dishwasher. 

Solution

If the dishwasher drains hose is blocked with food residue or food remains.

You should remove it from the dishwasher, and you can easily clean it. Here is the step-wise instruction to clean the dishwasher drain hose. 

  1. Remove the dishwasher power cord and water supply coming into the dishwasher. 
  2. As we look after the drain hose, remove one end of the drain hose connected to the garbage disposal. 
  3. Now, if the dishwasher is inside the kitchen cabinet, remove it. Remove all the screws securing the dishwasher inside a kitchen cabinet. Once you remove the screw, you can easily remove the dishwasher from the kitchen cabinet. 
  4. Lay the dishwasher on the floor and put clothes beneath the dishwasher to prevent damage and scratches. 
  5. Remove the lower access panel of the dishwasher.
  6. You will see another end of the drain hose connected to the drain pump. 
  7. Loosen the screw securing the drain hose into the drain pump and remove it. 
  8. Now put the drain hose under running water and thoroughly clean the food particles and residue. You can use a brush and detergent to clean the drain hose. 
  9. Once you are done cleaning the drain hose, reinstall it into the drain pump and ensure it is tightly sealed with a screw. 
  10. Put the dishwasher inside the kitchen cabinet and run the empty cycle.

If the error persists, another issue must be causing a drain problem on your dishwasher. I suggest you check the next causes from this list. 

Clogged drain filter

A dishwasher drain filter plays an important role in filtering food debris from the water during the draining process.

It filters out all the tiny debris from the water and passes it into the drain hose. Therefore, you need to clean this drain filter from time to time to prevent any blockage and clogged. 

Similarly, it can also cause the dishwasher to create a bad odor. The dishwasher drain filter is located at the bottom of the dishwasher; you can easily access and clean it on your dishwasher.

Solution

If your dishwasher drain filter is clogged with food residue or particles. You should clean your drain filter to prevent drain issues in your dishwasher. Here is the step-wise instruction to clean the dishwasher drain filter. 

  1. Remove the power cable and turn off the water supply in the dishwasher. 
  2. Open the dishwasher door and remove the lowermost dish rack.
  3. Now remove the mesh filter from the dishwasher. You should rotate it counterclockwise to remove it from your dishwasher. 
  4. You can now access the STS filter and error filter. Remove the STS filter and error filter from the dishwasher. 
  5. Clean mesh and STS filter under running water using a brush. Clean the filter thoroughly and ensure no remaining food residue in the filter. 
  6. Once you are done cleaning mesh and STS filter, reinstall it in your dishwasher. 

Now restart the dishwasher in the empty cycle and ensure that you have installed the filter assembly correctly in your dishwasher. If the draining issue persists, there must be another reason behind the issue. 

Defective drain pump

An issue in the dishwasher drain pump can also cause a drain issue in the LG dishwasher. LG dishwasher equipped with drain pump that pumps out water from the dishwasher.

If the drain pump in your dishwasher is not functional, you will encounter a draining issue in your dishwasher.

In most models, you will have a single motor with two separate compartments for water circulation and draining. 

Similarly, some models come with two separate compartments for draining and circulation.

You can check this information on the dishwasher user manual; you will find all the information related to your dishwasher. 

Solution

If the dishwasher drain pump is defective, you need to replace it with a new one.

You can check the functioning of the dishwasher drain pump using a multimeter. Follow the below step-wise instructions if you don’t know how to check the dishwasher drain pump. 

  1. Before starting, make sure you have removed the water and power supply coming into the dishwasher. I recommend you remove the power cable and drain hose connected to the garbage disposal. 
  2. Now remove all the screws securing the dishwasher onto the kitchen cabinet. 
  3. Remove the dishwasher, lay it on the floor, and put clothes beneath the dishwasher. 
  4. Remove the lower access panel from the dishwasher. 
  5. Now turn on the multimeter on Rx1 mode, and using a probe, touch it onto pump terminals. 
  6. First, I recommend you test continuity. When you are testing continuity multimeter will show a reading of zero. 
  7. After checking for continuity, check for ground. To check the ground of the dishwasher pump, you should touch one probe on bare metal and one on the terminal. In this case, the multimeter will not show any reading. 

I hope that you’ve followed the above-discussed steps. If the multimeter shows zero and no reading while continuity and ground check. Your drain pump is working fine. Similarly, if it shows a different reading, you will need to replace the pump. 

Clogged garbage disposal

A sometimes clogged garbage disposal can also cause draining issues in the LG dishwasher.

If the food debris is stuck in the blade, it can also cause block water from draining out of the dishwasher.

Therefore, I recommend you properly inspect the garbage disposal and check for food and residue buildup. If there is food and residue buildup, run garbage disposal in your LG dishwasher. 

Solution

You can get rid of clogged garbage disposal by running garbage disposal on your LG dishwasher. A garbage disposal can be activated by pressing simultaneously the Delicate and Dual Control buttons. 

If your dishwasher doesn’t have Delicate and Dual Control, press the Spray and half load buttons simultaneously. This will start garbage disposal in your dishwasher and wash out all food debris from the dishwasher. 

Wrong detergent

If you are experiencing suds build-up after the wash cycle, you must be using the wrong detergent in your dishwasher.

You should always use a detergent that is recommended by your manufacturer. There are mainly two types of detergent used in dishwashers liquid and powder.

You can use any of these detergents recommended by your manufacturer. Besides this, using too much detergent can also create draining issues in the dishwasher.

Therefore, I suggest you use the right detergent in the right amount to prevent draining issues in your dishwasher.

What to do if the dishwasher is still not draining?

It is not necessary that the above-discussed solution should work in all models. In the above section, we have discussed different solutions to fix the draining issue in the dishwasher.

I recommend you to follow each of the solutions on your dishwasher. 

If the problem persists, you can seek support from the LG service center. All you need to do is tell them your dishwasher model number they will help you get through the issues.

Or, I suggest you call the dishwasher service center. 

Conclusion

The draining issue is a common issue seen in almost every dishwasher out there. However, the issue can be prevented through regular cleaning of the dishwasher and by maintaining proper cleanliness.

In the above section, we discuss different solutions depending upon issues to fix the drain issue in your dishwasher. 

I hope that these solutions have worked well in your dishwasher. If you have any problems or comments about the above-discussed solution and problem, write them below.

We will get back to your query or questions as soon as possible. 

Frequently Asked Question

How to prevent clogged buildup inside the dishwasher?

You can effectively clean your dishwasher using Vinegar water solution. All you need to do is pour two cups of white into a glass and place that cup into the lowermost rack of your dishwasher.

After this, run the normal cycle on your dishwasher and make sure to turn off the dry heat option while doing so. Once done with this procedure, remove the drain filter and clean the food remains.

Why should you clean the dishwasher?

Over time grease and food debris can build up inside the dishwasher parts. It also creates a favorable situation for germs to bread.

Besides this, a clogged and dirty dishwasher cannot perform at its best as it affects the efficiency and life span of the dishwasher.

Therefore, it is suggested to clean the dishwasher at least once a week. 

How to prevent clogged buildup inside the dishwasher?

If the water in your area contains too many minerals, you will encounter clogged buildup most often.

In this case, I recommend you clean your dishwasher once or twice a week using the vinegar-water solution.

Similarly, clean the food particles from the plate before putting them into the dishwasher.

These are some solutions that you can implement or follow to prevent clogged buildup inside the dishwasher. 

How to force the LG dishwasher to drain?

The newest dishwasher comes with features through which you can force the dishwasher to drain.

If you use an LG dishwasher there, you will see two buttons, Delicate and Dual Control.

In some models, you will see the cancel and drain button. Depending upon your dishwasher model, press these two buttons simultaneously and let the dishwasher run the cycle for 45 seconds.

After this, turn off the dishwasher and start the empty cycle; this will force the LG dishwasher to drain. 

I am Kevin Technician and this website is created with the purpose to help common people to find proper information about Dishwasher. Feel free to comment or email your queries.