The answer first
Drainage on a dryer only applies to condenser and heat-pump machines, which collect the water they pull out of the laundry. When that water cannot go where it should, it ends up in the cabinet or on the floor. On a Aviva dryer the order below is what makes this page worth reading — the causes are ranked for this kind of machine, not listed alphabetically.
Recognising it
- The tank fills far too quickly, or not at all — Both point at the same system: one says the water is not reaching the drain, the other says it is not reaching the tank.
- Water in the bottom of the machine or on the floor — The internal sump has overflowed, usually because the pump cannot clear it.
- A warning light for the tank when the tank is empty — A level sensor reading wrongly, or a float stuck by lint slime.
- The drain hose runs but the machine still stops — A partly blocked hose or one routed above the height the pump can lift.
- NEAR MISS — a vented machine with water around it — A vented dryer has no drainage system, so that is duct condensation and a different page.
What it usually turns out to be
- Lint clogging the condenser or heat exchanger — First. The exchanger is where the moisture is condensed, so it is also where every fibre that gets past the filters ends up. A clogged exchanger cannot drain and it backs up into the cabinet.
- Blocked or stuck pump — Second. The condensate pump is small and lints up readily, and a stuck impeller means the sump fills while the tank stays empty.
- Drain hose kinked, blocked or routed too high — Third, and it is the cause that appears immediately after installation: these pumps have a modest lift and a hose above it simply never drains.
- Level sensor or float fouled — Fourth: a float stuck by lint slime tells the machine the tank is full and stops the cycle even though nothing is blocked at all.
The diagnostic order
- Empty the tank and run a short cycle — Watch whether water arrives. A dry tank after a damp load means the water is stopping upstream.
- Pull and inspect the condenser filter block — It is behind a door at the bottom on most machines, and a matted exchanger is visible at once.
- Check the drain hose route if one is fitted — Look for kinks and note how high it rises before it reaches the standpipe.
The checks worth doing
- Empty and refit the condensate tank correctly — Seat it fully. A tank not pushed home reads as full on many machines and stops the cycle.
About 10 min
- Remove and rinse the condenser filter assembly — Take the block out, rinse it under a tap until the water runs clear through it, and let it drain before refitting.
Tools: soft brushAbout 30 min
- Vacuum the exchanger housing and its seals — Lint packs around the seals as well as in the block, and it is what stops the housing draining.
Tools: vacuumAbout 20 min
- Straighten the drain hose and lower its high point — Keep the run below the maximum lift the machine specifies and free of kinks.
About 20 min
- STOP before opening the machine to the pump — The condensate pump is mains-wired inside a cabinet that has been holding water.
Read this before you start
Safety
Power off at the breaker before any panel comes away, and treat the heater terminals as live until proven otherwise. A dryer fire almost always starts in accumulated lint, so the lint path is part of the safety job, not part of the cleaning job. Do not run the machine with the door switch defeated.
When to call a technician
Cleaning the exchanger is the single most valuable maintenance job on a condenser dryer and it resolves most drainage complaints outright. Beyond it, the cabinet has to come off. When you book, say whether the tank fills too fast or not at all — those two symptoms send a technician to opposite ends of the same system.
Nearby pages
How specific this page is
This page is generalized across the Aviva dryer line: it covers the appliance class rather than one family or one model line. Where a family- or model-specific page exists for your unit it is the better answer and it is linked from this page — check the model label before you rely on anything here. What is deliberately not on this page: wiring colours, board part numbers, torque figures and teardown order, all of which differ by family and belong on the page for that family.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
