The short answer
On a LG dryer, water where a dryer should not produce any usually comes down to a full or unseated condensate tank rather than anything deeper in the machine: a condenser dryer collects the water it removes from the load, and a tank that is full or not pushed home overflows as a matter of course. That keeps it an owner check first, not a service call. Start here: clear the whole vent run to the outside first, because LG's control reacts to duct restriction and will shorten or stall cycles rather than overheat.
What you are seeing
- A damp patch on the floor under or behind the machine
- Water inside the drum after a cycle
- Water running from the lower access door
- Not this fault: Water from the washer standpipe next to it, which is a plumbing fault
- Not this fault: Damp clothes with a dry floor, which is a drying-performance problem
- Body: LG builds this dryer as a drum carried on rollers with felt seals front and rear, a dual blower path, moisture bars in the drum front and a duct-restriction indicator. That architecture decides which of these you see first.
- Also check note: If these fit better, the fault is a different one.
Likely causes, in order
- A full or unseated condensate tank — Why this rank: LG's compact and heat-pump models carry a condensate tank, so on those water on the floor is an expected fault rather than a surprise.
- A clogged condenser block — Why this rank: Where an LG is ventless, the condenser behind the lower panel clogs with lint and floods its sump.
- Water arriving from something other than the dryer — Why this rank: A full-size vented LG has no water circuit at all, so the washer standpipe beside it is the first thing to rule out.
- The condensate pump or its hose — Why this rank: Where the machine is plumbed to a drain.
- Condensation in the duct running back into the machine — Why this rank: LG measures duct restriction, and the same long cold run that trips that measurement is the run that condenses and drains back.
- Body: Ranked for a LG dryer specifically.
What to check, in order
- Body: The order follows the ranking, and the ranking follows the platform. First: pull the tank out fully, empty it and push it back until it clicks. It goes first because lG's compact and heat-pump models carry a condensate tank, so on those water on the floor is an expected fault rather than a surprise. Second: release the condenser behind the lower door and rinse it until water passes freely. With the first check clean, this is what the LG platform makes next most likely. Third: dry the floor completely and run the dryer alone with nothing else using the drain. Only after those three is it worth reaching for the condensate pump or its hose: it costs more to get at, and it does not explain the first three coming back clean.
Checks you can make
- Disconnect the duct at the wall and run the dryer on air-fluff. A strong steady flow at the machine with weak flow at the outside hood puts the restriction in the run, not in the dryer. — Tools: screwdriver — Time: about fifteen minutes
- Dry the floor completely under and behind the machine, then run the dryer alone with nothing else in the room using a drain, and look again. — Tools: towel — Time: about forty minutes
- Pull the lint filter and wipe the two metal sensor bars behind it with a little rubbing alcohol on a cloth. A softener film there is the usual cause of a cycle that stops early. — Tools: cloth, rubbing alcohol — Time: about five minutes
- Body: Stop at the first step that would need a meter on live terminals or a sealed assembly opened.
Before you open anything
Safety
Switch the machine off at its breaker or unplug it before opening anything, and shut the water supply if the fault involves water. Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel. A capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. These machines are heavy and move when they are worked on. Get help before tilting or walking one out, and never put a hand under a raised cabinet. Water and a heavy electrical appliance share the same floor in a laundry room. Dry it before you kneel on it.
When to call
The line is not difficulty, it is what the next step costs and risks. Call when: the machine is a condenser or heat-pump model and the leak returns after the tank and condenser have been cleared water is reaching the electrical connections or the terminal block at the rear
What this page omits
This is generalized information: it ranks causes for the LG dryer range as one platform, not for a single model. Where a page exists for your specific model it is the more specific one and takes precedence over this. The narrower pages below cover the other presentations of this symptom.
Entries: - [LG Dryer: Abnormal Noise or Vibration](/blog/lg-dryer-abnormal-noise) - [LG Dryer: Will Not Start or No Power](/blog/lg-dryer-wont-start-2) - [LG Dryer: Not Heating](/blog/lg-dryer-heating-failure)
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Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
