What to check yourself
Step 1. Close both water taps
Before any diagnosis. If the valve is stuck open this is the only thing stopping the machine filling, and it takes ten seconds.
Step 2. Drain the excess water
LG's own advice is to run a spin only cycle to pump the water out. If the machine will not accept a cycle, use the small drain tube behind the panel at the bottom front with a tray under it.
The water may still be hot if the cycle stopped part way through a hot wash.
Step 3. Watch the level with the machine switched off
This is the check that names the fault. With the taps open and the machine off, no water should enter the drum at all. If the level rises anyway, the fill valve is stuck open mechanically and needs replacing. Leave the taps closed until it is done.
Step 4. Check the drain is not siphoning water back
A drain hose pushed too deep into the standpipe can pull water through the machine continuously, which the sensor reads as a rising level. Pull it back so only a few inches sit inside the pipe.
What a technician will look at
Described so you know what you are paying for, not as steps to repeat.
Pressure sensor and its air hose
The machine measures water level through a thin air hose running to a pressure sensor. If the hose is cracked, kinked or blocked with detergent sludge, the sensor reads low and the machine keeps filling. Cheap part, common cause, but reaching it means opening the machine.
Water inlet valve replacement
A valve that no longer seats is the most common cause overall. It fails open rather than closed, which is why the fault presents as too much water rather than too little.
When to call a technician
As soon as you have seen water enter the drum with the machine switched off. That is a stuck valve, it does not recover, and the machine has to stay with its taps closed until someone replaces it.
What the repair costs
| Repair | Part only | Fitted by a technician |
|---|---|---|
| Repositioning the drain hose | - | Free |
| Pressure sensor or air hose replacement | - | $150 to $350 |
| Water inlet valve replacement | - | $95 to $300 |
A new machine of the same class runs $500 to $1,500. Once a quote passes about a third of that on an older appliance, the repair stops making sense.
Codes people confuse this with
Questions people ask
- How is this different from PE?
- FE is what happens, PE is what the machine suspects. FE says the level is too high, which is usually a valve that will not close. PE says the sensor reading the level is not behaving, so the machine cannot trust any level at all. They overlap because a failed sensor can produce either.
- Can I just keep using it and drain it by hand?
- No. If the valve is stuck open, the machine fills while nobody is watching it, including overnight. The taps stay closed until the valve is replaced.
Which machines this applies to
Applies to
LG front load, top load and WashTower machines. On top loaders LG describes the same condition as an overfill or fill error and asks for the supply to be closed before anything else.
Last checked
2026-08-09