Washing machine drain filter
A trap that catches what should never have reached the pump. Two manufacturers give two different intervals and only one says to unplug the machine — which is the whole answer to whether there is a general procedure.
Precautions
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
- Disconnect from the power supply first
In detail
The drain filter sits between the drum and the drain pump and catches what a pump cannot survive: lint in quantity, and the hard objects that come out of pockets. Manufacturers describe its contents in those terms — clumps of lint, lost buttons, loose change. Left long enough it restricts drainage, and because it holds water between washes it is a plausible contributor to a machine that smells, though no source here has tested that. What can be said about the component in general is limited, and the limit is instructive rather than evasive. Two manufacturers' instructions for their own machines disagree on three things that matter. One says the filter is cleanable ON SOME MODELS; the other says it is fitted only to front-loaders and combination machines, never to top-loaders. One opens by telling you to unplug the machine; the other says only that it should be off, empty and drained. One says every few months; the other says monthly. So the shape of the task is general and the procedure is not. There is water behind the cover, which is why both manufacturers drain it into a container first. Everything else belongs to the manual for the machine in front of you.
Sources for this page
Sources
Cleaning the Pump Filter — Front Load Washer
Whirlpool Corporation · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That the filter is typically at the front bottom of the machine, that the first instruction is to unplug it or disconnect it from the power source, that water is drained into a large flat container before the filter is opened, that it collects lint and residue, that the interval given is every few months or as needed, and that only some models have a cleanable filter. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — The location, power, draining, cleaning and frequency instructions. Supports the claim as stated.
LG Washer — How to Clean the Drain Pump Filter
LG Electronics · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That the filter is fitted only to front-load and combination machines and not to top-loaders, that the stated preparation is an empty machine turned off and drained rather than unplugged, that residual water is caught in a shallow pan, that the filter collects buttons, coins and lint, and that the interval given is monthly. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — Which machines have the filter, the draining procedure and the frequency. Supports the claim as stated.
Last reviewed by a person on .