How to Repair a Leaking LG Front Loader Washing Machine

My Washer is Leaking! Part Replace + Preventing Future Water Damage

1/6/2021

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Yikes! Another leaking washer! We are two for two when it comes to leaking LG washing machines! But, with a little bit of investigation and a couple of inexpensive parts, they were easily repaired.

Parts:

Water Inlet Valve Assembly for LG Washing Machines (Amazon)
28 in. x 30 in. Plastic Washing Machine Pan (Home Depot)
Moen 920-004 Flo by Moen Smart Water Detector (Amazon)

A puddle where it should have been was an indicator of a leak coming from inside the house.

The first indicator of trouble ahead was this puddle of water near Steph's front door. Because it appeared to originate at the foundation and move outward, we had a big suspicion there was water leaking on the other side of this wall

There was a puddle of water under the washer running towards the wall.

Yep! There it was. The washer was definitely leaking. Tip: turn off the water immediately and unplug the washer and dryer.

Steph was really fortunate that we caught the leak so quickly. We grabbed a bunch of puppy pad and started to wipe the water and accumulated dust and debris. Puppy pad are great for this--they absorb a lot and you can just throw them away. We even have an entire post about the different ways we use them. We'll put a link below to that.

We removed the LG front loading washing machine to get inside.

Once we had all the water taken care of, we turned our attention to the washer. Steph was ready to get rid of it, but I suggested we "follow the water" to see if we could find where it was leaking. It probably would have been a good idea to google how to take the top off this machine, but who has time for that? Looking at the machine, it appeared these brackets on each side of the top were the key to the top removal. And guess what? They were. The lid easily slid off revealing the inner workings of the machine.

Removing the top from the LG front loader.

Easy! It slides back and then lifts off.

It was the LG cold water intake valve that was leaking.

Once inside, we looked around for obvious water. This part was the culprit. This is the cold water intake valve. One of the three parts was leaking. Steph was able to get a picture of the part number, she looked it up on Amazon and ordered the part which cost just under $28. Unfortunately, the part was not going to ship for two weeks which was understandable since it was a few days before Christmas.

Getting ready to remove the old LG inlet valve assembly.

Once the part was in hand, it took about 20 minutes or so to install the new one. Steph removed these two screws to take out the old part.

Installing the new LG water intake valve assembly in the front loader washing machine.

We removed the old connectors one by one and immediately attached them to the new part in the order we removed them.

Reattaching the water tubes to the new LG valve.

There is still a bit of water in these tubes so use something to collect the water. Steph removed these hose clamp and then twisted off the tubes and connected them to the new part. Twisting them on and off is KEY to success.

Lifting the washer into the new washing machine pan.

We've had WAY to many leaks over the years so we decided to help manage future leaks. We bought a washing machine plastic pan for the washer to sit in. This way, if it leaks again, the water is contained! By the way, these types of pans are also available for hot water heaters.

Running a test load in the newly repaired LG front loader washing machine.

Okay, moment of truth, will the repair work? Steph hooked up the water, plugged it in, and did a test load.....no leaks!

Installing the Moon 920-004 Flo by Moen Smart Water Detector.

Now, for even more notification on future leaks, Steph tested out this smart home Moen water leak detector. It makes an audible sound when it detects water and send a notification to your phone.

The Moon 920-004 Flo by Moen Smart Water Detector in place and in use.

The base hangs on the wall and the extension sensor can be placed under the washer.

The LG washer model LG Model WM2250CW is all fixed and ready for continued use.

This 2012 LG front loader washing machine is all ready for many more years of use!

It is interesting that we both have LG washers and both have sprung leaks and both were easily repaired! Mine needed a new hot water inlet valve and in Steph's, it was the cold water inlet valve. It may be intimidating to open a washer and poke around looking for a leak, but we've done it twice, with no previous experience, and were successful.

We will be installing more of the Moen smart leak detection devices as we've actually quite a few leaks over the years. The last leak at my house, which caused a lot of damage, would have easily been caught early if I had one of these devices in place. (More on that in a future post!)

Please note: This is not a sponsored post.

FYI: We are not professionals, and we don't claim to be. This is what we found worked for our project. Yours may need a little different approach. Safety first!

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