3-second answer: AE on an LG dishwasher means “Aqua Error” — the leak sensor in the base pan has detected water. The dishwasher will refuse to run until you clear it. Power off and unplug, tilt the unit forward about 10-15 degrees to drain pooled water from the base, then check the door gasket, dispenser, and water hoses. If AE returns on an empty Rinse cycle after a reset, there’s a real leak (or a stuck sensor) and you need a technician.
LG dishwasher flashing AE and refusing to start? Call 647-834-4646 for same-day LG dishwasher service across Toronto, North York, Markham, Vaughan, and York Region. LG-trained techs, leak-detection on the truck.
Most online guides about AE stop at “check for water under the dishwasher” — which is the right first step, but leaves you stuck when the floor is dry and AE keeps firing anyway. This guide is the full leak-diagnosis flow our LG appliance specialists walk customers through: the six real causes ranked by frequency, the five-step DIY fix (including the tilt-and-drain step that almost nobody mentions), and an honest read on when a slow drip has already done damage you can’t see.
What does AE mean on an LG dishwasher?
On every LG dishwasher sold in North America — LDF, LDP, LDT, LDB, LDS, LDH, QuadWash, TrueSteam, and Direct Drive lines — AE stands for “Aqua Error”. LG’s leak-detection system has tripped. A float switch sitting in the dishwasher’s base pan (the drip tray underneath the wash tub) has been pushed upward by water pooling there, and the control board has shut the unit down to protect your floor.
This is the most important thing to understand: AE is a safety code, not a destructive fault. The dishwasher is doing exactly what it should — refusing to run to keep a small leak from becoming a 10-square-foot floor-replacement claim. The diagnostic question isn’t “how do I make AE go away” but “where is the water coming from.” This guide walks you through that. For other codes, see our hub on appliance error codes.
One naming clarification that trips up a lot of LG dishwasher owners: AE is not the same as a “drain error” or a “fill error.” Some forum posts conflate the three because they all involve water, but the AE float switch only triggers on water in the wrong place (the base pan, outside the wash tub). A drain error is water that should be leaving the tub but isn’t; a fill error is water that should be entering the tub but isn’t. AE is water somewhere it has no business being at all.
Top 6 causes of the LG dishwasher AE error
Across hundreds of LG dishwasher service calls in Toronto, North York, Markham, and across the GTA, this is roughly how AE causes break down. The key insight is that most AE codes are slow drips, not visible puddles — by the time the float switch trips, the leak source may already be dry to the eye.
- Door gasket leak — about 35% of AE codes. The rubber seal around the dishwasher door dries out, hardens, or tears, especially along the bottom edge where suds and food debris accumulate. Water drips down the inside of the door during the wash cycle, runs along the bottom frame, and pools in the base pan. The tell: a thin white mineral line on the bottom of the door frame, or visible wear on the gasket itself. A replacement gasket is $40-$90 in parts, 30 minutes of work.
- Loose inlet hose or fill valve connection — about 20%. The water inlet under the kick plate has backed off its compression fitting, often after a recent install, a kitchen-cabinet move, or a hard knock from the user reaching under for something. Even a 1-drop-per-minute weep accumulates over a full 90-minute wash cycle. Common in the first 90 days after a new install — the fitting settles and works loose. Often a free tightening fix.
- Detergent dispenser overflow or oversudsing — about 15%. The two big mistakes here: using non-dishwasher detergent (regular dish soap, or laundry detergent), or using too much dishwasher tab/powder. Both create foam that overflows the inner door dispenser, runs down the inside, and is read by the AE sensor as a leak. If AE appeared on first use of a new detergent brand, this is almost certainly the cause. Free fix — switch detergents.
- Spray arm or upper rack inlet cracked — about 10%. The spray arms (especially the upper-rack arm) and the rear water inlet that feeds them can crack from impact (loading a heavy pan) or thermal stress. Water then sprays sideways inside the tub during the cycle instead of being contained, hits the door, runs down, and accumulates in the base. Hard to diagnose without pulling the racks and running an inspection cycle. Parts $30-$100; 30-45 min labour.
- Drain hose split, chafed, or kinked — about 10%. The drain hose runs from the dishwasher up to your under-sink connection. If it’s been chafed against a sharp cabinet edge, frozen during a winter without heat, or kinked from cabinet movement, it leaks during the drain phase. Symptom: AE only fires partway through the cycle, not at the start. Replacement: $20-$50 parts, 30 min labour.
- Float-switch false trigger or aged sensor — about 10%. The float switch itself fails open (stuck up, reading “leak” even when the pan is dry), most commonly on LG dishwashers 8+ years old. This is the cause when AE returns immediately on an empty Rinse cycle and a thorough visual inspection finds no water anywhere. Diagnosis is by elimination of causes 1-5. Sensor part: $30-$70; labour 30-45 min. The most common “AE code but no leak” search lands here.
The cause distribution above is field experience from LG dishwasher repair across the GTA, not a published LG study. Causes 1-3 cover 70% of AE codes and most are DIY-able; causes 4-6 typically need a tech. The next section is the at-home diagnostic flow that separates them.
How to fix the LG dishwasher AE code in 5 steps
The exact diagnostic sequence our techs walk LG dishwasher owners through over the phone. About 60% of AE codes clear on steps 1 through 3 alone. Step 4 is the reset; step 5 is the diagnostic that tells you whether you need a service call. Total elapsed time: about 20 minutes plus the empty test cycle.
- Power off and unplug the dishwasher (1 min). Press Power to turn it off, then unplug from the outlet under the sink — or flip the breaker dedicated to the dishwasher. Don’t skip the unplug. AE is a safety code; you need the float switch fully de-energized so it can reset when the water drains out. If your dishwasher is hard-wired, the breaker is the only way.
- Tilt the unit forward to drain the base pan (5 min). This is the step almost every online guide skips. Carefully pull the dishwasher out from under the counter on its rollers (most LG models slide forward with about 20 lbs of pull once the kick plate is off and the mounting screws are loose). Tilt it forward about 10-15 degrees and hold it there with a towel underneath. Pooled water in the base pan will run forward and out. If a lot of water comes out, you’ve confirmed there’s been a real leak. If only a trickle or nothing, the float switch may be stuck or the leak was a one-off oversuds event.
- Inspect the gasket, dispenser, and hoses (10 min). With the dishwasher still pulled forward and the kick plate off, check (a) the door gasket along the bottom and sides — run a fingertip over it looking for cracks, tears, or hardening; (b) the detergent dispenser inside the door — open it, check for residue buildup or a stuck flap; (c) the water inlet hose and fill valve fittings under the unit — feel for damp spots and try to wiggle the compression nuts (they should be hand-tight plus a quarter turn); (d) the drain hose path from the dishwasher up to the sink connection — look for chafing, kinks, or splits. Most AE causes show themselves in this inspection.
- Hardware reset: leave unplugged for 5 to 10 minutes (10 min). With the dishwasher pulled forward, the base pan drained, and the visible issues addressed, leave it unplugged for 5 to 10 full minutes. The control board capacitors need time to discharge so the float switch state resets. Push the dishwasher back under the counter, plug back in, but don’t run a full cycle yet.
- Run an empty Rinse-only diagnostic cycle (12 min). Close the door, select the shortest Rinse cycle (no detergent, no dishes, racks empty). Start it. Watch what happens. If the cycle completes without AE — you’re done; one of steps 1-3 fixed it. If AE returns within 5 minutes of cycle start, the leak source you missed is still active, or the float switch has failed. At that point, stop running cycles (more cycles equals more water on your floor) and call a tech. The fact that AE returned on an empty cycle is the single most useful piece of information you can give the tech before they arrive.
If steps 1-3 cleared AE — great, you’re done. If step 5 confirmed AE returns on an empty cycle, that’s a hardware diagnosis call. Book us online at book LG repair online or call 647-834-4646.
How to reset the AE code on an LG dishwasher
“Reset” is what most owners search for when AE appears, so let’s be precise about it. LG dishwashers do NOT have a dedicated AE reset button. There are two legitimate reset paths, and both REQUIRE that the underlying water has drained from the base pan — no reset will clear AE if the float switch is still floating.
- Soft reset (rarely works for AE). Press Power off, wait 30 seconds, press Power on, choose your cycle, press Start. This works on transient codes but rarely on AE — the float switch state survives a power cycle. Try it once; if AE returns immediately, move to the hard reset.
- Hard reset (the AE-appropriate method). Power off, unplug at the wall (or flip the breaker), and leave unplugged for 5 to 10 full minutes. Critically, during this time, complete steps 2 and 3 above — drain the base pan and inspect the leak sources. Plug back in. The control board capacitors will have discharged and the float-switch state will be re-read on power-up. The display should return to default.
If AE returns immediately on the empty Rinse cycle after a hard reset, the fault is real — either a leak you didn’t find in inspection, or a failed float switch. At that point you need diagnosis, not another reset attempt. Our LG appliance specialists can usually identify the leak source in a 30-minute on-site visit.
LG dishwasher AE compared to Samsung LC and Bosch E24
If you’re cross-shopping or cross-referencing dishwasher error codes, the LG AE belongs to a small family of cross-brand leak-detection codes:
- Samsung dishwasher LC — Samsung’s equivalent of AE. Same architecture: float switch in the base pan detects pooled water, control board shuts down to prevent floor damage. Same six-cause distribution (gasket, hoses, dispenser, spray arm, drain hose, sensor). See our Samsung dishwasher LC error code guide for the full cross-reference — it’s the closest cross-brand parallel to LG AE.
- Bosch dishwasher E24 — Bosch uses E24 for drain-side issues that can manifest similarly (a slow drain backs up and overflows; the resulting base-pan water trips the sensor). The fix path overlaps but starts in the drain pump, not the gasket. See Bosch dishwasher E24 drain error.
- LG dishwasher LE (not AE). Some LG models display “LE” instead of AE for the same float-switch trip; functionally identical, treat the same way. Newer models tend to display AE; older 2010-2015 models may show LE for this fault.
- LG dishwasher OE. Different code — OE is a drain error (water didn’t leave the tub during the drain phase). OE and AE can appear in sequence if a clogged drain backs up and overflows into the base pan, tripping the float switch. If you see OE followed by AE, fix the drain side first.
The cross-brand pattern matters because the diagnostic flow is portable. If you’ve fixed a Samsung LC before — gasket check, hose check, dispenser check, empty Rinse diagnostic — you already know how to fix an LG AE. Different control panels, same underlying leak-protection logic.
Is the LG AE code serious?
AE is a protective shutdown, not a destructive fault. The control board is doing exactly the right thing — refusing to run a wash cycle that would dump more water on top of an existing leak. Running an LG dishwasher through repeated AE trips won’t damage it. That said, the seriousness depends entirely on what’s behind the code.
Causes #1 (gasket), #2 (loose hose), and #3 (dispenser/oversudsing) are routine — the dishwasher is fine, the fix is straightforward, and there’s no long-term damage if you address them within a few days. Cause #5 (drain hose split) is more urgent because water is escaping out the back of the cabinet where you can’t see it — by the time you notice the wood damage under the cabinet, it can be a $1,000-$2,000 repair. Cause #6 (false sensor trigger) is technically the least serious in the moment but the most annoying long-term, because the dishwasher won’t run until the sensor is replaced. Honest read: a real LG dishwasher leak that goes unfixed for 1-2 weeks can cause cabinet swelling, subfloor rot, and warranty-voiding damage. If AE keeps firing, don’t keep resetting and running. Find the source.
AE returning on an empty Rinse cycle after a reset? That’s the signal the leak is real or the float switch has failed. Same-day GTA LG dishwasher service across Toronto, North York, Markham, Vaughan, Bradford, and York Region.
When to call an LG dishwasher repair pro
Call us when any of these signals are present — at that point at-home diagnostic is exhausted:
- AE returns within 5 minutes of every reset, even on an empty Rinse cycle with no detergent.
- You see standing water on the floor beside or under the dishwasher — confirms a real leak, not a sensor false alarm.
- The cabinet wood or floor under the dishwasher feels damp or smells musty — a slow leak has been running for weeks.
- The door gasket has visible tears or hardening but you’re not comfortable removing and seating a replacement.
- You can’t safely tilt the dishwasher forward on its own — built-in installations with seized mounting brackets sometimes need a tech to extract the unit.
- You see OE followed by AE — drain backup is overflowing into the base. Both issues need fixing.
Our LG-trained techs cover Toronto LG dishwasher repair, North York dishwasher service, Markham LG service, and the wider GTA. We carry common LG door gaskets, float switches, drain hoses, and spray arms on the truck for same-day repairs. $89 service-call, waived if you approve the repair on the spot. 90-day warranty on parts and labour.
Preventing AE long-term
Five habits that prevent AE from coming back regardless of cause:
- Use only dishwasher-rated detergent. Regular dish soap or laundry detergent will foam-overflow the dispenser. Use tabs, pods, or powder labelled for dishwashers, and follow the dose instructions on the package.
- Inspect the door gasket twice a year. Run a fingertip along the bottom and sides. Wipe with a damp cloth and a drop of mild detergent to remove food debris; let it air dry. Catches early hardening before it cracks.
- Don’t slam-load heavy pans. Sliding a 12-inch cast-iron skillet hard against the rear spray-arm inlet is how that part cracks. Lower heavy items in carefully.
- Run a Tub Clean cycle monthly with a citric-acid or dishwasher-cleaner tab. Clears mineral buildup that contributes to hose corrosion, dispenser sticking, and spray-arm scaling.
- Pull the kick plate once a year and look. A 30-second peek with a flashlight at the inlet, fill valve, and drain hose will catch a weep before the float switch does.
LG dishwasher AE error code FAQ
What does AE mean on an LG dishwasher?
AE stands for “Aqua Error” — LG’s leak-detection code. A float switch in the dishwasher’s base pan (the drip tray under the wash tub) has sensed water pooling where it shouldn’t be, and the control board has shut the unit down to prevent floor damage. About 35% of AE codes come from a worn door gasket, 20% from a loose inlet hose connection, 15% from dispenser/detergent oversudsing, and the rest from cracked spray arms, split drain hoses, or a failed float switch.
How do I clear the AE code on my LG dishwasher?
Three steps. First, power off and unplug the dishwasher (or flip the breaker). Second, tilt the unit forward 10-15 degrees with a towel underneath to drain pooled water from the base pan — this is the step most online guides skip. Third, leave it unplugged for 5 to 10 minutes so the control board capacitors discharge and the float switch state resets. Plug back in and run an empty Rinse cycle. If AE returns within 5 minutes, the leak source is still active or the float switch has failed.
Why does my LG dishwasher show AE with no visible water on the floor?
Two reasons. First, the float switch trips on water in the base pan, which is inside the cabinet — water can pool there for hours before any reaches the floor. Second, on dishwashers 8+ years old, the float switch itself can fail open (stuck reading “leak” when the pan is dry). The diagnostic: tilt the unit forward and look for water in the pan. If water comes out, the leak was real. If the pan is dry, the float switch may have failed and you need a replacement sensor — about $30-$70 in parts plus 30-45 minutes of labour.
Can I just bypass the AE sensor and run the dishwasher?
No, and please don’t try. The AE sensor is the only thing standing between a slow leak and floor damage that can cost $1,000-$2,000 to repair. Bypassing it (some YouTube videos show how) defeats the protective shutdown and risks cabinet swelling, subfloor rot, and a warranty-voiding claim. If the sensor has genuinely failed, replace it — it’s a 30-minute job for a tech. If the underlying issue is a leak, fix the leak.
Does AE mean my LG dishwasher is broken?
Not necessarily. About 70% of AE codes are routine fixes — gasket, hose, dispenser — that don’t indicate any fault with the dishwasher itself. The dishwasher’s response to the trigger (refuse to run) is exactly correct. The remaining 30% involve a cracked spray arm, split drain hose, or failed sensor that does need parts and labour. Either way, the dishwasher itself is rarely “broken” in the sense of needing replacement; it’s almost always a single component on a $89 service-call to confirm.
What’s the difference between AE and LE on an LG dishwasher?
For practical purposes they’re the same code on different model years. Older LG dishwashers (roughly 2010-2015) display “LE” for the float-switch leak trip; newer models display “AE” (Aqua Error). Same float switch, same six causes, same fix path. If your LG dishwasher shows LE, follow this AE guide. Note this is different from LE on an LG washer, which is a completely unrelated motor-locked code — see our LG washer LE code guide for that one.
How is LG AE different from Samsung LC?
Functionally they’re the same code on different brands — Samsung’s LC error code is its leak-detection trip, just like LG’s AE. Same float-switch architecture in the base pan, same six-cause distribution (gasket, hose, dispenser, spray arm, drain hose, sensor). If you’ve fixed a Samsung LC, the same diagnostic flow applies to LG AE — different control panel, same underlying logic. The cross-brand parallel is so close that techs often diagnose them with the same checklist.
How much does it cost to fix AE on an LG dishwasher?
Depends on the cause. Detergent/oversudsing (cause #3) is free — switch detergents. Loose inlet hose (cause #2) is free — tighten the fitting. Door gasket replacement (cause #1) runs about $130-$180 all-in. Drain hose replacement (cause #5) runs $110-$150. Spray arm or upper-rack inlet (cause #4) runs $110-$190. Float switch sensor replacement (cause #6) runs $120-$180. The $89 service-call is waived if you approve the repair on the spot. Base-pan or tub replacement is rare and frequently exceeds the value of the dishwasher itself.
How long does it take to fix the LG AE code?
The DIY portion (tilt-and-drain, gasket inspection, hose tightening, dispenser/detergent check, hard reset, empty Rinse test) is about 20 minutes plus a 12-minute test cycle. If the fix is in causes 1-3 it’s done at that point. If a tech is needed, the on-site visit is typically 30-60 minutes for diagnosis plus parts install, depending on which component failed. Door gasket replacement is the most common service-call repair and runs about 45 minutes start to finish.
When should I call an LG dishwasher repair technician for AE?
Call us when AE returns within 5 minutes of every reset on an empty Rinse cycle; when you see standing water on the floor beside the dishwasher (real leak confirmed); when the cabinet wood or subfloor under the unit feels damp or smells musty (slow leak running for weeks); when the door gasket is visibly torn or hardened and you’re not comfortable replacing it; when you can’t safely pull the dishwasher forward to inspect the base; or when you see OE followed by AE (drain backup overflowing into the pan). Same-day GTA LG dishwasher service: 647-834-4646.
Need an LG dishwasher technician in the GTA today?
Same-day LG dishwasher service across Toronto, North York, Markham, Vaughan, Bradford, and York Region. Our technicians arrive LG-trained, carry common LG door gaskets, float switches, drain hoses, and spray arms on the truck, and back every repair with a 90-day warranty on parts and labour. $89 service-call — waived if you approve the repair on the spot. Want to DIY first? See our DIY dishwasher repair guide.
Other error code guides: Samsung’s equivalent code is LC — full guide, Bosch dishwasher E24 drain error, Samsung washer DC code, LG washer LE code, and Blomberg fridge E4. Also see LG dishwasher repair across the GTA or browse all our appliance services.
Book LG repair online Or call 647-834-4646
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