Direct answer: If your LG dehumidifier is running but not collecting water, the most common causes are room humidity that is too low, a humidistat setting that is too high, a misseated bucket or float, a clogged air filter, or a drain setup issue that makes it look like nothing is being collected.
Most likely: Start with the set humidity, fan mode, bucket fit, filter condition, and whether the unit is draining through a hose instead of into the bucket.
A dehumidifier only makes much water when the room is warm enough and actually damp. Reality check: on a mild day or in an already-dry room, a healthy unit may only pull a little water. Common wrong move: people see an empty bucket and assume the machine is dead when it is really set to continuous fan, draining through a hose, or shut down by a crooked bucket.
Don’t start with: Do not start by ordering internal electrical parts. Most no-water complaints turn out to be setup, airflow, or bucket-switch issues.
The fan and compressor seem to run, but after several hours there is little or no water in the bucket.
Start here: Confirm the room is actually humid, the setpoint is below room humidity, and the unit is not draining through a hose.
The unit starts, runs briefly, then stops or acts like the bucket is full even when it is not.
Start here: Check bucket seating, float movement, and the dehumidifier bucket switch area for misalignment or debris.
The machine runs, but the air coming out feels weak and the room does not dry out.
Start here: Pull and clean the dehumidifier air filter and clear lint or dust from the intake and discharge grilles.
You expected water in the bucket, but a hose is attached or the drain path may be carrying water away slowly.
Start here: Inspect the dehumidifier drain hose routing, kinks, and outlet height before assuming the unit is not working.
If the room is already fairly dry, too cool, or the target humidity is set too high, the unit may run very little or collect only a small amount of water.
Quick check: Set the humidity lower than the room condition, close windows and doors, and test in a smaller damp room for a few hours.
A bucket that sits crooked or a float that hangs up can tell the unit the bucket is full, which stops normal water collection.
Quick check: Remove the bucket, empty it, make sure the float moves freely, then reinstall it firmly until it sits flat.
When the filter and coils cannot move enough air, moisture removal drops off fast even though the machine still sounds like it is running.
Quick check: Wash or vacuum the filter, clear dust from the grilles, and leave open space around the unit.
A hose connection can send water away from the bucket, and a weak or failed bucket switch can keep the unit from collecting even with the bucket installed.
Quick check: Disconnect the hose for a test run into the bucket, then watch whether the bucket-full indicator or shutoff behavior acts normally.
A lot of empty-bucket complaints are normal operation in a room that is not humid enough or a unit set too high.
Next move: If water starts collecting, the machine was likely fine and the issue was settings or room conditions. If the room is clearly damp and the bucket is still dry, move on to the bucket and drain checks.
What to conclude: This separates normal low-moisture operation from an actual collection problem.
A dehumidifier that thinks the bucket is full will not collect normally, and this is one of the most common easy fixes.
Next move: If the unit now runs and starts collecting water, the bucket or float was misaligned or sticking. If it still acts full, shuts off early, or never starts collecting, the bucket switch area becomes more likely.
What to conclude: A good result points to a simple mechanical issue. A bad result points toward the dehumidifier bucket switch or float-switch sensing problem.
Poor airflow cuts moisture removal hard. The unit may sound busy but pull almost no water.
Next move: If airflow improves and water starts collecting again, the filter or blocked air path was the problem. If airflow is still weak or the room stays damp with a clean filter, keep going to the drain-path test.
If a hose is attached, the unit may be sending water away from the bucket, or a bad hose route may keep water from leaving properly.
Next move: If the bucket fills during the test, the dehumidifier itself is likely okay and the drain hose setup was the issue. If there is still no collection and the bucket is seated correctly, the sensing switch is the most likely DIY part left.
Once settings, bucket fit, filter, and drain routing are ruled out, the remaining common homeowner-level fault is the bucket-full sensing switch. After that, the problem is usually internal airflow, sealed-system, sensor, or control trouble.
A good result: If a confirmed bucket-switch issue is corrected, the unit should run normally and begin collecting water again within a few hours in a damp room.
If not: If a new switch does not change the behavior, the fault is likely deeper inside the unit and no longer a good guess-and-buy repair.
What to conclude: This is the point where a simple external fault ends and internal diagnosis starts to matter.
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Most often the room is not humid enough, the humidity setting is too high, the unit is draining through a hose, or the bucket and float are not seated correctly. Start there before suspecting an internal failure.
Yes. A dirty dehumidifier air filter can choke airflow enough that the unit runs but removes very little moisture. Cleaning the filter is one of the first things worth doing.
In a warm damp room, you should usually see some water within a few hours. In a cooler or already-dry room, collection can be slow and light even when the unit is working normally.
That usually points to a misseated bucket, a stuck float, or a failing dehumidifier bucket switch or water-level switch. If cleaning and reseating the bucket do not help, the switch becomes the likely repair.
Not as a first move. Fan and pump issues do happen, but they are not the best first guess for an empty-bucket complaint. Rule out settings, bucket fit, filter blockage, and drain-hose problems first.