AEG Water tank lightwhat it means
The container holding the water taken out of your washing is full, so the machine has stopped. Designed behaviour rather than a fault — though it can light with an empty tank.
Before you start
What this means
A condenser or heat pump dryer does not send moisture outside. It condenses it back into water and pumps it into a container, usually a drawer in the top of the machine, holding around four litres — which the manufacturer notes is roughly one cycle’s worth. A float rises with the water level and closes a switch, and the control system then cuts power to the appliance and lights the lamp. That is the whole mechanism, and the important thing about it is that a machine stopping mid-cycle with this lamp on is doing exactly what it was designed to do. It is the cheapest fault on this website: empty the drawer, put it back, press start.
There is one genuine oddity worth knowing, because it looks like a fault and is not. AEG document that the lamp can come on after the first drying cycle with no water in the container at all, and their explanation is that the water is collected in a larger reservoir inside the machine before it gets pumped up to the drawer. So on a newly installed machine, an empty-tank warning is expected rather than wrong.
If it keeps happening on a machine that has been in use for a while, then the float or the pump is worth attention — and that is the point at which it stops being this page and becomes a drainage fault.
What causes it
| Cause | What is actually happening | How likely |
|---|---|---|
| The container is genuinely full | The expected case. It holds about four litres, which is roughly what one cycle produces, so a machine in regular use needs emptying most times you use it. | Common |
| It is the first cycle after installation | AEG document that the lamp can light with an empty container on the first run, because water collects in an internal reservoir before reaching the drawer. Expected behaviour, not a fault. | Occasional |
| The container is not pushed fully home | A drawer sitting slightly proud can hold the float assembly in the wrong position or fail to engage the mechanism, and the machine reads that the same way it reads a full tank. | Occasional |
| The float is stuck up | Scale or lint on the float can hold it in the raised position after the water has gone. The lamp then stays on with an empty container, and no amount of emptying will clear it. | Occasional |
| The machine is plumbed to a drain that is not working | If you have connected the machine to a waste pipe instead of using the container, a blocked or looped hose sends the water back to the tank, which then fills every cycle as though the plumbing were not there. | Occasional |
What to try yourself
Pull the container out, empty it, and push it back until it seats properly. Most of the time that is the entire job.
Press start again. The machine cut its own power when the float closed, so it needs telling to carry on.
If the lamp is on with the container empty and the machine is newly installed, run another cycle. AEG confirm this is normal on the first run while the internal reservoir fills.
If it happens repeatedly on an established machine, rinse the container out and look at the float — a small plastic part that should move freely — for scale or fluff holding it up.
If you have plumbed the machine into a waste pipe and the tank is still filling, check that hose for a kink or a loop, because the water is being sent back.
While you are there, empty the container before every cycle as a habit. It costs nothing and it is the difference between a machine that finishes and one that stops halfway.
Get a qualified appliance engineer to look at your AEG tumble dryer
We do not pass enquiries to a repair firm, so there is no form here. When you book a qualified appliance engineer, tell them the make, the model and the exact code or message on the display, and ask whether they carry parts for this make — that is what turns one visit into a repair rather than a quote.
What it costs to fix
Typical repair cost
£0–£90
Time on site
5 minutes
Nothing in almost every case — this is an empty-the-drawer job rather than a repair. The only chargeable outcome is a stuck float or a failed pump, at which point it becomes a drainage fault rather than this one.
Typical UK prices including parts and labour, updated September 2026. Your quote may differ.
Own this appliance and had this code? . Nothing is published until a person has read it.
Related AEG fault codes
- E20Get it checkedThe machine cannot get rid of the water it has collected. This is the one code AEG confirm has three faces — E20, C2, or two beeps and two flashes, depending on your display.Related: water container and condenser
- E50Get it checkedAEG’s support site calls this a motor or software fault and sends you to an engineer. AEG’s own manual says it is usually just too much washing in the drum.Related: same brand
- E60Get it checkedThe dryer is not heating. AEG’s own page for this code is circular — it defines E60 by telling you the machine displays E60 — so here is what it actually covers.Related: same brand
- E70Stop — call an engineerThe dryer has lost the ability to measure its own temperature. AEG tell you to unplug it for two hours and not to use it until it is fixed.Related: same brand
- Condenser lightGet it checkedNot a fault code but a maintenance reminder, and the most important one on the machine. The condenser is furring up with lint and AEG tell you not to run it like that.Related: same brand
- E40Usually simple to fixThe machine cannot confirm the door is properly shut, so it will not start. Usually the door, sometimes the seal, occasionally the latch itself.Related: same brand
Own an AEG tumble dryer? Save it and its codes come first next time.
Related guides
Common questions
Why did the machine stop halfway through?
Because it is meant to. The control system detects the float closing and cuts power to the appliance rather than letting the water back up. The container holds about four litres, which is roughly one cycle’s worth, so a big load can fill it before the load is dry.
The light is on but the tank is empty.
On a newly installed machine that is expected, and AEG say so: water collects in a larger internal container before being pumped to the drawer, so the lamp can come on before there is anything in it. On a machine that has been working fine, a stuck float is the likely reason.
Can I plumb it in so I never have to empty it?
On most condenser and heat pump machines yes, using the drain hose connection. Keep the run short, avoid loops that hold standing water, and be aware that a fault in that hose shows up as a drainage code rather than as this lamp.
Can I use the water for anything?
It is essentially distilled, so people do use it in irons and to top up batteries. It has been through a drum full of lint and detergent residue, so filter it if you are putting it in an iron, and do not drink it.
Technical review
Not reviewed by an engineer
No engineer has read this page. Severity follows what the manufacturer publishes, and we would rather tell you that than let a byline imply a sign-off.
Sources and how we verified this
We establish the facts from the sources below and then write the explanation ourselves. We do not copy manufacturer wording and we do not host their manuals.
- Manufacturer support portal
- Manufacturer technical and service documentation
This page has not been reviewed by an engineer, and we would rather tell you that than imply otherwise. The severity rating follows what the manufacturer publishes: where they say isolate the appliance and call someone, so do we.