Are front load washers expected to filter out lint and pet hair? [closed]

Question

I've had my LG VC4 for a couple of years already, and never had issues with its functioning. However, about a year or so ago we noticed the exit pipe in the wall got clogged, since the washer started leaking water all over the laundry. I did some "investigation" and... you already know it got clogged with lint because of the question title lol

This is the type of "filter" this model has; given the size of the holes, it's made to get small pieces of cloth or lines, coins, keys, stuff like that - it's definitely not a lint filter.

My lifetime experience was with top-load machines, which always(?) had some sort of lint filter at the top of the water line or on the center of the drum. So I'm quite shocked when I tried to contact LG multiple times, and they either didn't get it and suggested me to get (pay for) a support visit, or simply said "your LG washer is expected to leave lint through the hose, given it's a drain hose (!!!), it's not a defect it's a characteristic of it".

So, what gives? Could the house pipe be too narrow? It's enough for the drain hose to fit in... Or is it really expected to not have a lint filter at all with front-load washers?

I'm not exactly sure why this was preemptively closed; unfortunately I have nothing to add to the edit, except mention the rules which seem to apply fine to my question, specifically:

"We welcome these topics: [...]

• Identifying the source or cause of a problem within your home.
• Installation, maintenance, and repair of major appliances.

Answer 1

Note that this answer is about what you should do about washing machine lint. It doesn't take care of the existing problem, which appears to be a machine-specific failure (a.k.a., it broke).

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Every dryer I have ever used had a lint filter. That's because otherwise the lint would end up getting stuck along the exhaust vent (some inevitably does anyway, which needs cleaning to prevent fires).

No washer I have ever used had a lint filter. That's because lint can go safely down the drain. Lint down the drain won't cause a fire.

However, lint down a drain, particularly if the same drain services a kitchen (grease, food particles, etc.) and/or bathrooms (soap scum, hair) can, over time, get clogged up. I've had every type of clog in my drains (food, hair, lint, roots, and more) and I dread the call of "the sink (or bathtub, etc.) is draining slowly again" and even worse "the floor drain backed up again". An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I highly recommend putting a lint trap over the drain hose. I use something like these from Amazon:

In my area they are available at hardware stores and even at grocery stores. Very effective.

Answer 2

A "lint" filter in the pump discharge would get blocked very quickly. Something's wrong with your drain piping, or you are abusing it, if the discharge from a clothes washer can clog it up. None of the numerous (top-loading) clothes washers I've used had any kind of filter in them, aside from the smallish perforations in the inner drum wall.