A dishwasher not draining is stuck at one of five places Whirlpool lists as the frequent causes: the filter and sump, the drain pump, the hose, the disposal or air gap, or the power to the pump. Cancel the cycle and listen first. The sound tells you which place to open.
On drain calls, I listened before I took anything apart. Then I unplugged the machine and shut off its water, and only then did the kick plate come off.
Cancel the cycle and listen to the drain pump
Cancelling a cycle makes the control run the drain pump, so it’s a free test. Hold Start for 3 seconds on a GE, press START/Cancel on a Frigidaire, or hold ON/OFF for about 4 seconds on a Bosch. On the GE and the Frigidaire, close the door right after.
You’ll find the full button list on our page on how to drain a dishwasher.
Stand close to the kick plate while it runs. Whirlpool’s product help page for a dishwasher not draining ties each sound to a place:
- The pump runs, but the water drops slowly or stops above the filter screen. That’s a partial restriction in the filter, sump or hose.
- A steady hum, and the water doesn’t move. The impeller’s jammed, or something’s stuck in the pump.
- Grinding. Hard debris, such as broken glass, is in the pump area.
- No pump sound at all. The pump isn’t getting a signal or power. Whirlpool points at the door switch, wiring, pump voltage, or the timer or control board.
Whirlpool also says water near the door opening means a severe blockage or a pump that isn’t running.
Slow drop or water above the filter: clean the filter and sump
Turn off the breaker and shut off the water first. Whirlpool says you shouldn’t trust the control panel alone, so make sure the display’s dark. If your tub is still full, bail it out before you reach in.
- Pull out the lower rack.
- Twist the upper filter counterclockwise and lift it out, then lift out the lower filter.
- Rinse both under warm water with a soft brush. Whirlpool warns that abrasive pads can damage the mesh.
- Shine a flashlight into the sump. Whirlpool’s list of what turns up there: food, labels, seeds, toothpicks and glass.
- Seat the lower filter flat and turn the upper one clockwise until it locks.
- Run a short rinse and listen for the pump.
Your filter may not look like Whirlpool’s. Bosch’s comes apart in three pieces, which our Bosch dishwasher E24 page walks through. Some Frigidaire models have a glass trap in the center instead. You’ll see it on Frigidaire dishwasher not draining.
Humming or grinding: clear the drain pump impeller
Whirlpool reads a steady hum with no water moving as a jammed impeller. Its fix is to clear the sump of debris and make sure the impeller turns.
Bosch’s manual for the SHP65CM5N shows the way in on its models. With the filters out and the water sponged up, pry the pump cover up with a spoon. Lift it out diagonally, and you can reach the impeller. Pick out any food, glass or plastic you find, then press the cover back until it clicks.
Bosch warns that some of what’s down there can be sharp. I always reached in with a headlamp on, and tongs work better than fingers.
Suds are the other suspect. GE’s manual says hand dish soap, or any detergent that isn’t made for dishwashers, fills the machine with suds.
A commenter on a GE drain post on r/appliancerepair blamed suds locking up the pump. If you’ve just run hand soap, rinse the suds out before you blame the pump.
GE also asks you to scrape off bones, toothpicks, skins and seeds before you load. Those are the bits that end up at the impeller.
Pump runs but water won’t leave: the hose, disposal and air gap
When the pump sounds normal and your tub still holds water, the blockage is past the dishwasher. Start at the sink, where everything’s easy to reach.
The disposal. If your dishwasher drains into one, run the disposal to clear it. Both GE and Amana list this.
On a newly installed disposal, the knockout plug in the dishwasher inlet has to come out. Whirlpool says a plug that’s left in blocks drainage completely.
One owner on r/appliancerepair had put in a brand-new dishwasher and still had water in the bottom, until a commenter asked:
“Did you knock out the plug before installing the drain hose?” u/BurtRenoldsMustache on Reddit
That fixed it. The owner hadn’t done that step, because they’d assumed the friend who installed it had.
The hose. Look under the sink and behind the toe panel for a kinked, crushed or sagging section.
Whirlpool’s steps: loosen the clamp at the disposal or sink tailpiece, look into both ends, and flush the hose with warm water or a garden hose. Use a flexible plastic line on a stubborn clog, never anything sharp.
The air gap. If you have one, it’s the small cap on the countertop; Frigidaire says that’s where it usually sits. Amana explains that it lets air in, so your dishwasher can drain without pulling a vacuum.
GE’s cleaning steps are short: lift off the cover, remove the cap and clear it with a toothpick. If water spills out of it into the sink, Whirlpool says the blockage is farther down.
The sink. If your kitchen sink drains slowly too, GE says you may need a plumber.
Still can’t tell which side the problem’s on? You can run the hose-in-a-bucket test on our draining page. It separates a pump problem from a plumbing one.
It drains, then water comes back
A tub that empties and then fills again points to backflow. Whirlpool says a high loop in the hose, or a working air gap, is what stops sink water from running back into the dishwasher.
GE lists a missing loop or air gap as a cause of standing water, too.
You can test it two ways. On iFixit Answers, one contributor had an owner run a cycle to the end, open the door right away, then look again 30 minutes later. Water that turns up in that time is siphoning back.
A repair tech on r/appliancerepair uses a faster version:
“Open the washer door IMMEDIATELY after the drain pump stops, and see if the water level suddenly rises” u/MeNahBangWahComeHeah on Reddit
If it rises, the same commenter says something’s fouling the backflow preventer, also called the check valve. The culprits they find are a strand of celery, string or dental floss.
Is dirty water coming up from the sink side instead? See water backing up into the dishwasher.
No pump sound at all: where DIY stops
Silence when you cancel means the pump isn’t being told to run, or it isn’t getting power. Rule out the simple things first.
GE’s manual lists a blown fuse, a tripped breaker, and a wall switch near the disposal switch that also cuts the dishwasher’s power. If your kitchen has that switch, make sure it’s on.
Past that, the parts are electrical. Whirlpool names the door switch, wiring, pump voltage and the timer or control board, plus a drain solenoid on some older designs.
One owner on iFixit Answers traced a KitchenAid KDTM354DSS5 to a broken wire to the drain pump, pinched in a plastic shield.
I always pulled the tech sheet from behind the kick plate before I touched a part. A contributor on iFixit Answers points owners to the same sheet, which on some models carries a diagnostic test mode.
A live-voltage test at the pump is where I’d hand the job to a technician. Stop and call a pro if you smell burning, see damaged wiring, or the breaker trips again; Whirlpool says the same.
Brand pages and drain codes
A code on the display narrows the search. These pages follow each maker’s own steps:
- Whirlpool: F9 E1 is the long drain code. See Whirlpool dishwasher not draining.
- GE: a 3-second Start hold forces a drain, and the manual’s standing-water steps start at the air gap. See GE dishwasher not draining.
- Frigidaire: i20 means it didn’t drain, and i40 points to a clogged filter or sump.
- Bosch: E24 is a blocked drain path, and E25 is a blocked pump or loose pump cover. See Bosch dishwasher not draining.
Dishwasher not draining: short answers
Should there be water under the dishwasher filter?
Yes, a little. Amana says water in the filter area is normal and keeps the seals from drying out. It drains when a cycle starts and is replaced at the end.
Water above the filter screen is Whirlpool’s sign of a restriction.
Is it worth fixing a dishwasher pump?
Clear it before you replace it. In Whirlpool’s table, a hum points to a jammed impeller, which you can free by hand.
If the pump’s dead, age decides. Amana’s line is that a dishwasher more than 10 years old may be due for replacement.
Our appliance age calculator takes the year yours was built or bought, compares it with a dishwasher’s typical lifespan and runs a 50 percent repair test for you.
Why won’t my dishwasher drain with no garbage disposal?
Without a disposal, your hose runs to the sink tailpiece, so look there and in the trap. Whirlpool says to examine the tailpiece, trap and nearby plumbing for buildup, and that clearing them often solves it.
Can I pour drain cleaner into a dishwasher?
No. Whirlpool says not to use drain-opening chemicals inside the dishwasher, because they can damage parts and create safety hazards. Bail the water out and clean the filter by hand instead.
