Repair advice
Dishwasher not draining: step-by-step checks
A pool of dirty water sitting in the bottom of the dishwasher at the end of a cycle is a drainage fault. Several of the causes are things you can check and often fix yourself in fifteen minutes.
Before you start
- Switch the dishwasher off at the wall.
- Have towels, a shallow container and a cup or small jug ready to bail out the standing water.
- Scoop or soak up as much of the water as you can before removing anything.
Work through these in order
- Filter: lift out the bottom rack, twist out the filter assembly in the base, and clean off all food debris, grease and grit. Rinse it under a tap. This is the single most common cause.
- Sump: with the filter out, check the recess underneath for broken glass, labels or food blocking the drain hole. Clear it carefully.
- Drain hose: check the hose at the back is not kinked or crushed against the wall. If you can detach it (have a bowl ready), check it is clear.
- Waste connection: the dishwasher usually drains into the waste pipe under the kitchen sink. If a new sink or disposal unit was fitted recently, the blanking plug on the spigot may not have been removed. Check that connection point for a blockage.
- Air gap / high loop: make sure the hose still loops up high behind the cabinet or connects to the air gap. If it has dropped down, water siphons back.
If it still will not drain
That points either to the drain pump itself, which may be jammed with debris or have a failed motor, or to a control fault stopping the pump from running. Both need a technician.
A leak-sensor error code can also lock the machine and stop it draining until the base tray is dried out and the underlying cause is found.
Do not keep running cycles hoping it clears. Each failed cycle just refills the base and can push water past the door seal onto the floor.
Need a technician?
If the checks above have not solved it, book a dishwasher repair diagnosis. We confirm the fault on site and quote before any work.