Opening the dishwasher to find a pool of dirty water in the bottom is one of the most common repair calls we get. The good news is that a drain problem is often caused by a clog you can clear yourself in a few minutes. Work through the checks below before you book a repair. If none of them helps, you will be able to tell the technician exactly what you have already ruled out.
Safety first: switch off the dishwasher at its breaker, or unplug it if it plugs in under the sink, before you reach into the tub or remove any parts. Soak up standing water with towels or a cup first. Watch for broken glass in the bottom of the tub.
1. Run the garbage disposal
On most kitchens, the dishwasher drains through the garbage disposal. If the disposal is full of food, the dishwasher has nowhere to push its water. Run the disposal with cold water for 20 to 30 seconds, then start a short rinse or drain cycle on the dishwasher. If you have just had a new disposal installed and the dishwasher has not drained since, the knockout plug on the disposal's dishwasher inlet may never have been removed. That is a quick job for whoever installed the disposal.
2. Clean the filter
Most dishwashers made in the last ten years have a manual filter in the bottom of the tub, usually a cylinder you twist and lift out. It is designed to be cleaned by hand, and many people do not know it is there. Pull the bottom rack, remove the filter, and rinse it under the tap with a soft brush. A filter packed with food, labels or grease is the single most common reason a dishwasher stops draining.
3. Look for debris in the sump
With the filter out, look into the opening underneath. Bits of glass, fruit pits, bones, twist ties and small plastic pieces can sit in the sump and block the drain pump. Remove anything you can see with gloved fingers or tongs. Do not force anything deeper into the opening.
4. Check the drain hose for kinks
The drain hose runs from the dishwasher to the disposal or sink drain under the sink. If something stored under the sink has crushed it, or the dishwasher was recently pushed back into place, the hose can kink and stop water flowing. Clear the cabinet and follow the hose as far as you can. It should also loop up high under the countertop before it drops to the drain, which stops dirty sink water running back into the dishwasher.
5. Clear the air gap
Some kitchens have a small chrome or plastic cap next to the faucet. That is the air gap, and it is a common clog point. If water spills out of it when the dishwasher drains, it is blocked. Pull off the cap, unscrew the inner cover, and clean out the food and buildup inside with a brush or a paper towel.
6. Listen to the drain pump
Run a drain cycle and listen. A steady hum with no water moving usually means something is stuck in the pump's impeller, or the pump motor has failed. Complete silence when the dishwasher should be draining can point to the pump, its wiring or the control board. Either way, at this point the next step is testing parts, not cleaning.
When to call a technician
Book a repair if any of the following apply:
- Water is still standing after you have cleaned the filter and checked the disposal, hose and air gap.
- The drain pump hums, buzzes or makes no sound at all during the drain cycle.
- The dishwasher shows an error code or the control panel lights are flashing.
- You see water leaking onto the floor, or the cabinet floor under the sink is wet.
Until it is repaired, avoid running the dishwasher again. Each cycle adds more water that has nowhere to go and can end up under the floor.
Dishwasher repair in Stafford and Fredericksburg
We repair dishwashers of every major brand, including Bosch, KitchenAid, Whirlpool, GE, Samsung, LG and Miele, across Stafford County and Fredericksburg. Learn more about our dishwasher repair service, or book an appointment online.