Washer Not Draining: Causes and Fixes

A washer that won't drain is usually blocked, not broken. The most common causes are a clogged drain pump filter on a front-loader, a kinked or clogged drain hose, or a sock or coin stuck in the pump. If those are clear and water still sits in the tub, the drain pump, the lid switch or door lock, or the control is the likely culprit, and that is a job for a technician.

Rule out the simple causes first

Before you reach for tools, check the settings and the load. Whirlpool points out that gentle cycles such as Delicate or Hand Wash may spin slowly or barely at all, which can leave clothes soaking wet and water in the drum. Running a Drain and Spin cycle often clears it.

• Unbalanced load: a single bulky item or a lopsided load can make the washer slow or skip the spin. Spread the items out, add a few towels to balance it, and run Drain and Spin.
• Too much detergent: Whirlpool says excess detergent can interfere with pumping and spinning. Use HE detergent in an HE washer and measure for the load size.
• Lid or door not fully closed: the washer won't run with the lid open. Whirlpool notes the lid on its top-load HE washers must be closed for the washer to fill, wash, drain, rinse and spin.
• Power interruption: if the power blinked mid-cycle, simply restart with Drain and Spin.

If the water drains but the clothes come out soaked, the problem may be the spin rather than the drain. Our guide to a washer not spinning covers that side.

Make it safe before you go further

Before you reach into the pump filter, pull the washer out or open any panel, unplug the washer and turn off both the hot and cold supply valves. GE Appliances notes that pressing the power button does not disconnect the washer from the electrical supply, so pulling the plug matters. Water left in the drum may be hot from the last cycle, so give it time to cool.

Lay down old towels and keep a shallow pan and a bucket close by. A front-loader can hold more water than a baking pan, so empty the pan as you go.

Front-load washers: clean the pump filter

Most front-loaders have a drain pump filter, sometimes called a coin trap, behind a small access cover or drawer at the bottom front. Whirlpool's front-load instructions follow this order:

1. Place a broad, flat container under the filter area.
2. Pull out the small drain hose, remove its plug and let the water run into the container. Re-plug it and empty the pan as needed.
3. Lay a cotton cloth under the filter, then turn the filter counterclockwise to remove it.
4. Pull out lint clumps and anything else caught inside, then rinse the filter under running water.
5. Turn it back clockwise as far as it goes and close the cover.

Whirlpool also notes that some models have no filter you can reach. Check your owner's manual for the exact location on your washer.

Top-load washers: check the lid and the hose

Top-loaders work differently. Many have no user-serviceable pump filter, and the drain hose connections sit inside the cabinet. Whirlpool says top-load drain hoses are usually harder to reach and suggests professional help when you can't get to them.

What you can check: the lid must close and latch. On many HE top-loaders with an impeller instead of an agitator, the lid locks before the drain-and-spin stage, and a lid that can't lock will stop the cycle. Frigidaire's top-load guidance starts with whether the washer was moved or the drain hose bumped, then has you straighten any kink in the hose behind the machine.

Check the drain hose and standpipe

A drain setup that was installed wrong can cause slow draining or water siphoning back. Whirlpool's installation instructions limit the drain hose to no more than 8 inches inside a standpipe that is at least 2 inches across and 39 to 96 inches tall. Maytag's high-efficiency guide allows a standpipe of 18 to 96 inches, so check the range for your model. Maytag also warns against an airtight seal between the drain hose and the standpipe, and Electrolux lists tape sealing the hose into the standpipe as a cause of slow draining.

Pull the washer out carefully so you don't kink or crush the hose. Look for bends, a hose pushed too far down the standpipe, and lint or debris at the hose end. If the standpipe itself backs up when the washer pumps out, the clog is in the house drain, which is a plumbing problem rather than a washer repair.

Error codes that point to drainage

Some washers tell you directly. Electrolux front-loaders show E21 for a long pump-out time, and Frigidaire top-loaders show E2 when water takes too long to drain. Codes differ by brand, so look yours up in the owner's manual or our brand pages for LG washer repair and Samsung washer repair. For brand-specific steps, see our guides for a GE washer not draining, a Maytag washer not draining and a Kenmore washer not draining. Kenmore washers were sold through Sears.

What a technician tests

If the filter and hose are clear, a technician works through the parts that move the water out:

• Drain pump: a pump that hums but moves no water often has a jammed impeller; one that is silent may have failed electrically. The tech checks for debris, then tests the pump's resistance and whether it is getting power.
• Lid switch or door lock: many washers won't drain or spin until the control confirms the lid or door is closed and locked. A failed switch or lock stops the cycle.
• Internal hoses: the hose between the tub and the pump can clog with small items.
• Water level sensor and control board: if the washer never calls for a drain, the problem may be the pressure switch or the control.

When to stop DIY

Call a pro if water still won't drain after you clear the filter and hose, if the pump hums with nothing moving, if you smell burning, if water is leaking onto the floor, or if your top-loader's pump is buried inside the cabinet. Standing water also breeds odor, so if you've been fighting a drain problem for a while, read our guide on why a washer smells like mildew.

What a drain repair costs

Clearing a filter or straightening a hose costs nothing. Fixr lists a drain hose replacement at $95 to $170, a lid switch at $85 to $160, a door lock at $110 to $200 and a drain pump at $300 to $400, plus a typical service call fee of $50 to $100. See our washing machine repair cost guide for more, or find a local tech in the washing machine repair directory, with city listings such as Houston washer repair.