Simple Fixes: Washing Machine Is Not Draining

If your washing machine is not draining, the cause is almost always a clogged drain pump filter, a kinked or blocked drain hose, a clog further down the household drain, or, less often, a failed drain pump or lid switch. Unplug the machine, get the standing water out, then work through the checks below from easiest to hardest.

First: make it safe and get the water out

Unplug the washer before you touch anything. Water and electricity share a very small space in this machine.

• Front-loader: most have a small emergency drain hose behind the access panel at the bottom front. Put a shallow pan and towels down, pull the hose out, remove its plug, and let the water run into the pan. Empty the pan and repeat.
• Top-loader: bail out what you can with a cup and bucket, then lower the machine's drain hose into a bucket placed below tub level so gravity does the rest.

Washing machine is not draining: check these in order

1. Is it really stuck? Some cycles pause with water in the drum, and many machines hold water on delicate settings. Run a plain drain-and-spin cycle once. If the display shows a drain error code, look the code up in your manual, because the meaning differs between brands.
2. The drain hose. Pull the machine out carefully without straining the hoses. Look for a kink or a hose crushed behind it. Disconnect it and flush it with a garden hose or blow through it to check for a blockage.
3. The drain pump filter (front-loaders). Behind the bottom access panel, unscrew the round filter counter-clockwise, with a pan underneath. Coins, hair ties, socks, buttons and lint collect here. Clear it and check that the small impeller behind it spins freely by hand.
4. The standpipe and household drain. If water gurgles or backs up out of the standpipe, or other drains in the house are slow, the clog is in the house line, not the washer. Also check that the hose is not pushed deep into the standpipe: it needs an air gap, and an airtight fit can cause slow draining. Your manual gives the allowed standpipe height.
5. The lid switch or door lock. The machine will not drain or spin if it thinks the lid or door is open. Listen for a click when you close it. A broken switch or latch strike is a common top-loader fault.
6. The drain pump itself. If the filter is clear and the hose is open but the pump hums without moving water, or makes no sound at all, the pump motor is failing.
7. Too much detergent. Heavy suds slow draining. High-efficiency machines need high-efficiency detergent, in the measured amount.

What each symptom usually means

What you see	Likely cause	DIY or call
Water stays, machine silent at drain stage	Lid switch, door lock or control fault	Check lid or door; if fine, call
Water stays, pump hums	Clogged filter or jammed impeller	DIY: clear the filter
Slow drain, gurgling at the standpipe	Household drain clog or airtight hose fit	Check the hose; call a plumber if other drains are slow
Drain hose clogged or kinked	Lint, kink, crushed hose	DIY: straighten or flush
Burning smell or grinding from the pump	Pump motor failing	Call a technician

What not to do

• Do not run cycle after cycle hoping it clears; it just refills the drum.
• Do not pour chemical drain cleaners into a washer or its standpipe.
• Do not pull the machine by its hoses.
• Do not inspect any part while the machine is plugged in.

When to call a professional

Call a technician if the pump hums without moving water, smells of burning, leaks from the pump housing, or if an error code returns after you have cleared the filter and hose. Call a plumber if water backs up from the standpipe or a floor drain. If the washer is past ten years old, ask for a written estimate and compare it to a new machine before paying for a pump or control board. Our appliance repair guides can help you find help in your city.