Washer Won't Drain: Pump Filter, Drain Hose, and Drain Pump

A washer full of water at the end of a cycle is usually blocked, not broken. Socks, coins and lint stop the water long before the pump wears out. Clear the drain path before you buy anything.

Before you open anything: unplug the washer and turn off both water taps behind it. Water left in the tub, the pump and the drain hose comes out the moment you loosen any of them, so have towels and a shallow pan ready. Never defeat a lid or door lock to watch the washer run open: the drum spins fast enough to break an arm.

Get the water out first

• Front-loaders have a pump filter (sometimes called the coin trap) behind a small door at the bottom front. Many also have a short drain tube next to it. Put down towels and a shallow pan, drain through the tube or loosen the filter slowly, and expect several gallons — more than one pan.
• Top-loaders usually have no filter access. Bail the tub out, or lower the drain hose into a bucket on the floor.

1. Clean the pump filter

On a front-loader, unscrew the filter once the water is out. Socks, coins, buttons, hair ties and lint are the usual finds. Clean it, check the opening behind it for anything else, and screw it back in firmly — a filter left loose leaks on the next wash.

2. Check the drain hose and the standpipe

• Kinks. A washer pushed back against the wall can fold the drain hose behind it.
• A clog in the hose. Disconnect it and flush it with a garden hose.
• The house drain. If water backs up out of the standpipe or a nearby floor drain, the house drain is slow. That is a plumbing repair, not the washer.

3. Listen to the pump

This check runs with the power on, so it is look and listen only. Plug the washer back in, start a drain-and-spin cycle, and listen:

• A hum with no water moving — something is jammed in the pump. Unplug the washer, then clean the filter and the pump inlet again.
• Silence — the pump is not running. A pump that stays silent with a clear filter and hose has failed, or is not getting power from the control.
• Pumping, but slow — a partial clog in the hose or the house drain.

4. The lid or door lock

On many washers, the drain-and-spin step waits for the lid switch or the door lock to confirm the washer is closed. If that confirmation never comes, the washer stops with water in it, even with a good pump. If the lock does not click during the cycle, look at the lid switch or the door lock assembly.

Error codes

Most electronic washers show a drain error code. The meaning is model-specific — check the manual or the tech sheet inside the console before you order a part.

Before you order the part

Washer parts are model-specific, and manufacturers revise them during a production run — two washers with the same name on the console can take different pumps, locks and boards. The model plate is your only reliable source. On a top-loader it is usually under the lid or on the back of the control console; on a front-loader, around the door opening or on the inside of the door. If you are not sure where to look, our model number guide shows each spot.

Ask before you install. Not sure it fits? Check your model number for free before you buy. Our fit check is optional; if it does not come back as a clear match, send us the full model number through Contact us before you order. Once a part has been installed we can only take it back if it arrived defective, we shipped the wrong item, or the listing was wrong on our end, and it has to come back in the condition it went out in. Checking first is faster than returning.