--- title: "Washer Not Draining: Causes and Fixes | WasherRepair.center" description: "Water stays in the tub after the cycle ends, or the washer stops before the spin with the drum still full." url: "https://washerrepair.center/problems/washer-not-draining/" --- # Washer Not Draining Water stays in the tub after the cycle ends, or the washer stops before the spin with the drum still full. ## What it usually means. Draining is a simple job for a washer: the pump pushes water up the drain hose and into a standpipe or laundry sink. When the tub stays full, something is blocking that path or the pump is not running. By far the most common blocker is small stuff from pockets, such as coins, hair ties and baby socks, caught at the pump or its filter. A kinked drain hose, a clogged standpipe or a failed pump motor come next. Listening for the pump at the end of the wash tells a lot: a hum without water moving is a jam, and silence is a pump or control that is not getting power. The 5 causes, cheapest first Answer these first 01 Do you hear the pump hum or buzz when the washer should be draining? 02 Is there a coin trap or filter door at the lower front of the washer? 03 Is the drain hose kinked behind the washer, or pushed too far into the standpipe? 04 Does the standpipe or laundry sink back up when the washer tries to drain? 05 Does the washer show a code when it stops with water inside? ## Check these before you book. Washer not draining: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything. 01 Look behind the washer for a drain hose that is kinked, crushed or pushed deep into the standpipe. 02 If your washer has a filter door at the bottom front, drain it slowly into a pan and clear what is inside. 03 Listen at the start of a drain-and-spin setting for a pump hum, a buzz or nothing at all. ### Also worth checking - Pour a bucket of water into the standpipe or sink to see whether the house drain itself is slow. - Bail or towel out the standing water before a technician arrives, so the door can be opened safely. ### How soon does it need a visit? Not urgent, but do not leave wash water in the tub for days: it sours and the smell sets into the clothes and the boot. Bail out the water and move the laundry to another wash if you can. ## The causes, cheapest first. 5 things washer not draining turns out to be, from clogged pump filter or coin trap to lid switch or door lock not reading closed. [The cost guide](https://washerrepair.center/cost/) 1. 01 no repair ### Clogged pump filter or coin trap Many front loaders and some top loaders have a filter behind a small door at the bottom front. Clearing it, with towels and a shallow pan ready, often solves the problem outright. No repair: check it yourself 2. 02 low ### Object jammed in the drain pump A sock or a bra wire that gets past the filter can stop the impeller. The pump hums but no water moves. [Fixed by drain pump repair](https://washerrepair.center/services/drain-pump-repair/) 3. 03 low to moderate ### Failed drain pump A pump whose motor has burned out stays silent even with a clear path. Replacing the pump is one of the most common washer repairs. [Fixed by drain pump repair](https://washerrepair.center/services/drain-pump-repair/) 4. 04 low ### Kinked or clogged drain hose A hose crushed when the washer was pushed back, or one packed with lint and sludge, blocks the water on its way out. [Fixed by drain pump repair](https://washerrepair.center/services/drain-pump-repair/) 5. 05 low to moderate ### Lid switch or door lock not reading closed Many washers will not drain or spin unless the lid or door reads as locked. A failed switch can leave the tub full at mid-cycle. [Fixed by door lock and lid switch repair](https://washerrepair.center/services/door-lock-and-lid-switch-repair/) [See washer door won't unlock](https://washerrepair.center/problems/washer-door-wont-unlock/) 6. What it costs ### Every repair on the site's cost scale, side by side Open the cost guide ## What else it could be. Most often confused with washer not spinning, then washer smells musty. [All problems](https://washerrepair.center/problems/) Codes that come with it - [`E7` ASKO · Drain](https://washerrepair.center/error-codes/asko-e7/) - [`E:18` Bosch · Drain](https://washerrepair.center/error-codes/bosch-e18/) - [`E21` Electrolux · Drain](https://washerrepair.center/error-codes/electrolux-e21/) - [`CLr FLtr` Fisher & Paykel · Drain](https://washerrepair.center/error-codes/fisher-and-paykel-clr-fltr/) - [`18` GE Profile · Drain](https://washerrepair.center/error-codes/ge-profile-18/) - [`Check and Clean Drain Pump Filter` GE Profile · Drain](https://washerrepair.center/error-codes/ge-profile-check-and-clean-drain-pump-filter/) [9 more codes, by make](https://washerrepair.center/error-codes/) Also related - [**Washer Error Code** 5 causes](https://washerrepair.center/problems/washer-error-code/) ### Washer Not Spinning 5 causes ### Washer Smells Musty 5 causes ### Washer Door Won't Unlock 5 causes ## The makes it happens on. 14 makes on this site; washer not draining can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page. [All 14 brands](https://washerrepair.center/brands/) ## Washer Not Draining, where we come out. 9 metros, each with its own page. 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Most front loaders unlock after a few minutes once the cycle is canceled, but the water level has to drop first on some models. Drain the tub through the filter door, slowly and with towels, and the lock usually releases. ### I cleaned the filter and it still will not drain. What next? Then the blockage is deeper, in the pump or the hose, or the pump is not getting power. Listening for the pump at the start of a drain setting is the next clue. ### Can a clogged house drain look like a washer problem? Yes. If the standpipe backs up while the washer pumps out, the washer is doing its job and the drain line is the problem. That is a plumbing call rather than a washer repair. ### How can I keep the pump from clogging again? Empty pockets before each load, wash small items in a mesh bag, and open the filter door every few months if your washer has one. --- **[Read on the site: Washer Not Draining: Causes and Fixes | WasherRepair.center](https://washerrepair.center/problems/washer-not-draining/)** **[Book a visit with WasherRepair.center](https://washerrepair.center/schedule/)**