Washing machine not draining: causes and safe checks

Check carefully

Quick answer

A washing machine that won’t drain is usually caused by a blocked pump filter, a kinked or badly positioned drain hose, a blocked sink trap or standpipe, or too much detergent foam. Unplug the machine and check those in order. If it still won’t drain, the pump or drain system may need an engineer.

Also covers: water left in the drum · washing machine won’t empty · washing machine full of water.

Likely causes

What you can safely check yourself

Stop and call a qualified engineer if:
  • The code or problem comes back after you’ve done the safe checks on this page.
  • The next step would mean removing a cover or panel, or working on the pump, valves, heater, motor, door lock or wiring. That is a job for a qualified engineer.
  • Water is leaking from inside the appliance or is near the plug or socket. Don’t touch the plug with wet hands or while standing in water. Switch off at the consumer unit instead.
  • You smell burning, see smoke or scorch marks, or the appliance trips your electrics. Stop using it, and switch it off at the wall only if it is safe to reach. Otherwise switch off at the consumer unit.

Work through these in order. Stop as soon as one of the signs above applies.

Clean the drain pump filter Take care

Before you start
  • Switch off and unplug the appliance at the wall socket before you touch hoses, filters or the back of the machine. Make sure your hands and the plug area are dry.
  • Water inside can be hot after a hot wash. Wait for it to cool before opening a filter.
  • Expect water to come out. Put towels and a shallow tray or baking dish down first.
  • Never force a locked door, a stuck filter cap or a seized part. Forcing it usually causes more damage.
Where the drain pump filter usually is Filter flap bottom front, one side Shallow tray + towels drain slowly, a bit at a time Filter cap turn anticlockwise slowly Some models have a small emergency drain hose here too
Where the drain pump filter usually is. Positions vary by model — check your manual.
  1. Find the small flap at the bottom front of the machine. Your manual shows the exact location and whether there is a small emergency drain hose.
  2. With towels and a tray in place, release the water slowly, using the emergency hose if there is one, or by turning the filter cap a little at a time. Expect more water than you think, and empty the tray as often as you need to.
  3. When the water has stopped, unscrew the filter fully and remove fluff, coins, hair grips and other debris. Rinse it under the tap.
  4. Look into the opening to check the pump blade can turn freely. If you can see it, manufacturers suggest turning it gently with a pencil, never with your fingers.
  5. Refit the filter firmly in its locked position and close the flap. Check for drips the next time the machine runs.

Don’t reach in with fingers past the filter opening.

Don’t open the filter while the machine is running or the water is hot.

Check the drain hose position and for kinks Take care

Before you start
  • Switch off and unplug the appliance at the wall socket before you touch hoses, filters or the back of the machine. Make sure your hands and the plug area are dry.
  • The appliance is heavy. Pull it out slowly, ideally with help, and don’t strain the hoses or the cable.
Drain hose height and standpipe Outlet height min–max: see your manual Don’t push the hose in too far it can siphon or block No kinks or loops
Drain hose height and standpipe. Positions vary by model — check your manual.
  1. Check the drain hose behind the machine is not kinked, twisted or squashed against the wall.
  2. Check how far the hose goes into the standpipe or sink trap. Pushed in too far, it can siphon or block.
  3. Check the height of the hose outlet against your manual. Manufacturers give a minimum and maximum height above the floor or the machine base.
  4. If the hose has been extended, check the joint. Extensions narrow the flow and make blockages more likely.

Check the sink trap, spigot or standpipe isn’t blocked

  1. If the machine drains into the sink waste, run the sink tap and check the sink empties normally.
  2. Food debris often builds up where the machine’s drain hose joins the sink pipework. With the machine unplugged, you can undo that connection and clear it.
  3. If the machine was just installed, or the sink waste was replaced, check the blanking cap or bung has been removed from the spigot the hose connects to.
  4. If the sink itself drains slowly, the household drain is blocked rather than the machine. Clear it as you would any blocked sink.

Clear excess foam and use less detergent

  1. If you can see a lot of foam in the drum, too much detergent may be confusing the water-level system.
  2. Use the dose on the detergent pack for your load size and water hardness. Use less for small or lightly soiled loads and soft water, and use a detergent made for automatic machines.
  3. Let the foam settle, then run a hot rinse or empty wash without detergent to flush the residue out.

Switch off at the wall and let it rest

  1. If the display shows a code, write it down first.
  2. Switch the appliance off and turn it off at the wall socket.
  3. Leave it off for the time your manual or the manufacturer suggests (see the note below if there is one), then switch on and try again.

For this fault: AEG and Zanussi suggest leaving the machine off for 1 to 2 hours after a drain fault: a pump that has been working against a blockage can cut out until it cools.

Don’t repeat this over and over if the code keeps returning. That means there is a fault to diagnose.

Showing an error code?

These codes are related to this problem. Codes differ by brand, so pick yours:

Step-by-step guides

Related problems

Questions people ask

Why is there water left in my washing machine?

Most often the drain pump filter is blocked or the drain hose is kinked. Unplug the machine and check both before anything else.

Why won’t the door open when there’s water inside?

Washing machines keep the door locked while there is water in the drum. Hotpoint, for example, lists this under its F05 drain code. Drain it through the pump filter first.

Brand guides: AEG, Bosch, Hoover, Hotpoint, Indesit, LG, Miele, Samsung, Zanussi. More washing machine problems and codes, or use the fault finder.

Sources

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We write every page in our own words from manufacturer guidance and check it against the sources above. If your manual says something different, follow your manual. How we check.