A washing machine not draining is nearly always a blockage somewhere between the drum and the household drain: a drain pump filter clogged with lint and coins, a kinked or blocked drain hose, or a standpipe that has backed up. Less often it is a setting, such as rinse hold, that leaves water in the drum on purpose. The safe steps are to switch off at the wall, empty the drum through the emergency drain hose, clean the pump filter, and check the drain hose and standpipe for kinks and blockages. If the machine still will not empty with all of that done, or the pump hums, buzzes or is silent, the pump motor, door lock or control board is at fault, and that is work for a licensed technician.
Water sitting in the drum is one of the most common laundry calls we get in Perth, and most of the time the fix is a fistful of lint and a hair clip pulled out of the filter. Here is how to get the water out without flooding the laundry, and how to find the cause.
Why a washing machine won’t drain
The drum empties through a short hose to the drain pump, which pushes the water up the drain hose and into the standpipe or laundry tub. A problem at any point along that path leaves water in the machine.
- A blocked pump filter. This is the cause more often than everything else combined. Lint, hair, coins, socks and hair ties collect in the filter until water cannot get through.
- A kinked, crushed or blocked drain hose. Machines pushed hard against the wall crush the hose.
- A blocked standpipe or laundry drain. If the tub does not empty either, the problem is the household plumbing, not the machine.
- A program that holds water. Rinse hold, some wool programs and a paused cycle all keep water in the drum until you press drain or spin.
- A door lock or lid switch fault. Many machines will not drain or spin unless the door reads as locked.
- A failed drain pump. Pumps jam on foreign objects or simply wear out.
How to drain a washing machine that is full of water
The water has to come out first, and doing it in the right order keeps it off the floor. Start by switching the machine off at the power point. Lay old towels around the front and have a shallow tray and a bucket ready.
On a front loader, open the small flap at the bottom front. Most machines have a thin emergency drain hose behind it with a plug in the end. Pull it out, hold it over the tray, remove the plug and let the water run. If there is no emergency hose, unscrew the filter cap a quarter turn at a time and let water trickle into the tray, tightening it again when the tray is full. Do not pull the cap straight out with a full drum.
On a top loader, or when the emergency hose is hard to reach, pull the machine out, unhook the drain hose from the standpipe and lower it into a bucket on the floor. The water will siphon out on its own once the hose is below the level of the drum. Bail out what is left with a jug and a towel.
Clean the drain pump filter
With the drum empty and the machine still off at the wall, unscrew the filter fully and pull it out. Expect a rush of dirty water. Pull out everything caught in the filter and in the housing behind it. Shine a torch into the housing and turn the pump impeller with your finger. It should turn freely with a slight click. If it is jammed by a coin or a hair clip, fish it out gently. If it will not turn at all, or feels gritty, the pump is damaged and the job stops here.
Rinse the filter under the tap, clean the threads and the rubber seal, and screw it back in firmly so it does not leak. Run a rinse and spin program with the drum empty and watch that the water leaves.
The filter holds a little water between washes, which is why it is also the usual reason a machine smells. If yours does, read our guide on a washing machine that smells, because the fix is the same clean.
Check the drain hose and the standpipe
If the filter was clean, or you still have a washing machine not draining after it is back in, the blockage is further along. Pull the machine out so you can see the drain hose along its full length. Straighten any kinks and make sure it is not crushed under a foot of the machine. Unhook the end from the standpipe and pour a jug of water through the hose into a bucket to check it is clear.
Then check the household side. Pour a bucket of water down the standpipe or into the laundry tub. If it drains slowly or backs up, the household drain is blocked, which is a plumber’s job rather than an appliance technician’s. Also confirm the hose is not pushed too far down the standpipe, which can seal it and make the machine siphon or fail to drain.
Check the program, the door lock and the load
Some washing machine not draining calls turn out to be a setting. If the display shows rinse hold, a pause or a delicate program that ends without a spin, pressing the drain or spin button will usually empty the drum. A badly unbalanced load, such as one heavy bath mat, can stop the machine before the final drain. Redistribute it and restart.
If the door has not locked the machine will not drain or spin, and a door that will not lock or unlock is a fault in its own right, covered in our guide to a washing machine door that won’t open. Finally, try a reset. Switch the machine off at the wall for two minutes, switch it back on and run a drain and spin program. If the drum empties now, an error in the controls was holding the cycle rather than a blockage, and worth watching for a repeat.
When a washing machine not draining needs a technician
Draining the machine, cleaning the filter, clearing the hose and checking the program are all safe jobs for anyone. The boundary is the pump and the electrics. A pump that hums, buzzes or is silent with a clear filter and a free impeller has failed and needs replacing. A door lock that does not click, a machine that trips the power point, or a drain fault that comes back within a few washes with everything clear points to the interlock, the wiring or the control board. All of those sit inside the cabinet and need a licensed technician with the correct parts. A machine that also refuses to spin usually shares the same cause, and our guide on a washing machine not spinning explains why.
That is where our team comes in. CAI Appliance Services repairs washing machines across Perth, with fully qualified mobile technicians who come to you. We are an authorised service agent for Bosch and Electrolux, and we repair all major brands including LG, Samsung, Miele, Fisher and Paykel, Smeg and Whirlpool, so the work is done with the correct parts. Call CAI on 0415 343 413 to book a technician.
Washing Machine Not Draining? What to Do: the quick version
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Frequently asked questions
Why is my washing machine not draining water?
How do I force my washing machine to drain?
Where is the drain pump filter on a washing machine?
Why does my washing machine drain slowly?
Sorting out the rest of the laundry? Read our guides on a washing machine not spinning, a washing machine door that won’t open and a washing machine that smells, or book a Perth technician with CAI.
