The dishwasher does not drain water: reasons, troubleshooting

It can be annoying and concerning to discover a pool of water at the bottom of your dishwasher. Your daily schedule may be disturbed and you may have to wash dirty dishes by hand if your dishwasher isn’t draining properly.

The first step in resolving the issue with your dishwasher not draining is figuring out why it’s not. Water can stay inside the machine due to a number of common problems, such as a clogged filter or a broken pump.

In this post, we’ll look at the common causes of dishwasher drainage issues and offer straightforward troubleshooting advice to help you get your machine back up and running.

Cause Troubleshooting
Clogged filter Clean the filter to remove food debris or other blockages.
Blocked drain hose Check the drain hose for kinks or clogs and clear them if necessary.
Faulty drain pump Inspect the drain pump and replace it if it"s malfunctioning.
Control panel issue Reset the dishwasher or consult a technician if the control panel is not responding.
Garbage disposal connection Ensure the garbage disposal is clear and properly connected to the dishwasher.

Water cycle in a dishwasher

You must comprehend how dishwashers made by Bosch, Siemens, Samsung, or other brands operate in order to comprehend why water does not drain from them.

Water circulation during drain and washing modes

The pump (henceforth referred to as the pump) begins pumping water in a closed cycle as soon as the washing mode is activated. Water infused with detergent is sprayed onto plates, bowls, and spoons after it has gone through the sprayers. Following their cleaning, food residues flow to the bottom of the chamber where they are collected by the pump and passed through filters before returning to the previously cleaned spray nozzles.

You can reduce your water usage by repeating the normal cycle twice. The liquid drain mode is activated after the washing is complete. It needs to go through the filters once more before entering the sewer via the drain hose. Based on the information provided, we can infer that one of the drainage system’s components is malfunctioning, which is why the liquid is no longer being pumped out of the dishwasher chamber. The dishwasher’s other components may have malfunctioned, which would also account for the failure.

Manually emptying the liquid that the dishwasher’s pump was unable to

Certain Bosch dishwasher models have technical features that enable you to wash dishes with dirty water even if the water isn’t filtered or pumped out by the pump. Only when they open the chamber at the end of the workday can owners identify a breakdown. However, in these circumstances, Bosch SMV, SPS, or SKS dishwashers halt the cycle and display error codes E24, E22, or E25 on the panel.

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Error code E25 indicates that the dishwasher pump is clogged.

The dishwasher does not drain water: reasons

The following are the primary causes of dirty liquid being "in a traffic jam," meaning it cannot enter the sewer system:

  1. Clogging filter elements – the most common malfunction. This happens when users neglect to clean dishes from food waste before loading them into the dishwasher or do not clean the filter itself in time.
  2. A kink in the drain hose, which is a consequence of unsuccessful installation of the dishwasher or rearrangement of kitchen furniture.
  3. Clogging of the drain hose or pump, which occurs when debris somehow gets through the filter into other parts of the drainage system.
  4. Damage to the pump or control unit can also lead to similar consequences.
  5. Failure of the water level sensor (hereinafter also – pressure switch). It is not part of the drainage system, but can incorrectly inform the software module (hereinafter also – control unit, ECU) about the water level in the chamber.

In any of the aforementioned scenarios, the dishwasher needs to have its drainage system cleaned or repaired.

Removing blockages

In each of the aforementioned situations, specific adjustments must be made in order to get the equipment operating again. We’ll explain how to do this in more detail later.

Cleaning the filter and checking the pump

The filter in a dishwasher is made up of two parts that are joined together. At the bottom of the working chamber is this design. The majority of models have a filter mesh that encloses the primary filter and prevents food waste from passing through.

To clean, the filter and filter mesh are taken out.

The coarse filter element, known as the internal "glass," is composed of a large-mesh mesh. Water flows through this section and lands on the surface of the outer metal mesh, which is a fine filter element with small cells that eventually removes food residue from the liquid.

Elements of a coarse and fine filter

Follow these steps to clean the filters:

  1. Remove the dish baskets from the dishwasher.
  2. Unscrew the filter cover, which is located at the bottom of the chamber, next to the sprayer.
  3. Remove two dirty filter "cups" from the niche.
  4. Rinse both filters thoroughly with running water. If necessary, use a toothbrush and any dishwashing detergent.
  5. Open the lid, which is located under the filters and provides access to the pump impeller. Carefully check whether the impeller rotates freely. If something is slowing it down, remove the blockage with tweezers.
  6. After cleaning, return all the parts to their places.

This is how many Bosch and Siemens dishwasher models’ pumps with impellers look.

Cleaning the sewer

Since the sewage system is clogged in this instance, the pump cannot completely remove the water while operating. Localizing the issue is simple: just unplug the drain hose from the sewer.

If it leaks filthy liquid, attempt to clean the area yourself by doing the following:

  1. Pour boiling water with a dissolved pipeline cleaner into the drain hole (it is possible that only the siphon is clogged).
  2. If there is no result, try cleaning the pipe with a steel cable (if you have one) or call a plumber.

A plumber’s cable used to clean sewage systems

Checking the drain hose

Sometimes clearing the filters and inspecting the sewer system does not produce the desired outcome—the water does not continue to be pumped out. This could indicate a pinched or clogged drain hose.

First, see if any furniture or other objects are pinching the hose. Feel it all the way down (this manipulation aids in the obstruction’s removal). Turn on the dishwasher to check the drainage system after ensuring the hose is clean and not pinched. To make sure the drain pipe is functioning properly, you can unplug it from the sewer and direct it into a sizable container.

Cutting the drain hose’s connection to the sewer

Checking and replacing the pump

You may need to inspect and possibly replace this component if the water in the Bosch dishwasher does not drain and you do not hear the pump operating. To carry out this:

  1. Remove water from the dishwasher chamber in any convenient way.
  2. Remove the drain filter.
  3. Put the machine on its side.
  4. Remove the tray and disconnect the Aquastop sensor from it.
  5. Remove the pump and disconnect the pipes from it.
  6. Check the impeller (it should rotate freely). If it jams, replace the pump.
  7. Check the resistance at the pump contacts with a multimeter. It should be within 200 Ohms if the pump is in good working order. Otherwise, the pump needs to be replaced.
  8. Make sure that voltage is coming to the pump from the control unit. If not, the ECU may be faulty.

Removing the pump to perform repairs and diagnostics

In closing, I would like to point out that it is best to leave the diagnosis and replacement of problematic components like the pressure switch, pump, and ECU to trained professionals. You won’t need to search for original spare parts for repairs because they have the expertise and the tools needed for testing.

It can be annoying when your dishwasher won’t drain water, but the majority of problems are simple to identify and resolve. Begin by looking for obstructions in the garbage disposal, filter, and drain hose. A quick cleaning could be the solution.

Examine the float switch and drain pump if cleaning is ineffective. Occasional malfunctions or blockages in these components may hinder appropriate drainage. It’s usually easy to fix a malfunctioning part and get your dishwasher working again.

Ultimately, a lot of drainage issues can be avoided with routine maintenance. To make sure everything works properly, keep the filters clean, don’t overfill the dishwasher, and use the recommended amount of detergent.

The most common causes of a non-draining dishwasher are a malfunctioning pump, a clogged filter, or a blocked drain hose. All of these issues can be resolved with some simple troubleshooting techniques.

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Alexey Volkov

Specialist in service and repair of washing machines. My work has taught me to understand all the intricacies of the device of this equipment. On this site I share my knowledge about how to properly care for a washing machine to extend its service life, and what to do if problems arise. My goal is to help you avoid common mistakes and save money on repairs.

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