Washing Machine Not Draining? 5 Quick Fixes That Work

You open the lid and the drum is sitting in inches of dirty grey water. The cycle says it finished, but nothing drained out. Beyond annoying - the clothes are now sitting in soup and you cannot start a new load until you fix it. The good news: this is one of the most predictable washer problems, and the cause is almost always one of five things.

Before you start pulling panels, listen carefully during a Drain and Spin cycle. Do you hear the pump humming? A working pump makes a clear high-pitched whine. Total silence means the pump is dead or has no power. A hum that drops away after a few seconds means the pump is jammed by something.

Start With These 30-Second Checks

1. 1Bail out the standing water with a measuring cup and a bucket - you cannot inspect a flooded drum.
2. 2Check that the drain hose at the back of the washer is not pinched against the wall or kinked.
3. 3Confirm the drain hose is not pushed too far down into the standpipe (more than 6 inches creates a siphon that prevents draining).
4. 4Run a Drain and Spin cycle and listen for the pump - silent, humming, or normal.

1. Drain Hose Kinked or Crushed

The most common cause and the easiest to spot. The drain hose runs from the back of the washer to either a standpipe or a sink. If the washer slid back against the wall and pinched the hose, water has nowhere to go.

1. 1Pull the washer about 12 inches away from the wall.
2. 2Inspect the entire length of the drain hose for sharp bends, kinks, or compression marks.
3. 3Straighten any kinks - if the hose stays bent, replace it (about $10 at any hardware store).
4. 4Check the height of the standpipe - it should be 30 to 96 inches above the floor for proper drainage. Lower causes siphoning, higher overwhelms the pump.

2. Drain Pump Filter Clogged

Front-loaders have a filter that catches coins, hairpins, lint, lost socks, and small toys before they reach the pump. After 6 to 12 months without cleaning, the filter blocks completely and the washer cannot drain.

1. 1Find the small access panel at the bottom front of the washer (usually a snap-off plastic cover).
2. 2Place a shallow pan and old towels under the filter cap - several cups of water will pour out.
3. 3Unscrew the filter cap counterclockwise slowly to control the water flow.
4. 4Pull out the filter, rinse it under hot water, remove any objects you find inside the filter housing.
5. 5Screw the filter back in hand-tight (do not over-tighten or the seal will leak).

3. Drain Hose Internally Clogged

If the hose looks straight on the outside but the pump still cannot push water through, the inside of the hose may be clogged with sock lint, hair, or detergent gunk that built up over years.

1. 1Disconnect the hose from the back of the washer (have a bucket ready - residual water will spill).
2. 2Disconnect the other end from the standpipe or sink.
3. 3Run hot water from a sink through the hose and watch what comes out - cloudy or chunky output confirms a clog.
4. 4Push a long flexible drain snake through the hose to break up any blockage.
5. 5If the hose feels stiff or smells sour even after flushing, replace it - they are inexpensive and you cannot really clean the inside fully.

4. Drain Pump Failed or Jammed

If the filter is clean and the hose is clear but the washer still will not drain, the pump itself is the problem. Sometimes a coin or a piece of broken glass jammed the impeller. Sometimes the motor burned out.

1. 1Unplug the washer and pull it away from the wall.
2. 2Remove the front access panel or the bottom panel depending on your model.
3. 3Locate the pump - it is the part where the drain hose connects, with two more hoses going to the tub.
4. 4Disconnect the inlet hose from the tub and look inside the pump housing with a flashlight - foreign objects often sit on top of the impeller.
5. 5Try spinning the impeller by hand. Stiff means jammed (clean it). Free-spinning but no pumping during a cycle means the motor is dead - replacement is $30 to $80 and takes 30 minutes.

5. Lid Switch or Door Lock (Sometimes Hidden)

On some washers the drain step requires the lid to be locked. A failing lid switch or door latch can silently skip the drain phase. The clue: the cycle ends but the washer never made any pump sound at all.

1. 1Top-loaders: open the lid and find the small plastic switch under the front of the rim. Press it firmly with your finger - you should feel a click.
2. 2Try a Drain and Spin while pressing the lid switch with the lid open. If it drains, the switch is failing.
3. 3Front-loaders: check that the door latch fully engages when you close the door (you should see a small green dot or hear a click).
4. 4Replacement switch is $15 to $40, takes 20 minutes, and is one of the easier washer repairs.

Tools You Will Probably Need