--- title: "Dishwasher will not drain" description: "Maytag dishwasher not draining — maytag dishwasher will not drain — an inch of water in the sump at the end of a cycle is normal on some machines and" url: "https://maytagmiami.support/symptoms/dishwasher-not-draining/" date_modified: "2026-09-07" Appliance type: "Dishwashers" --- # Maytag dishwasher will not drain ### Twenty minutes, no tools Scoop the standing water out with a cup and a sponge so you can see the base of the tub. Twist out the filter — it lifts and turns by hand and it is meant to be cleaned regularly, which almost nobody does. Underneath it look for glass, a fruit sticker, or the corner of a dishwasher tablet wrapper. Then check the sink: if the disposal was replaced at any point, its dishwasher inlet has a plug that has to be knocked out, and a plug left in blocks the machine entirely. Finally, run the disposal for thirty seconds — a drain shared with a full disposal backs up into the dishwasher rather than down the pipe. ### What it usually means, by the kind of machine One complaint, several machines. This maker still sells a top-load washer with an agitator alongside one without, a front-loader, and a stacked pair, and it sells the same oven as a range and as a wall unit in gas and in electric. The behavior you can describe is identical on all of them; the first hour of the repair is not. A front-load washer has a drain filter the owner can open and a top-loader has nothing to reach from the front, and that single difference decides how the same afternoon goes. - **Front control** — The status lights across the front are the whole language on these, and a repeating flash is a message rather than a decoration. Count the flashes and the pauses before you clear it. - **Top control** — The display is hidden when the door is shut, so you may only see the report at the moment the cycle ends. Open the door promptly if you are trying to catch it. ### The plumbing before the appliance A dishwasher drains into the same pipe as the kitchen sink, and about a third of the time the machine is reporting the state of that pipe rather than its own. That is why the sink, the disposal and the hose loop are checked before a pump is opened up — it is quicker, it is free, and often it is the answer. If you have had any plumbing work done in the kitchen recently, say so when you book; it moves those checks to the top of the list. ### What the filter is for These machines were designed with a filter the owner takes out and rinses, and the manuals say as much. In practice it gets cleaned when something goes wrong. Doing it every couple of months takes five minutes and it prevents most of the drain calls we see on this badge, along with a good share of the poor-cleaning ones. A clogged filter Grease, labels and fine debris pack it over months. It is the first thing checked and it solves a real share of these calls without a part. The disposal knockout plug Only after a disposal has been replaced, and then it is the whole answer. The dishwasher has nowhere to send its water. Something in the drain pump Glass chips and small bones get past the filter. The pump runs, moves nothing, and the tub stays wet. The drain hose or its high loop A hose that has lost its loop under the sink lets the sink drain back into the machine. It is a fitting question rather than a part question. The drain pump motor It has genuinely stopped. Ordinary wear on a machine run daily for years, and a stocked part. Take the filter out By hand, no tools. Rinse it under a hot tap and look at what comes off it. Look under the filter Glass and stickers collect in the sump where the filter cannot catch them. Run the disposal first A shared drain with a loaded disposal will push water back into the dishwasher every time. Check under the sink for the loop The drain hose should rise high under the counter before it drops. A hose lying flat siphons the sink into the machine. Water standing in the bottom of the tub after the cycle What it usually means The filter in the base is the first place to look and it is designed to be removed by hand A new garbage disposal with its knockout plug still in place stops the dishwasher completely This machine may report the condition as a flashing light rather than as a number Twenty minutes, no tools Scoop the standing water out with a cup and a sponge so you can see the base of the tub. Twist out the filter — it lifts and turns by hand and it is meant to be cleaned regularly, which almost nobody does. Underneath it look for glass, a fruit sticker, or the corner of a dishwasher tablet wrapper. Then check the sink: if the disposal was replaced at any point, its dishwasher inlet has a plug that has to be knocked out, and a plug left in blocks the machine entirely. Finally, run the disposal for thirty seconds — a drain shared with a full disposal backs up into the dishwasher rather than down the pipe. What it usually means, by the kind of machine One complaint, several machines. This maker still sells a top-load washer with an agitator alongside one without, a front-loader, and a stacked pair, and it sells the same oven as a range and as a wall unit in gas and in electric. The behavior you can describe is identical on all of them; the first hour of the repair is not. A front-load washer has a drain filter the owner can open and a top-loader has nothing to reach from the front, and that single difference decides how the same afternoon goes. Front control — The status lights across the front are the whole language on these, and a repeating flash is a message rather than a decoration. Count the flashes and the pauses before you clear it. Top control — The display is hidden when the door is shut, so you may only see the report at the moment the cycle ends. Open the door promptly if you are trying to catch it. The plumbing before the appliance A dishwasher drains into the same pipe as the kitchen sink, and about a third of the time the machine is reporting the state of that pipe rather than its own. That is why the sink, the disposal and the hose loop are checked before a pump is opened up — it is quicker, it is free, and often it is the answer. If you have had any plumbing work done in the kitchen recently, say so when you book; it moves those checks to the top of the list. What the filter is for These machines were designed with a filter the owner takes out and rinses, and the manuals say as much. In practice it gets cleaned when something goes wrong. Doing it every couple of months takes five minutes and it prevents most of the drain calls we see on this badge, along with a good share of the poor-cleaning ones. ### There is always a little water in the bottom. A small amount in the sump is by design and keeps the seals from drying out. Water above the filter, or enough to slosh when the door opens, is not. ### It drains if I run it twice. That is a partial blockage, and it will become a complete one. It is also a lot of water and electricity for one load of dishes. ### The sink backs up too. Then the shared drain is the problem, not the dishwasher, and a plumber may be the right first call. Tell us and we will say so honestly rather than book a visit. --- **[Read full article: Dishwasher will not drain](https://maytagmiami.support/symptoms/dishwasher-not-draining/)**