What to Check When Your Washing Machine Won’t Drain

Have you opened up your washing machine only to find not just your clothing wet, but standing water lingering in your machine? Clearly something is wrong, but aside from grabbing a bucket and bailing the water out, you may not have an idea of what you need to do next.

Removing the Water

While troubleshooting, you will likely not want water pouring out unexpectedly. In order to prevent this, you want to bail out as much water as possible. It is likely some water may be held elsewhere, so have a small bucket on hand. You do not have to remove every drop of water, but you may want to sop up remaining puddles with a towel to prevent as much potential leakage.

Reset Your Machine

While this technique may not work on all machines, it is worth a try. Simply unplug your washer for one minute. Once you plug the machine back in, open and close the door six times as quickly as possible to reset the appliance. If you machine is compatible with this technique and physically can drain, it will drain.

Check the Drain Hose

Your first step is to make sure that the drain hose is not kinked. Afterwards, you will want to make sure it is not clogged. Be aware that if the drain hose is the cause, the water may come flooding out when you disconnect it. You will want to bail as much water out as possible, and have a bucket ready for the rest. When checking the hose for clogs, also check the drain motor as well.

Check The Water Level Control

If a washer doesn’t drain and won’t spin, you will want to open up the control panel and check for a small tube attached to the water level valve. If this tube has become clogged, it will stop the washer from functioning.

Check the Lid Switch

If the lid switch has gone faulty, it may not be sending the appropriate signals to the washer which allows it to drain. You can test this switch easily with a multimeter.