Washer Won't Drain: Causes & Fixes

A washer that will not drain is almost always a hose or pump problem, not a control board problem. Work through the cheap checks first — most standing-water calls are solved at the drain hose.

Before you start: unplug the appliance and shut off the water supply. Do not open panels that expose mains wiring. Anything involving gas, 240 V circuits or the sealed refrigerant system must be done by a licensed technician.

Eight likely causes, most common first

Drain hose pushed too deep into the standpipe. Most common. If more than 4.5 inches (114 mm) of hose sits inside the pipe, the washer can siphon or restrict flow.
Drain hose end too high. The outlet must sit between 39 in and 96 in (1 m and 2.4 m) above the floor. Higher than that and the pump cannot lift the water.
Kinked or crushed drain hose. A hose pinched behind the machine stops water completely.
Lint and debris blocking the pump inlet. Socks, coins and lint mat collect right at the pump.
Drain pump impeller jammed. A small object stops the impeller from turning.
Drain pump failed. The pump runs but moves no water, or does not run at all.
Standpipe or house drain clogged. The machine drains fine but the house pipe backs up.
Lid not closed, so the drain never starts. Some cycles will not drain with the lid up.

Work through it in this order

Stop the cycle. Press POWER once and wait for the drum to stop before you touch anything.
Unplug the machine. If it is hard-wired, switch the breaker off. Water and live wiring do not mix.
Shut both water valves at the wall if you will be touching hoses.
Check the free things first. Hose position, hose kinks, the load balance, and the level of the machine. These cost nothing and cover most cases.
Then check the accessible parts. Inlet screens, pump inlet and drain hose can be reached without opening the cabinet.
Only then consider a part. Match the part number to the model plate before ordering.

Error codes that produce this symptom

Code	Meaning	Self-service?
`F9E1`	The washer is taking too long to drain.	Yes, in most cases
`dr`	Drain problem — the washer cannot empty the drum in the time allowed.	Yes, in most cases
`drn`	Drain problem, long form of the same display message as dr.	Yes, in most cases
`F8E6`	The lid was left open.	Yes, in most cases

Parts commonly replaced for this

These are real manufacturer part numbers from models in our database, shown so you can see the part-number format and search for the one that matches your machine.

Part	Number	Fits model
Hose Clamp	WP596669	NFW5800H
Hose Clamp	WP616099	NFW5800H
Hose Clamp	WP356138	NFW5800H
Hose Clamp	WP596669	MFW7020R
Hose Clamp	WP616099	MFW7020R
Hose Clamp	WP356138	MFW7020R

When to stop and call someone

You smell burning or see scorch marks anywhere on the machine.
The breaker trips when the washer starts.
Water has reached the control console or any wiring.
The repair needs the drum, transmission or tub seal opened.
You are not comfortable working near water and mains voltage at the same time.

Other symptoms

This guide covers washing machine faults generally. It is written for symptoms, so it applies even if you do not know your model number. Once you have the model, look it up for the exact part numbers and codes.

Where this data comes from

Troubleshooting tableshttps://producthelp.whirlpool.comchecked 2026-10-26

One source is listed above because it is the only place this page draws from. We publish facts we can point to — no republished manual text, no hosted PDFs, no invented model numbers or error codes.