Dishwasher won't drain

dang-str8

dang-str8

1,000+ Posts
Not sure what happened... We rinse everything, so I doubt it's food in the drain hose... Still, though, I was wondering if you can put Draino in it... It won't damage anything will it?

Or any other suggestions? I would rather not have to pull it out and physically check the hose... Too much of a pain in the ***.
 
Drano is never a good idea for any purpose except burning an intruder's eyes. There is a connection (most probably) where a flexible hose attaches to your sink drain under your sink and above the disposal. It is quite easy to remove. You can then blow air back through it to clear the line if you don't have an anti-siphon valve. Said valve is usually white and is positioned higher then where your dishwasher drain goes into the disposal. You'll probably have to go downstream to blow the line backwards.

If that fails, you either have something stuck in or have a burned up pump.

Check the drain inlet inside the washer as well for obvious obstructions.

Even if I thought Drano served any useful purpose, I wouldn't put it in my dishwasher. It won't clear the line and then you have to handle the caustic stuff to get all the water out of the washer.
 
Agreed, Drano is a no-no.

Also, check to see if the dishwasher drain hose tees into the drain line. If it does, sometimes it gets plugged with gunk from the disposal. If the dishwasher drains into the disposal that can also be a source of a clog. Bottom line, while the clog may be the drain hose coming from the dishwasher, it can also be whatever it drains into.

Another possibility, although less likely, is the dishwasher drain pump or whatever controls it is bad.
 
Is the disposal new by chance?

Can you tell if it is pumping out a little or not at all?

Dishwasher pump out is initiated by either a valve switching or a separate drain pump coming on. Do you think you can tell either if these is happening? The valve switch is normally initiated by a large solenoid activating (a clunk) and then flow noise. The drain pump activation is much quieter and the flow is generally quieter as well.

If you can't hear anything that sounds like a pump out, I would recommend removing the toe kick (bottom plate) and looking under for possibly a simple loose connector. Sometimes these things get loosened during shipping/install, but hang on for quite some time and then just fall off one day.

Good Luck, let us know.
 
Thanks for the great responses... Last night after the game I tries some of your suggestions... blew on the drain hose but it was completely clogged up. It was late and I didn’t check everything else, but I’ll try again after work today and see if I can fix it… On thing though… would the water drain by itself if it wasn’t clogged up? Or does a pump extract it? Cause I’m expecting it to be like the sink… that once the water can flow, it will just drain… Or would there be a function on the dishwasher to activate the pump and drain it out?
 
It has to be pumped out. You could take off the hose from the pump, but it would run all over the floor.

Don't give up on the line just yet. If the line dumps into the disposal, or really anywhere in the sink drain, there needs to be a protection against either the disposal forcing crap (or just dirty water) backwards thru the line and into the dishwasher or pump. If you try to force anything back thru this one-way valve it will seem like the line is clogged. The valve should be in the line as close to the bottom of the countertop as possible. Sometimes there is no valve, but the line is run above the disposal so it doesn't siphon or gravity feed from the sink back into the machine. That's why I mentioned going between the valve and the dishwasher to blow the line.

One thing that frequently happens and is little known is that many common dishwashing cleaners will ruin a pump within a few years. I think Electrasol (maybe now it's called Finish) is least likely to gunk up the pump. Google the issue and you will be pissed.
 
1 other thing. Most pumps now are fully enclosed, I think, but you used to be able to manually spin them a tad and break them free and they would work again. If that does happen or work, run a big bottle of vinegar through the dishwasher to clean out lime deposits.
 
OK, so when i remove the hose, I can suck water out... but can't blow air in... so I'm sure it has valve... I'm just scared to run it and end up with water all over the place... just in case it is the pump thats blown...
 
The dishwasher shouldn't flood your home because it can't drain properly.

They (most) fill based on time, but there is a back up flood float that cuts power to the fill valve if water level gets too high. Most of them are contained in an innocuous domed contraption on the floor of the tub.

Which way are you trying to blow the air? Into the tub won't work on most models because the separate drain pumps have a check valve and the single pump models use a valve (that would be shut except when draining), but is not a check valve.

In the previous post I mentioned some things to not or look for:
New disposer/loose wires underneath/can you hear a pumpout/does it look like it is pumping some or none of the water out?

You probably have a rinse mode that is shorter. You might want to put it in rinse mode and carefully observe your indications:
1. empty d/w and manually remove standing water with sponge
2. enter rinse mode
3. listen for a fill, open the door to observe level when the wash starts (after the fill is complete)
4. listen for the wash to stop, listen for the pump out to start observe level if there is any change.
Pulling the toekick and looking under the unit while doing this should help hear the changes and you may be able to observe what is running or not running.

BTW. What is the make/model/year? approx.
 
Its a Kenmore Quiet Guard 2.... and I think I figured out the problem... I have no power to it at all... The pump just shut off at the end of the cycle because it lost power... I checked the fuse box, nothing wrong... no breakers jumped or anything... power coming in with no problem... It's directly connected, so it doesn't have a plug, just cables... Might have to give in and call the repair guy over...
 
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