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Water in the tub

Washer not draining? Find the blockage

Pull the washer's hose out of the standpipe and pour about a quart into the house drain. If it backs up, the problem is your plumbing, not the machine. That one test saves many Honolulu owners a wasted repair visit.

Close view of a washing machine drain pump with its hose and clamp
Short answer

Why won't my washing machine drain?

Give it a few minutes before anything else: many GE washers pause up to 3 minutes between stages, and turning a manual dial ahead can skip the pump-out. If the water stays, the causes usually run in this order. A kinked or crushed drain hose. A front-load pump filter packed with coins, hair or small items, cleaned through the access door low on the front. A house drain that cannot take the flow, which the quart test shows. A hose pushed too deep into the standpipe, taped in, or lifted too high. Last comes a tub full of water that only hums, which means the pump has failed or jammed and a technician needs to see it.

On the visit

What happens when a technician checks the drain?

1

Power off

On a Honolulu visit the washer is unplugged before any panel comes off, and the standing water is let out under control so the drain path can be checked.

2

Listen

Any error code is read, then the pump is run. Silent, humming and running all point to different faults.

3

Drain path

Pump filter, hose and standpipe are checked against the maker's limits, because a hose set too low siphons and one set too high strains the pump.

4

Pump

If the path is clear and the pump only hums, it is replaced with a part matched to the model, and a full drain and spin runs before the technician leaves your Honolulu home.

Hose and standpipe

Drain height: where the makers disagree

Set the hose wrong and the washer either siphons or strains. The makers publish different limits, so your own manual settles it.

Maker guideLowest standpipe topHighest drain pointHose into standpipeNote
Whirlpool front-load30 inches96 inches4.5 inches at mostNever tape the hose in; the air gap breaks the siphon
Whirlpool top-load (one page)39 inches96 inchesNot stated thereHigher floor than the front-load page
GE full-size30 inches8 feetNot stated thereCompacts and portables: 5 feet
SamsungNot stated thereNot stated there6 inches at mostDeeper can let dirty water siphon back
Cause by cause

Which cause is holding the water in?

CauseHow you can tellOwner check or technician job
Pause between stagesTub full right after a stage ends, no error showingOwner check: wait up to 3 minutes and leave the dial alone
Kinked or crushed hoseWasher recently pushed back; hose folded behind itOwner check: straighten it and keep the lift within the maker's limit
Clogged pump filterFront-loader drains slowly, shakes or smells; small items missing from pocketsOwner check: unplug, then clean the filter through the lower access door
House drain blockedA quart poured into the standpipe backs upPlumbing job, not a washer repair
Slow pump-out2015 or newer GE top-loader flashes Rinse or shows PoOwner check for a clog in the hose, filter or drain
Pump failed or jammedTub full, a hum, nothing movesTechnician job

Washer repair by brand

Washer repair on OahuWasher drains but will not spinWater on the floor insteadWasher smells mustyWasher shaking in the spinSamsung washer repairLG washer repairWhirlpool washer repair
01

Standing water

Give it up to 3 minutes, since many GE washers pause between stages and advancing the dial can skip the pump-out.
Unplug it first. The pump filter sits behind an access door low on the front, and cleaning it is the maker's own fix for a front-loader that will not drain. Expect the water in the tub to come out through that opening, so have a shallow pan and towels ready before you turn the cap.
Yes. GE says most full-size washers can pump to 8 feet above the floor and compacts or portables to 5 feet, and Whirlpool caps the standpipe at 96 inches.
That is siphoning, and the standpipe is usually too low or the hose sealed into it. Whirlpool front-loaders want the top of the drain at least 30 inches off the floor, one Whirlpool top-load page says 39, and GE also gives 30. Whirlpool forbids taping the hose in, because the gap around it is what breaks the siphon.
On 2015 and newer GE top-loaders it means the pump-out took too long, most likely a clog.
02

Filters and pumps

GE notes that coins and small items caught in a front-loader's pump filter can slow or stop draining, cause shaking and hold odors. A drum that spins with water still in it is heavy and lopsided, so clearing the filter often fixes the shake and the drain together.
It can. EPA says water from a leak or spill should be dried within 24 to 48 hours to keep mold from starting, and Maytag suggests leaving a front-loader's door open between loads so leftover moisture can evaporate. In damp Honolulu air a shut, wet drum dries slowly, so do not leave a full tub sitting for days.
Usually. GE treats a tub full of water that just hums as a service call, because the pump is jammed or has failed, so book a Honolulu visit rather than cycling it again.
Whirlpool says no more than 4.5 inches and Samsung no more than 6, so follow your own manual and never seal the gap.
Most drain faults are a hose, a filter or a pump, not the whole machine. DOE puts the average washer life at 13.4 years and assumes a repair extends it by about 5, so a drain repair on a mid-life machine usually makes sense.

Tub still full after the quart test?

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