# Dishwasher Not Draining



## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Usually something is clogged in the drain tubing. I once got a mushroom stem, the exact same size as the ID stuck and had trouble clearing it.

It could also be a pump failure? Does it make noises like it is trying to pump out the water? Does your dishwasher drain through a garbage disposal? That is how the mushroom stem got in the tubing on the one I mentioned.


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## allthumbsdiy (Jul 15, 2012)

model & make? did you check to see if a breaker was tripped?


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## karsat (Sep 13, 2011)

It's ge and btw I do hear the sound but dish washer stop once it can't drain.


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

One of the common problems is the 'chopper'. It's a disk that is driven by the motor....it chops up food as it's being pumped through the washer....the shaft is typically plastic. If it hits a hard piece of food....it can break....

The first symptom is that your dishes are starting to not be so clean....eventually the food plugs up the pump.


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## jfrotten (Aug 14, 2011)

Take the bottom panel off. In the middle you will see a box with what looks like a fan in it. Take a screw driver and try to spin it with the screw driver. If you do this with the dishwasher on it will usually break free in abou 1/4 turn.


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## notmrjohn (Aug 20, 2012)

" If you do this with the dishwasher on..." *you could electrocute yourself!!!* Don't go poking around with a screwdriver or anything else with the washer on or even connected to live wire. Turn off breaker before taking any part off. I don't think you're going to need to take the bottom panel off anyway. If problem is pump or connections you'll have to pull unit out from under cabinet.

There is more than one model of GE, each is slightly differant. Google Appliance Parts, enter your model number at one of the sites, look for schematic diagram of your model. You should see how to get to choppers, strainers, hoses etc to see if they are clogged. Be careful working in there, there are some parts held in place by surprisingly flimsy clips, breaking one of them can mean replacing a very expensive part. ( Voice of experience here, solving a similar problem I broke one little tang, part of $90 dollar part. Took some clever inventing to fix it. I was trying to remove lower arm, turned out I didn't need to in first place to remove screen over "chopper."

From description, " I do hear the sound but dish washer stop once it can't drain." Sounds like, screen, chopper or something B4 pump could be clogged, pump needs water to cool itself, water isn't getting to it so it shuts down. Or *doesn't* sound like, if you prefer, indicating same thing. Easy to fix from inside tub, screen and chopper area just get gunked up.

But do not go tearing into it without looking up model number and looking at schematic, at least post model number here. Might be same as mine. I can tell you how to get to places, I can sure tell you what *not* to do. Do* NOT* try to remove lower arm, without more info.

Once you get gunk cleaned out, run a cup or two of vinegar thru a cycle in empty washer once a month or so. Gunk is grease, food bits and even undisolved washing detergent. Vinegar disolves it out. Oddly enough liquid detergents seem to gunk up more than powders.

Post model number.


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## Jackofall1 (Dec 5, 2010)

Have you checked the drain inlet screen at the bottom of the washer to ensure its not covered?


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

I had a Whirlpool that didn't drain well so I bought a new one*.* The day I changed it out I found the problem*.* After 4 years for some reason the drain hose got a kink*.* New one went in and I gave the old one to a young couple that needed it. I'm on my second one now and as far as I know the one I gave away is still cleaning dishes*.*


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## notmrjohn (Aug 20, 2012)

Does yours look like this?

Aside from red ring, that's part of my invention, plastic jar lid instead of $90 part.


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## karsat (Sep 13, 2011)

GE model number is GE PDW7880N10SS


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## karsat (Sep 13, 2011)

I tried vinegar/baking soda/hot water nothing helped so far.


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## notmrjohn (Aug 20, 2012)

You have different model than mine. Problem may be same, clogged drain chamber or filter sump.. I can't tell you exactly how to get to yours, they look somewhat similar. look here, drawing 2 http://www.a-1appliance.com/lookup/180755/1294478 Parts 506 and 508, cover and sump filter. My cover was held on with screws, looks like yours clips on, be careful, look it over good, those little clips break easily and both parts are $20 each. Siphon, sponge, shop vac all water out. If you think you can, take cage like cover off and filter out and clean. Get water out of sump and see if it is gunked up, or tubes leading to or from it are clogged. Long handled bottle brush to clean them.

*(* Drawing 5 shows sump, drain lines, and pump assembly. If sump/outlet end is not problem it may be at inlet, down center of part 454 drawing 5. You will have to remove lower arm to get to it. My arm was held on with hidden tabs and that's what I broke. I do not know how yours is held. Some have a large thumbscrew in center, some arms unscrew if tuned against normal direction. Mebbee somebody here knows how to take that arm off without breaking something. But if pump is working and arms are spraying, I doubt problem is at that end. Infact, disregard all this in blue, I'm more or less thinking out loud and looking ahead. *)*

Part 325 drawing 5 is drain assembly, if sump is clean inlet to it may be clogged, assembly may not be working, or drain from it may be clogged. You will have to slide unit out and check back side for kinked or clogged hose and outlet from drain assembly. If you are worried about breaking little clips or can't figure out how to remove parts, do this first B4 cleaning sump. I do not know if you have a check valve if not, you can hold hose down low and pour water thru sump. If water comes thru clog is upstream from sump. If not problem is downstream or you have electric check valve. Try filling only sump with water and running washer briefly. 

If none of these, or other's relativly easy remedies work, it may be problem with drain assembly. about $50 to replace yourself.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Other thing to keep in the back of your mind, and I hate the concept I suppose. Of all appliances, dishwashers are about the least expensive and near the lowest in terms of technology. You cannot justify bringing someone in for a service call to fix one and buying the insurance beyond the warranty makes no sense (it does to the sales person on commission and the store because they make more on the warranty than the machine!). 

Unless you need one with $5 extra sound insulation translated to an extra $100 retail or one that senses whether humans or pets have licked dishes in them? Or blinks pretty colored lights to convince you it knows? Or your water heater does not work so you let your dishwasher heat some up?

They are so cheap to replace do not fuss too much with one that has any mileage on it. 

They are also the second most conceptually stupid appliance in a kitchen. In nice kitchens I have done for clients I have distributed dishwashing and refrigeration. Why open 800,000 cubic feet of space to grab a soda or stick of butter. INSANE and energy wasteful. Why have some giant thing for all dishes from crystal to pots and pans? Same cycle. 

And you know what. When you get rid of the concept of big ugly appliances you can move several smaller ones around in "drawers" and never have to worry about making cabinets to fit around the design concept that dates back to when ice blocks were delivered again. You can make them work better and faster with regard to what is in them too.


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## notmrjohn (Aug 20, 2012)

For a few years my Dad did make readies on FHA and VA repo homes. One of first things done was removal of dish washers, garbage disposals, water heaters, anything plumbed or hard wired was part of hose and had to be guaranteed by Govt. Water heaters were replaced but we had succession of dish washers. Least little thing wrong out it went replaced by another one.

Only time I've had repair man in house was on recall on dishwasher, replace wiring harness. But then I was able to replace $90 with jar lid. The washer was free. Friends bought a new one, had tiny ding in side when delivered. Sears brought out new one, didn't take old one. They notified Sears twice, kept it for nearly a year, got tired of it being in garage, told me to come and get it.

kar, this may be easy to fix, it may not be worth risk of breaking something, and paying to fix that, plus chagrin when repair man pulls mushroom from hose.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

notmrjohn said:


> plus chagrin when repair man pulls mushroom from hose.


I am telling you all. I did not chew or smoke them all! There really was a small mushroom stem the ID of the hose. Stuck and killing the dishwasher In Northern California.

:laughing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnP72uUt_pU&feature=related


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## Thunder Chicken (May 22, 2011)

I agree with the above comments. Be safe, shut off power, but then don't be afraid to tinker with dishwashers. They are relatively low tech devices and are readily repairable by a DIYer with a little knowledge and help. They all do more or less the same thing with slightly different parts. 

Parts tend to be dirt cheap, so even if something is broken it isn't ruinous to replace them. It actually can be fun and educational to repair one (after you figure out why you have a puddle of water in your kitchen and dirty dishes, anyway)


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## allthumbsdiy (Jul 15, 2012)

I vaguely remember having similar issues with my GE profile pdw9200 dishwasher.

In addition to what others have suggested, have you looked at your drain hose to see if it is not blocked with food particles? This would especially be true if you have a garbage disposal.

You will need to pull out the dishwasher and either flush it or install a new one to see if the problem goes away.

Just make sure to turn off the circuit breaker before pulling out the dishwasher.

Good luck


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## notmrjohn (Aug 20, 2012)

" relatively low tech devices"..."Parts tend to be dirt cheap" It is kinda odd that the "higher" tech electic and plumbing parts, timers, pumps, solenoids etc are cheap compared to other appliances and are relativly dependable. Its the smaller things like rollers, clips and "convenience" items like adjustable baskets with flip tops, adjustable rack tines that are cheaply made, flimsily attached, easily breakable and comparitivly expensive . Seems like the more important a piece is the more poorly designed it is. 
What I broke on mine was one of two very thin tabs that clip over a ring molded around lower arm and tower assembly. Vertical plastic support was too thick to be flexible, maybe okver the years it had become brittle, horizontal tab was plastic on moving plastic, had worn thin and snapped right off. Without it arm flys right off. 

Little tab was continuos part of riser tube, bottom of tub, pump assembly mount, molded water channels and who knows what all. Cost of it was $90, replacement required complete diassassembly to bare tub in top, removal of pump and all attached plumbing and electrical underneath. Making new L shape retainer required stripping tub to reach any reasonable attachment point. I made a sort of washer from plastic jar lid. Smaller hole diameter of arm just above ring, larger incomplete hole to fit over riser, left two tabs extending from large hole into diameter of smaller, slid it down over riser,tabs extended thru water inlet slots in riser. Slid arm down till tabs clipped over ring. 3 years ago, working fine, jar lid even seems to be slippier than original plastic. 

None of that really has anything to do with kar's problem or the price of mushroom soup in France, except that a simple task, that really oughta be part of regular maintenance, like cleaning sump, can be overly difficult because of access problems poorly designed hidden cheap flimsy attachment methods. I'd say clogged sump and clogged hose are equall suspects. It should be easier to clean inside of unit than pulling it out for average "un-handy" person. Sump cover in kar's unit should be held in with two easily accesable screws, not flimsy plastic clips which may be integral part of larger tub bottom. Drain hose should be easily accesable, should exit unit near front so unit does not have to be slid out all the way, which can a hassle for "unhandy Andy" if installed on copper line or short power cord.

Next time you are washing mushrooms or chopped carrots put them in nylon mesh bag. The flip tops on convenient rack baskets will fly off, being held on with poorly designed, cheap, molded in place , brittle, thin, plastic. When washing car parts or paint buckets and roller trays, make sure boss lady will be gone long enough to clean both them and washer afterwards.


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## karsat (Sep 13, 2011)

Many thanks to everyone who helped ...special thanks especially to notmrjohn...with his help I was able to find the part 508 and drained the water out of it with shopvac and now dishwasher is working fine....

Once Again thanks a lot for everyone....


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