Samsung dishwasher won’t drain and leaves standing water?

You open the door after a cycle and find a tray of gray water sitting around the filter, maybe with a few rice grains floating in it. A Samsung dishwasher that leaves water behind has a drain path that is blocked, not moving water, or being told to stop. Each of those has a different fix, and a few minutes of looking from the outside usually shows which one you have.

What standing water is telling you

A dishwasher empties itself by sending water through a filter, past the drain pump, and out through a hose that rises to the sink drain or disposal and then falls away. Water left in the tub means that journey was interrupted somewhere. The wash itself may have been fine, since many of these machines still spray and heat before the drain step fails.

How the water looks helps. Clear, soapy water that is only a little deep often points to a partly blocked filter or a drain hose that sags. A tub full of dirty water after the machine went quiet suggests the pump never ran or the cycle ended early. Water that comes back from the sink is a different issue altogether, because the problem is then in the house plumbing and not in the appliance.

Likely causes, from most common to least

• A clogged filter or sump. Labels, seeds, broken glass fragments, bits of paper and food collect around the filter assembly at the bottom of the tub and slow or stop the flow.
• A kinked or sagging drain hose. After a remodel or a new countertop, the hose behind the unit is often pushed into a tight bend. Water then drains slowly or not at all.
• A blocked disposal inlet. If the dishwasher hose ties in at the disposal and the plug knockout was never removed, or the disposal is packed with scraps, the water has nowhere to go.
• A drain pump that hums or does not move. A pump can jam on debris or wear out. Listen for a low hum without any gurgling, or complete silence at the end of the wash.
• A control that stopped the cycle. A power dip or a door that did not latch can end a program before the drain step runs.

Checks in order, all from the outside

1. Run the kitchen sink tap and, if you have one, the disposal. If the sink is slow or gurgling, the dishwasher is only showing you a house drain problem. Clear that first.
2. Switch the dishwasher off at its control, wait a moment, then open the door and look at the display for a code. Write down exactly what it shows.
3. Take out the lower rack. Lift out the filter pieces the way the owner manual describes, rinse them under the tap, and clear any debris from the opening around them. Do not reach into the sump deeper than you can see.
4. Look at the visible part of the drain hose under the sink, if you can get to it from the cabinet. Straighten any obvious kink and make sure it is not pinched against the cabinet wall.
5. Close the door firmly and start a short rinse. Listen near the front of the machine. A faint pump sound followed by the water level falling is good news. A hum with no movement is not.

Codes you may see

When the drain step fails, the display can show the drain error listed on our Samsung dishwasher 5C error code page, which means the dishwasher cannot drain. If the pump starts, runs only briefly, or stalls, the 5C2 code page describes that pattern. Cleaning the filter is a fair first response to either. If the same code returns on the next cycle, the part that moves the water needs a closer look.

Things to avoid

• Do not pour drain cleaner into the tub. It can sit against seals and plastic parts and will not reach a hose blockage anyway.
• Do not remove lower panels or reach into the pump housing. The pump and its wiring sit close together near mains power.
• Do not keep running cycles on top of standing water. The extra load can push water past the door seal and onto the floor, and it sours quickly.
• Do not bail the tub into the sink and call it fixed without finding out why it stayed full.

Built-in details that change the diagnosis

Dishwashers in San Francisco flats and older row houses often share a tight cabinet with a disposal and a shallow drain line. Hoses get folded when the unit is pushed back into its opening, and some kitchens lack the high loop in the drain hose that keeps sink water from siphoning back. Newer condo kitchens sometimes use an air gap fitting on the countertop. If a stream of foam or gray water rises from that fitting, the blockage is past the dishwasher, in the disposal or house line.

When to book a visit

Book if the filter is clean, the sink drains freely, and water still remains. Book too if the display repeats a drain code, if the pump hums without moving water, or if you notice dampness at the cabinet floor. A technician checks the filter path, hose and drain connection, runs the pump, and explains what failed before anything is replaced. You receive a written estimate, and nothing is repaired without your approval. Our Samsung dishwasher repair page describes how a visit runs, and the Samsung dishwashers guide covers the lineup and where the model label usually sits, often along the door edge or inside the tub rim.

Why the model number helps

Pump styles and filter layouts differ between lines. Having the label text ready, for example from a wide unit such as the Samsung DW70H83YETRAA or the Samsung DW90H89TETEAA, lets the technician bring the likely parts. If water stays in the tub after a leak scare as well, read Samsung dishwasher leaks from the bottom before you run another cycle.

Frequently asked questions