Why Is My Washing Machine Not Draining?

Why Is My Washing Machine Not Draining?

When your washing machine won’t drain, it’s likely there’s one of two problems going on. An object of foreign nature has made its way into your drain hose or your pump, or your pump is busted. The first thing we recommend is getting out the always handy dandy Use and Care Guide that came with your washing machine. If there’s an error code flashing on the unit, you’ll find all the detailed instructions on what to do.

Here are a few quick tips to help keep this from happening in the future:

Always empty the pockets of all shorts, pants, etc. and get a garment bag for your smalls.
If you’ve used a low spin cycle, this tends to remove less water than a high-speed spin. Make sure to use the recommended cycle on your garment tag. If you need to remove extra water in the tub, select the spin cycle. At this point, the wet laundry may need to be rearranged for even distribution in the tub.
You might not have loaded the washer as recommended. If you cram too many clothes in, the load will become unbalanced and the washer won’t spin correctly. This will indeed leave the contents soggier than normal. And sound like your washer is taking a heavy stroll across the laundry room!
You may have used too much detergent. This can cause suds to slow or stop the draining and spinning altogether. It’s a good idea to measure and follow the instructions on the detergent container for each load of laundry. If you need to remove said extra suds, do a rinse / spin cycle. Do not add more detergent.

If you’re pretty sure it’s the drain pump, you’ll need to call a professional out to check. It may be a good idea to remove the clothes and as much water as possible by hand before calling anyone out to work on the unit. This is where a good shop vac can save lots of time. We’ll let you get back to Laundry Day festivities! If you need further assistance, please give us a shout and we’ll send one of our friendly, professional technicians out to give you a helping hand!