My Washer won't drain...? (by 8 users)

the problem is either your pump or your hoses. this an easy fix. all you need is a screwdriver and a bucket to catch water. 1st unplug the machine and remove the drain hose from the drain. then try to drain the water from the washer by plugging it back in and setting the washer to drain. if no water comes out of your drain hose then you know your plumbing is ok. next put the drain hose back in the drain and take the cabinet of your washer. you will see your pump with 2 hoses connecting to it. one hose connects to the basket and the other to the drain. disconnect the hose coming from the basket and if water comes out then you know the basket is not blocked with any article of clothing. if both check out ok your problem would be the pump. write down the model and serial number to your washer and buy a pump. they are only about 15.00. remove the old and install the new. having a repairman like me install would cost about 150.00, so i advise you to do it yourself or have a friend help.

My top load washer wouldn't drain.  I assumed a clogged hose as my golden retrievers seem to clog everything else in my home wiht hair! After removing the 2 screws on the bottom of the front of the machine I removed the front panel to allow easy access to hoses. I removed the hose connected to what I assume is a pump on the lower right front corner and to my surprise a sock was lodged in the opening from the wash drum.  
Easy fix but frustrating problem!   

Thank you for the information, It just saved me from getting a new washer. the lid switch was bad. I just left the top open and stuck a screwdriver in the hole and it works fine. An easy temporary fix. We are going away on vacation for 2 weeks and need to wash clothes before we go. We will fix when we get home.

I know this is a bit late, but just in case someone else stumbles upon this page like I did, you could look in the input on the drain pump for anything like lint, coins, thread, etc. This can cause the pump to lock up and just make a whining noise when the washer is supposed to be draining. Of course, always go for the simplest fixes first and make your way to the harder ones.

Sometimes it could be as easy as cleaning out the filter on the front (lower right corner)You can find all sorts of matted fluff / price tags in there.
Be careful as to completely drain the machine though or expect some manic mopping up once opened.

Excellent,

not only did i find $2.60 in the drain pump but i found a ball of cotton string in the drain pump. I was able to open the front of the washer and use pliers to remove the drain hose. I was able to fix the problem in about 35 min. and save $160. It was going to take Sears 9 days to get a tech out to look at it and about $65 + parts and labor.

The screws can be hard to get off so a #2 square head driver on a hand drill works great.

Thank you

Thanks so much for all the advice!!!

I was house sitting when the problem happened.

All I had to do was jiggle the drain pipe and whatever was in there dislogged and worked!

Drain hose is clogged or kinked - Clean out drain hose and straighten any kinks.
Drain hose fits too tightly in standpipe - Standpipe must be minimum of 1 1/4 inches (3 cm) in diameter to provide air so water drains.
Clothing is stuck in the drain pump, or the drain pump has failed - Call a professional

had a look at drain pump found loose connection reconnected wire and away we went

Just had a similar problem with our 14 year-old washer and my wife was getting frustrated. Meanwhile, based on the advice I read here, I jiggle the lid switch and PRESTO! Back in business.

Thanks for not only saving us a hefty service call and repair bill, but ALSO for making me look like a total home-improvement stud!

This helped a lot. I dlew into my drain hose and I could tell it was blocked. I could see the bubbles and that gave me a place to start. I drained all the water, took it apart a little and used my shop-vac to 'suck' all the water and nasty clothes clots out of it. I checked the drain hose again and it was much easier to blow through.
This was fist time to this site and it helped a lot.
Thanks,
Dave

Check the lid swith

I had the same problem it was the switch when you put the lid down to let the washer know it is shut and can spin.

thanks so much shelf above washer fell with the door open and knocked the key that triggers the switch clean off! read sits above and fixed the problem in under an hour. 

preston

Great advice! The first solution I tried, work. A rubber tire from my son's toy truck was jammed in the pump. Just make sure that you don't put the soaked clothes in the dryer,(like I did),  because you might blow the fuse in the dryer from the overload.
   Mike

My daughter just had this same problem. I wish I had read the 20 solutions for the GE front loader before my husband and son-in-law moved the machine and took off the back. Apparently there is a filter behind the bottom front panel that catches things like socks, coins and various other things. There are three screws to take off the panel and then the filter screw is at the bottom right. Unscrew it and empty all the stuff you find. The manuels say nothing about cleaning this filter out.

The pump may have failed

The drain hose COULD be plugged.
Mine had the PUMP INLET plugged with lint/dimes.

Thats right, three dimes and some lint kept the water from getting to the pump.

For even an inexperienced handiman, the fix is easy.
1) DISCONNECT THE POWER !!!
2) Open access door in middle of back panel - 4 screws
3) Disconnect pump inlet hose - pump is on the floor/left as you face the inside from the rear. Have lots of towels handy as water will run out of the tub. This is a simple hose clamp - you dont have to remove the clamp - only loosen enough to remove the hose.

You can tell the inlet hose as it comes from the tub.
The outlet hose exits the pump and exits the machine.

4) stick your finger into the pump inlet and feel for any debris. I have found much lint and small coins. Somehow dimes get into the pump inlet and make perfect check valves preventing water from getting into the pump.
Remove the debris.

5) reconnect the pump inlet hose
6) replace back access panel.
7) plug back in and test.
If it does not drain now, you may need a new pump.

For even a handiman with four thumbs, this procedure should take less than 30 minutes !

Grant, does the washer spin? No spin, no drain, usually the first sign of a broken lid switch. If it's pumping water by turning the timer, you know the pump is ok. If the lid switch is ok, it probably is a timer issue. Catriver..post back.

It drains when I put it manually at the drain "dot" on the dial. So it is not clogged. Just won't drain automatically during a cycle.

It is more likely the input drain from the soap disoenser into the washing chamber. This gets a biological buildup and is not accessible for easy cleaning.

Randy