Dishwasher Not Draining

Standing water left in the bottom of the tub at the end of a cycle is one of the most common dishwasher complaints, and it almost always comes down to something physically blocking the drain path rather than an electrical failure.

Before assuming a part has failed, check the basics: run the garbage disposal if your dishwasher drains through it, since a disposal that was never run after installation (a common new-installation issue) leaves a knockout plug blocking the connection entirely. Also confirm the drain hose has not been kinked by whatever is stored under the sink.

Safety first. A dishwasher combines household electricity with a pressurized water supply line and a tub that can hold hot standing water.

Shut off power at the breaker. Most dishwashers are hardwired rather than plugged into an accessible outlet, so the breaker is the actual disconnect -- turning the dial or touchpad off does not remove power from the unit.
Close the water supply valve under the sink or at the shutoff before disconnecting any hose, valve, or fitting.
Standing water in the tub may be scalding. Let it cool before reaching in with bare hands.
Never work on a unit that is still wired live. Confirm power is off at the breaker itself, not just at the control panel, before touching internal components.

Most Likely Causes

Clogged drain filter or sump — The most common cause. Food debris collects in the filter basket and sump area at the bottom of the tub, especially if dishes are loaded without scraping off larger scraps first.
Object jammed in the chopper/grinder — A piece of glass, a bone fragment, or a label sticker can jam the chopper assembly that shreds debris before it reaches the pump, blocking drainage even with a clean filter. Related parts: Kit - Piranh (WD01X10572 or WD01X10573).
Failed drain pump — If the filter and chopper are both clear but water still will not leave the tub, the drain pump motor itself may have failed. Sold as Drain Pump A (5304492415), WASH PUMP MAIN ASM (WD19X25460), or Connect Pump (WD18X0214).
Kinked or clogged drain hose — The flexible hose running from the dishwasher to the sink drain or disposal connection can kink behind the cabinet or clog with grease over time. Sold as Drain Hose (154753201) or Drain Tube (WD24X10035).
Disposal knockout plug never removed — On a new installation connected to a garbage disposal, an unremoved knockout plug inside the disposal inlet blocks the connection completely.

How to Check Each Part

With power off at the breaker, remove the lower rack and the filter assembly, then rinse it under a faucet and clear any visible debris from the sump beneath it.
Reach into the sump (check your model's access path) and feel for a hard object caught near the chopper blades.
Pull the dishwasher out or access the drain hose under the sink and check for a visible kink or a section that feels solid when squeezed, which indicates a grease clog inside.
If connected to a disposal, confirm the knockout plug was removed at installation -- shine a flashlight into the disposal's dishwasher inlet to check.
If the filter, chopper, and hose are all clear, test the drain pump motor for continuity; no continuity means it has failed.

Preventing Drain Clogs

Scraping large food scraps into the trash before loading, rather than relying on the dishwasher to grind and flush them, is the single biggest factor in preventing both filter clogs and chopper jams. Clean the filter basket every few weeks even if the dishwasher still seems to be draining normally -- by the time drainage visibly slows down, the filter is usually already significantly packed with debris that has been accumulating unnoticed for some time.

Standing water that returns every single cycle, no matter how often you clean the filter, points more toward the drain hose or pump than toward loading habits -- a hose or pump does not clear itself the way a filter does when you rinse it, so a mechanical cause behaves consistently rather than intermittently.

Check Your Exact Model

Once you have narrowed the cause down to a part type, confirm it against your exact dishwasher rather than guessing from the brand alone. Use the model and part lookup tool to search by your dishwasher's full model number, or start from one of these confirmed model pages to see the exact parts list for that unit:

Related Symptoms

If this is not quite the problem you are seeing, browse the full list of repair symptoms.

Symptom	What it looks like
Dishwasher Leaking	Water pooling under or in front of the unit
Dishwasher Not Cleaning	Dishes come out with food residue or a cloudy film
Appliance Leaking Water	Same failure pattern across washer, refrigerator, and dishwasher
Spray Arm Not Rotating	Dishes on one level come out dirty while the other level is clean

Still not sure? Use the model and part lookup tool to search by your appliance model number directly.

How to Confirm Before You Buy a Part

Before ordering any replacement part, take a minute to confirm fitment -- it is the difference between a repair that works the first time and a part that has to be sent back.

Find the model/serial plate. On most dishwashers it is on the edge of the door (visible when the door is open) or stamped into the metal rim of the tub itself, just inside the door. See how to find your model number if you cannot locate it.
Read the full model number exactly as printed, including every letter and dash -- manufacturers reuse near-identical model numbers across different production runs that take different parts.
Verify the part fits that exact model using the model and part lookup tool before you buy, rather than assuming a part that looks the same will fit.

The full model number matters more than the brand and appliance type alone. Manufacturers commonly reuse one tub and door design across many model numbers over several years, changing the exact pump, spray arm, or control board partway through the run -- so two dishwashers that look identical side by side can still take different parts.