Standing water in the bottom of your dishwasher is almost never a broken pump — it's usually one of five small things you can fix in 10 minutes. Work through them in order before paying for a service call.
Most dishwasher symptoms get diagnosed and fixed on the first visit. Flat $129 diagnostic — fully waived when you approve the repair.
Step-by-step
Cup or shop-vac the water out of the tub. You want a dry bottom so you can see what you're doing.
Remove the bottom rack. The filter is the cylindrical assembly in the back-center of the tub floor — twist counterclockwise (some need an Allen key). Lift it out, rinse under hot water, scrub with a soft brush. Bosch, Miele, KitchenAid, and Whirlpool all have a similar setup. This single step fixes maybe 60% of 'won't drain' calls.
If your dishwasher drains into a disposal, run the disposal for 30 seconds with cold water. Also: if this is a new install or new disposal, the installer may have forgotten to knock out the dishwasher plug inside the disposal inlet. No drain ever = check that plug.
The chrome cylinder on top of your sink. Pop the cap off, pull the cover, and clean out the debris underneath. Common in Minnesota installs and required by code in some cities.
Pull the dishwasher out (turn breaker off first if you don't trust the cord). The drain hose loops up high under the sink (the 'high loop') then down to the disposal or air gap. Straighten any kinks. Blow through it — if you get resistance, the hose is clogged and needs to be flushed or replaced.
Push the dishwasher back, restore power, and run a rinse-only cycle. If the water drains, you're done. If you still have standing water, the drain pump or check valve has failed and that's a tech call.
Stop and call
Safety + model triggers
Water leaking onto the floor from under the dishwasher cabinet.
Pump seal or sump crack — left running, will warp cabinetry and subfloor in days.
Burning smell or grinding noise during the drain cycle.
Pump motor seizing — keep cycling it and you risk a winding fire under the cabinet.
Bosch 800/Benchmark, Miele, Cove, or other premium dishwasher with a sealed pump module.
Pump assemblies are bonded to the sump — pulling them wrong cracks the tub and totals the unit.
Display shows E15, E24, F09, or persistent error code after filter clean.
Anti-flood float (E15) or supply error — diagnostic tool needed to clear safely.
Other reasons to call
FAQs
A small amount (under 1 inch) at the back-center is normal — it keeps the seals wet between cycles. Water above the filter, or covering the heating element, means the drain isn't completing.
In order: clean the filter, run the disposal, clean the air gap, then check the drain hose for kinks. About 90% of cases resolve at one of those steps. Anything past that is a pump or check-valve issue.
Typical range $189–$340 all-in. Drain pump replacement runs $220–$320. Hose replacement $189–$240. Our flat $129 diagnostic is waived when you approve the repair.
Almost always the disposal knockout plug — when a disposal is new, there's a plastic plug inside the dishwasher inlet that has to be punched out. The installer missed it. Easy fix: 10 minutes with a screwdriver.
Don't. The standing water tells you the drain is blocked — running another cycle adds more water and risks an overflow. Bail it out first, then troubleshoot.
Related service
Won't drain, won't fill, leaving dishes dirty, leaking onto the floor — most dishwasher problems trace to a short list of parts, and we carry every one of them on the truck.
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