Washing machine drain pump repair
Machine stalled with water sitting in the drum? Nine times out of ten it is the drain pump, blocked or failed — and it is one of the quickest faults to put right.
The drain pump pushes water out of the machine at the end of the wash. In front of it sits a small filter whose job is to catch coins, buttons and lint before they reach the impeller. When that filter blocks, or something jams in it, the pump strains and fails, the cycle stops and you get an error code.
A good number of these jobs need no parts at all — clearing the filter and impeller and checking the hose solves it. If the impeller is cracked or the winding has burnt out, we fit a matching replacement pump.
What you'll notice
- Water sitting in the drum and not draining
- The cycle stalling partway through
- A drain-related error code on the display
- A loud buzz at the drain step with no water moving
- Clothes coming out soaked because the spin never ran
- A bad smell coming from inside the machine
Common causes
- The pump filter blocked with coins, buttons and lint
- A cracked or worn impeller
- A burnt-out pump winding
- The drain hose behind the machine kinked or blocked
- The drain hose sitting higher than it should above floor level
How we fix it
- 1Draining the trapped water safely before anything is opened
- 2Opening the pump filter and clearing everything caught in it
- 3Checking the impeller by hand and testing the winding with a meter
- 4Inspecting the drain hose and the wall outlet it feeds
- 5Fitting a new pump if needed, then running a full drain and spin to confirm
Questions about this repair
Yes, and it is a good habit. Unplug the machine, put a towel under the small hatch at the bottom, and open the cap slowly because water will come out. If the fault returns after cleaning, the pump itself is the problem.
Not necessarily. The same code comes up for a blocked filter, a kinked hose, or a faulty water-level sensor. Testing is what tells us which, and that is why we never swap a part before we are sure.
Get your washer running today
Send us the machine type and the fault — we'll come back with a slot and a ballpark price.