The short answer
Standing water in the base of an Acekool DC dishwasher is a blockage in nine cases out of ten, and the filter is the first place to look. Water leaves a dishwasher through the filter, the sump, the pump, a hose and the waste connection under the sink. Working along that path in order finds the blockage far faster than starting at the pump, which is the part most people suspect first. The table below lists two models for this family, and they are close enough that the fault behaves the same way across all of them; what differs between them is parts rather than diagnosis.
What you observe on these models
- Water standing in the base at the end of every cycle — A total blockage rather than a slow one.
- The machine drains slowly and the cycle over-runs — A partial restriction, which is what a filter half full of debris does.
- The pump is audible but the water does not go down — The pump is working against something, and that something is usually upstream of it.
- Dirty water appears in the base after the sink has been used — That is the waste connection, outside the machine entirely.
- NEAR MISS — no water at all and a cycle that will not begin — That is a fill or a start fault rather than a drain fault, and the will-not-start page for this family covers it.
Causes, most likely first on the DC family
- The drain hose kinked, crushed or blocked — The hose sits behind the machine where it is trapped when the appliance is pushed into its housing, and it also needs a high loop that is easily lost on refitting. The two models of the DC family share this construction, so what ranks first on one of them ranks first on all of them.
- The filter and sump packed with debris — It is the designed trap at the accessible end of the path and it is cleaned less often than any other part of the machine, which is why it heads this list every time.
- The drain pump impeller jammed — Glass, a fruit stone or a label past the filter reaches the impeller and stops it, and it is the residual once the accessible path has been proven clear.
- The anti-flood device having operated — A machine that has detected water in its base shuts the cycle down and stops draining normally, so the standing water is a consequence of a protective action rather than of a blockage.
Check in this order on these models, and why
- Pull the machine forward and run the hose through your hand — Third, and it needs no tool beyond moving the appliance.
- Lift the filter out, bail the standing water, and clear the sump — First, and it resolves most cases before anything else is touched.
- Note whether the pump makes any sound at all during the drain stage — Fourth: silence and straining mean different repairs.
Models in the DC family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| DC1 | acekool:dishwasher:dc |
| DC2 | acekool:dishwasher:dc |
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel — a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Close the isolating valve before undoing any hose. Standing water in the base can still be hot and often contains broken glass, so bail it with a jug and a cloth rather than reaching in. Leave the anti-flood float and the door latch switch exactly as fitted: they are what stops a weeping joint becoming a flooded floor.
When to call a technician
Call a technician when the filter, the waste connection and the hose are all clear and the machine still will not drain, because the next step is the pump under the base. Call the same day if you find water on the floor or under the cabinet, or if the machine will not run at all after a flood — a dishwasher that has operated its anti-flood device has water somewhere it should not be, and that matters more than the cycle.
Other problems covered for this family
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
