The answer in three sentences
Water standing in the base of an AEG-Electrolux F dishwasher is a blockage far more often than a failure, and the filter is where it nearly always is. Water leaves through the filter, the sump, the pump, a hose and the waste connection under the sink. Working outward along that path finds the blockage much faster than starting at the pump, which is what most people suspect first. The table below names six models under this family key. They are near enough alike that the fault presents the same way on each; the divergence is in part numbers rather than in how you find it.
How the water is behaving
- Water standing in the base at the end of every programme — A complete blockage rather than a slow one.
- It empties slowly and the programme over-runs — A partial restriction, which is what a filter half full of debris gives.
- The pump is audible and nothing goes down — It is working against something, usually upstream of it.
- Dirty water appears after the sink has been used — The waste connection, outside the machine entirely.
- NEAR MISS — no water at all and a programme that will not begin — A fill or start fault; the will-not-start page for this family covers it.
Where the path is closed, most likely first on the F line
- 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. All six models under the F key are built the same way here, so an ordering that fits one of them fits the rest.
- The waste connection or a blanking plug left in — The machine drains into the sink waste, so a blockage there or a plug left in place at installation stops the water with nothing in the dishwasher at fault.
- The drain hose kinked or crushed — The hose sits behind the machine where it is trapped when the appliance is pushed into its housing, and it needs a high loop that is easily lost on refitting.
- The anti-flood device having operated — A machine that has detected water in its base shuts down and stops draining normally, so the standing water is the consequence of a protective action rather than of a blockage.
The order to work through on these models
- Note whether the pump makes any sound at all during the drain — Silence and straining point at different repairs.
- Check the waste connection under the sink and run the sink tap — Decides whether this is an appliance fault at all.
- Pull the machine forward and run the hose through your hand — Needs no tool beyond moving the appliance.
Models in the F family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| F45078I-M | aeg-electrolux:dishwasher:f |
| F65478VI-S | aeg-electrolux:dishwasher:f |
| F89078VI-M | aeg-electrolux:dishwasher:f |
| F89078VI-S | aeg-electrolux:dishwasher:f |
| F89088VI-M | aeg-electrolux:dishwasher:f |
| F89088VI-S | aeg-electrolux:dishwasher:f |
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.
The line between an owner check and a service call
Call a technician once the filter, the waste connection and the hose are clear and it 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 where it should not be, and that matters more than the programme.
The rest of this family, fault by fault
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Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
