Before you open anything
Standing water in an Almison dishwasher is a restriction in the drain path, and on this construction it is in the filter or the sump most of the time. The next most likely place is the drain hose where it has been crushed or kinked behind the machine. A failed drain pump is real but comes last, and it announces itself with a hum rather than with silence.
How this shows up
- A pool of water in the sump at the end of every cycle — The definitive presentation. Note whether it is clean or greasy, because that says how long it has been building.
- The machine drains slowly but does eventually clear — A partial restriction, and the stage before a full blockage. Deal with it now and you avoid the stall.
- A hum at the drain phase with no water movement — That is the pump trying against a blockage or a failed impeller.
- Water backing up into the machine from the sink side — That is the household waste, not the appliance.
- NEAR MISS: a cupful of clean water in the sump — Normal. The sump is designed to hold a small charge so the seal does not dry out.
Likely causes on this brand
- Filter and sump blockage — First on this class of machine by a wide margin, because the coarse filter catches what it can and the rest settles in the sump.
- A kinked, crushed or high-looped drain hose — Second. Almost always dates from the last time the machine was pulled out and pushed back.
- Blocked waste connection or air gap at the sink — Third. If the sink is also slow, the appliance is innocent and the plumbing is not.
- Drain pump impeller fouled by debris — Fourth. Glass and fruit stones reach it through the filter and stop it dead.
- Drain pump failure — Last. Genuine, but far less common than the four restrictions above it.
A sequence that saves time
- Bail the tub and lift the filter — You cannot judge anything with standing water in the way, and the filter is right there under it.
- Pour a jug of clean water into the sump and watch — It either goes or it does not, and that single observation splits the diagnosis.
- Look behind the machine at the hose run — Kinks are visible and free to fix.
- Test the kitchen sink — A slow sink moves the whole problem to the plumbing.
Owner-side checks, step by step
- Bail the standing water out with a jug and a sponge — Do this first and completely. Everything else is guesswork with water in the tub.
Tools: jug, sponge, towelsAbout 20 min
- Remove and wash the filter stack, then clear the sump by hand — Wear gloves. Glass fragments collect exactly where your fingers want to go.
Tools: gloves, brushAbout 20 min
- Straighten the drain hose and check its height at the connection — A hose that sags into a low loop holds water and eventually silts up.
Tools: torchAbout 15 min
- Check the household waste by running the sink hot — If the sink backs up too, stop here and call a plumber rather than a technician.
About 10 min
The hazard on this machine
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel or reaching into the sump — a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Standing water in a dishwasher hides broken glass, so bail with a jug and finish with a gloved hand rather than a bare one. If the water is hot, wait for it to cool; the tub holds enough at temperature to scald a forearm, and there is no hurry that justifies it.
The line for a service call
Call when the filter is clean, the sump is clear, the hose is straight and the water still will not go, because at that point the restriction is in the pump or in the hose interior and both mean the machine comes out. Call sooner if the pump hums and nothing moves, since a stalled pump run repeatedly cooks its own winding. And if the sink and the machine are both slow, the call is to a plumber first: a technician will only tell you the same thing after a visit fee.
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Scope of this page
This page treats the Almison dishwasher as a class and does not descend to a family or a model line. It carries no pump part numbers, no hose diameters and no filter codes, because those differ between builds under this badge. Where a family- or model-specific page exists it names the sump and pump layout for that build and is the better reference before ordering anything. The waste connection, the trap and any air gap under the sink are plumbing, and they stay out of scope here even though they cause a share of these faults.
Other faults on this machine
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
