Asko Washer: Will Not Drain
A washer that will not drain has something in the way far more often than it has a failed pump, and the obstruction is almost always in one of three places: the pump filter, the drain hose, or the standpipe the hose empties into. This page takes the same fault from a different starting point: not which subsystem is likeliest on an Asko washer, but when the trouble started. These are heavily built machines, so wear-out ranks low and installation, water-path obstructions and load habits rank high. What ranks first here is something you can correct yourself in under an hour, which is the reason to work down the list in order rather than book a visit straight away.
What you are actually seeing
- Check your symptom against this list first.
- Water backing up out of the standpipe onto the floor.
- The pump runs audibly but no water leaves the machine.
- A drain or pump code in the display, or a cycle that stops before the spin.
- Not this fault: If nothing happens at all and the machine never runs, go to the will-not-start page.
Causes, grouped by when it started
- One entry per onset pattern first — the strongest candidate for each way this fault can begin on an Asko washer — and the remainder after them. Read the label, find the pattern that matches yours, and start there rather than at the top.
- Drain hose kinked, too high, or pushed too far into the standpipe — Why: The drain hose has a required height range and a required air gap. Push it too far down the standpipe and the machine siphons; run it too high and the pump cannot lift the water. — Onset: Has been like this since the unit was installed or moved
- Blocked pump filter or coin trap — Why: Every front-loading washer has a filter ahead of the pump that is meant to be cleaned on a schedule, and almost nobody does it. Coins, buttons, hair grips and lint pack it solid. — Onset: Got worse gradually over weeks or months
- Item jammed in the pump impeller — Why: A sock, an underwire or a coin that gets past the filter stops the impeller dead. The pump then buzzes or hums without moving water, which is a distinct sound from a pump that is not running at all. — Onset: Started suddenly, between one use and the next
- Blocked household drain or standpipe — Why: Lint and detergent scale build up in the standpipe itself, and the machine is then blamed for a plumbing restriction. The give-away is water backing up rather than staying in the drum. — Onset: Got worse gradually over weeks or months
What to check, and in what order
- This order follows the onset groups above, so it is deliberately different from the companion page. Neither is wrong; they are two routes through one fault.
- Pin down when it started and whether it happens every time. — Why: A fault that appeared between one use and the next has a different cause set from one that crept up over months, and this answer alone removes most of the list.
- Open the pump filter at the bottom front of the machine, with a tray and towels ready. — Why: It is the most common cause, it is designed to be owner-serviceable, and it also gives you a look at the impeller.
- Check the drain hose from the machine to the standpipe for kinks and for how far it is inserted. — Why: It is free, and it catches both the siphon fault and the lift-height fault in one look.
Checks you can safely do yourself
- Stop at the first step that would put a meter on live terminals.
- Switch the machine off at the outlet and lay towels and a shallow tray under the filter cover at the bottom front. — Tools: Towels, shallow tray
About 10 min
- Open the filter slowly, letting the water out in stages rather than all at once, then remove and clean the filter. — Tools: Towels, tray
About 20 min
- Reach into the pump housing and turn the impeller by hand, removing anything wrapped around it. — Tools: Torch, gloves
About 15 min
- Pull the machine out and run the drain hose from end to end, straightening kinks and checking it is not pushed more than the manual allows into the standpipe. — Tools: Torch, tape measure
About 20 min
Before you touch 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. — Id: unplug-before-service
Unplug the washer before opening the pump filter or any panel; a capacitor in the drive circuit can hold a charge after the power is off. The water in the drum can still be hot after a warm wash — let it cool and release the filter slowly, because a full drum will empty faster than a small tray can hold.
Where the owner checks end
Call a technician when one of these is true, and not before.
When the filter, the hose and the standpipe are all clear and the pump is silent during the drain phase. When the impeller is damaged or will not turn freely once cleared. When a drain code returns with a visibly empty drum, which points at the pressure switch.
Sources
General guidance- 29 CFR 1910.147 — The Control of Hazardous Energy — US Occupational Safety and Health Administration, fetched 2026-09-06
Nearest pages of the same kind
What this page does not cover
Links down: - [Common Asko Washer Problems](/blog/asko-washer-problems-2)
This page is generalized: it covers the Asko washer line as a whole and does not narrow to a family, a model number or a serial range. The overview at asko-washer-problems-2 routes down to every problem class on this machine, including any family- or model-specific page beneath this one.
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.
