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Drainage faults are the most owner-fixable problem a washing machine has. Coins, hair grips and buttons collect in the pump filter, the machine cannot empty, and it refuses to spin because it will not spin on a full drum. The BAMFC models share their drain hose routing and standpipe height requirement, so the siphoning check below applies across the family.
What the owner observes
- The pump hums or grinds and nothing moves — Something is jamming the impeller — a coin, a hair grip, a shirt button.
- The machine stops with a fault indicator — Many machines detect a failed drain and stop. Note the code exactly before clearing anything.
- Water drains very slowly rather than not at all — A partial restriction, often in the hose or the standpipe rather than at the filter.
- The drain hose or standpipe gurgles and backs up — That points outside the machine, at the household waste rather than the appliance.
- NEAR MISS — It will not begin a cycle at all — That belongs on the page about a washer that will not start.
Causes, most likely first
- A kinked or blocked drain hose — It is checked by disconnecting it into a bucket, which is messy but decisive. It is first because it is free, it is designed to be opened and it is usually the whole fault. The brand-generic page leads with a blocked pump filter; here a kinked or blocked drain hose takes that place.
- A blocked pump filter — The pump filter at the bottom front of a washer exists to catch coins, buttons, hair grips and tissue before they reach the pump, and it fills.
- A jammed or failed drain pump — A pump that has genuinely failed is silent at the drain stage rather than noisy, which is a useful distinction.
Check in this order, and why
- First — check the drain hose behind the machine — Look for a crushed section where the machine was pushed back, then disconnect it into a bucket and see whether water runs freely.
- Second — open the pump filter at the bottom front — Drain the machine through the small hose first, then unscrew the filter over a tray. Coins, grips and tissue in there are the fault, and clearing them is the repair.
- Third — look and listen at the impeller — With the filter out, look into the housing and turn the impeller by hand. Grinding or a jam explains a pump that hums; free movement with silence at the drain stage points elsewhere.
Power off before panels come off
Safety
Switch the washer off at the socket or its breaker and close both supply taps before any panel comes off or any hose is disturbed. A capacitor in the control can hold a charge after the power is off, and the drum can coast for a long time after a spin. Never reach into a moving drum or defeat the door lock on a front loader — it holds water as well as a door. A loaded machine is extremely heavy, so drain it before moving it.
Where the owner job ends
Call when the filter, the impeller, the hose and the standpipe are all clear and water still stands. Call a plumber rather than an appliance technician if water backs up out of the standpipe or the sink gurgles when the machine drains.
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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.
