The short answer
On the Big Chill BC dishwasher water left standing at the end of a cycle is usually a restriction downstream of a healthy pump rather than the pump itself. The BC table lists one model, so the sequence below holds across the whole model list.
What you observe
- Standing water in the base at the end of every cycle — A small film in the sump is normal on most builds; water above the filter after the cycle ends is not, and the amount left tells you whether it is a restriction or a stop.
- The pump runs and the water does not go — You can hear the drain pump working.
- No drain sound at all at the end of the cycle — Either the pump is jammed, or the cycle never reached the drain step.
- NEAR MISS — water on the floor rather than in the tub — That is a leak, not a drainage fault, and the leak page will get you there faster.
Causes, most likely first on the BC family
- The waste connection, trap or disposer at the sink — First on this family — the BC table lists one model — and everything downstream of the machine is shared plumbing: a slow trap, a disposer whose blanking plug was never knocked out, or a waste that has silted up will stop a perfectly healthy machine.
- Drain hose routing, height and loops — Second: a hose lying flat, crushed behind the cabinet or run too high for the pump produces either a slow drain or a tub that refills itself between cycles. Both look like pump failure from the front.
- Filter and sump debris — Third on this ranking rather than first, because it produces a gradual decline over weeks while a downstream blockage tends to arrive all at once — but it is the most common cause overall and should be cleared anyway.
- Drain pump impeller or motor — Last: genuine pump failure is much rarer than the three above, and on this class of machine it is usually a jam rather than a dead motor.
Check in this order, and why
- Fill and drain the sink beside the machine — First because it takes thirty seconds and it rules the shared plumbing in or out before you touch the appliance.
- Trace the drain hose end to end — Second: look for the crush point behind the cabinet and confirm the hose rises before it falls.
- Bail the tub and clear the filter and sump — Third — even when the fault is downstream, a sump full of debris will hide the improvement when you fix it.
- Listen for the pump with the tub refilled — Last: a pump that runs hard and moves nothing after all of the above is the one case that needs a technician.
Before you open anything
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, and broken glass is the usual find down there. Wear a glove and use a torch rather than feeling blindly. Shut the water supply before disturbing a hose.
Models in the BC family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| BC24DW | big-chill:dishwasher:bc |
When to call a technician
Call when the filter, sump and hose are clear, the sink drains freely, and the pump still will not move water — that is a pump replacement and it needs the machine out. Call sooner if the waste connection itself is blocked behind the cabinet or shared with plumbing you cannot isolate.
Other faults covered for the BC family
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