The short answer
On a BLACK+DECKER dishwasher, will not drain most often comes down to a kinked or blocked drain hose. The hose leads on a portable or countertop machine, because it is unhooked and re-hooked constantly and a kink or a low loop is the normal state rather than the exception. Most of what follows is an owner check; it becomes a service call when the filter and hose are clear and the tub still holds water.
What you are actually seeing
- The entries at the end belong to a different fault and send you elsewhere.
- Standing water in the bottom of the tub at the end of a cycle.
- A drain sound that starts and then stops early.
- Water that drains slowly over an hour instead of in a minute.
- If instead you see this: A small amount of clean water in the sump that is always there — that is the trap seal and it is normal on most machines.
Ranked causes on a BLACK+DECKER dishwasher
- The hose leads on a portable or countertop machine, because it is unhooked and re-hooked constantly and a kink or a low loop is the normal state rather than the exception. Settle one observable question before you use this ranking — countertop or portable versus built-in: a faucet quick-connect or an internal reservoir, draining into the sink or an on-board tank, means countertop or portable, while a plumbed and hard-wired unit is built-in. Look at where the water and the exhaust go.
- A kinked or blocked drain hose — Why: The hose is squeezed behind the machine, sags into a low loop that holds water, or is packed with grease.
- A clogged filter or sump — Why: Food debris, labels, seeds and glass chips collect in the filter basket and the sump below it.
- The sink drain itself is slow — Why: A dishwasher drains into the same line as the sink.
- The drain hose is not looped high enough — Why: Without a high loop or an air gap, waste water runs back down into the tub by gravity after every cycle.
- The drain pump is jammed or failed — Why: A hum with no water movement is a jammed impeller; silence is a failed pump or a control that never commanded it.
- A check valve stuck open or shut — Why: Stuck shut, nothing drains; stuck open, sink water siphons back into the tub, which is why the water in the tub sometimes smells of the sink rather than of the wash.
What to check, and why in this order
- Free checks first, then the ones that need the machine opened.
- Clear the filter and the sump first.
- Then run a short cycle and listen for the drain pump.
- Then follow the hose end to end for kinks, low loops and a proper high loop or air gap.
Checks you can safely do yourself
- Stop at the first step that would need a meter on live terminals.
- Bail out the standing water with a cup and a sponge so you can see and reach the sump. — Number: 1 — Tools: cup, sponge, towel — Time: under ten minutes
- Twist out the filter assembly, wash it under a tap with a brush, and clear the sump underneath by hand. — Number: 2 — Tools: washing-up brush, gloves — Time: under half an hour
- If the machine drains into a disposer, run the disposer for a moment, then check that the dishwasher inlet plug on it was removed at installation. — Number: 3 — Tools: torch — Time: under ten minutes
- Lift the cap off the air gap on the sink deck and clear any debris inside it. — Number: 4 — Tools: none — Time: under ten minutes
- Pull the machine forward if it is free-standing, or follow the hose on a portable, and remove kinks and low loops. — Number: 5 — Tools: torch — Time: under half an hour
Before you start
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel. A capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Nothing below asks you to put a meter on live terminals, and nothing below asks you to defeat a door switch or an interlock — those exist to cut power to something that would otherwise hurt you. If the plug, the cord or the outlet is warm, discoloured or smells hot, stop there and have the circuit looked at before you use the dishwasher again.
When to stop and call a technician
The line is whether the next step needs live testing, sealed-system access or a part you cannot verify. Call for anything behind the cabinet skin, and any repair whose part cost approaches what the appliance is worth, or when:
the filter and hose are clear and the tub still holds water the pump hums but no water moves after the sump has been cleared water backs up into the tub from the sink side every time the sink is used
What this page does not cover
Common BLACK+DECKER Dishwasher Problems (black-decker-dishwasher-problems)
This page is generalized across the BLACK+DECKER dishwasher range: it is written for the brand and the fault, not for one family or one model number. It carries no model-specific code table, wiring detail or part number, and no measured failure rate, because no measured snapshot was available here. Where a family- or model-specific page exists beneath this one, the links below go down to it.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
