The short answer
When a BHCDW machine will not empty, work along the path the water takes: the filter and sump first, then the drain hose and its loop, then the connection at the sink or standpipe. The brand-generic page puts the drain pump high on the list; on this family it belongs at the bottom.
What you observe
- It drains, but slowly, and the load is still wet — A partial restriction. It also degrades cleaning, because the machine starts the next fill with dirty water.
- Food debris redeposited on the load — The machine is washing with water it should have got rid of, which is what a partly blocked drain produces.
- Dirty water appears in the sink when the machine drains — A shared waste connection backing up. The machine is healthy and the restriction is in the plumbing.
- The pump can be heard running with nothing leaving — A blockage rather than an electrical fault. The pump has power and is working against something.
Causes, most likely first
- A filter and sump packed with debris — First on this family and it is not close. Everything the load lets go ends here, the filter is designed to be opened by hand, and a machine that has never had it cleaned will eventually stop draining whatever else is healthy.
- Debris wrapped around the pump impeller — Glass, a label or a fruit stone past the filter will lock or foul the impeller. The tell is a pump audible against a load it cannot shift.
- A kinked or crushed drain hose — Second. The hose runs in a tight space behind or beside the machine, and pushing the unit home folds it.
- A blocked waste connection or disposer spigot — Where the machine drains into a sink waste, the connection is narrow and it blocks. The give-away is the sink backing up at the same time as the machine.
Check in this order
- Rerun with the correct detergent dose and no added products — Removes suds from the list at no cost.
- Isolate the machine, bail the base and take the filter out — The leading cause on this family.
- Run the sink and watch the shared waste while the machine drains — Settles whether the restriction is the appliance or the plumbing before any part is bought.
- Start a drain and listen for the pump — Straining against a blockage and doing nothing at all are two different halves of this list, and this split is free.
Before you open 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. Bail the base by hand before reaching into the sump, and expect broken glass - it is the thing most often found in a dishwasher drain and it is invisible under water.
Models in the BHCDW family — The models this page covers, as the product spine lists them. This family is a single model, so there is no variant to rule out before you start.
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| BH-CDW1 | blitzhome:dishwasher:bhcdw |
When to call
The line on this family is the base panel. Bailing the base, cleaning the filter and sump, clearing the impeller by hand, rerouting the hose and correcting the drain loop are all owner work.
Other faults on this family
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
