The short answer
Water standing in the DWDT tub at the end of a cycle is a drain-path problem, and on this family the path is short: filter well, drain pump, then the hose up to the air gap or disposer spigot. The brand-generic page starts at the pump; here the filter well and the check valve above it are what block first.
What you observe
- Standing water covering the filter at cycle end — A shallow film over the sump is normal; water above the filter rim is not.
- The machine hums at the drain step but the level does not fall — The pump is being asked to run and cannot move water, which points at a blockage rather than a dead motor.
- Drain noise that stops early — A pump that changes note and quits part way through usually has debris in the impeller.
- Water backing up from the sink side — A shared waste, a blocked disposer spigot or a sink blockage can push water back into the tub.
- NEAR MISS - the tub is dry but the dishes are dirty — That is a wash-flow fault and belongs on the cleaning page instead.
Causes, most likely first on DWDT
- Debris in the filter well and check valve — Ranked first on the DWDT family: the sump is shallow on this family, so glass chips, seeds and labels collect right where the drain path narrows. That is a family-level property rather than a model-level one, which is why it leads here and not on a page about one machine. What moves against the brand-generic order is lower down: kinked drain hose or a missing high loop sits above blocked disposer spigot or air gap here, because this family is a single build with fixed access points.
- Blocked or jammed drain pump impeller — Second: the impeller is small and sits directly behind the sump, so anything through the filter reaches it immediately.
- Kinked drain hose or a missing high loop — Third: built-in installations push the hose into a tight cabinet space, and it kinks behind the machine where nobody looks.
- Blocked disposer spigot or air gap — Fourth: a new disposer with its knockout plug still fitted is the classic install fault and produces a total no-drain from day one.
- Drain pump motor or its control failure — Last: last, because a genuinely dead pump on this family is uncommon next to a blocked one.
Check in this order, and why
- Bail out the standing water and lift the filter stack — You cannot inspect anything under water, and the filter well is the first place debris lands.
- Check the impeller for debris with the power off — Isolate first. A fragment of glass or a label wrapped on the impeller is the common find.
- Trace the hose from the machine to the sink waste — Look for a crush point behind the cabinet and confirm the high loop is still there.
- Check the disposer spigot or air gap — Especially worth it if the machine has never drained since a recent kitchen change.
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. Isolate the water at the stop tap as well as the power, and leave the door latch to do its job: judge a running cycle from outside the machine, with the door shut.
When to call a technician
The filter well and the hose run are owner work. Call when the pump itself will not run with a clear path, or when the machine has to come out of the cabinet to reach the hose, because the supply and waste are made up behind it.
Other DWDT pages
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
