The short answer
A SPS dishwasher that leaves water in the tub has lost its drain path somewhere between the sump and the sink. The table below carries a single model code for this family, so everything on this page describes one build: the panel layout and the part positions do not shift under you.
What you observe on these models
- Clean water standing in the sump after every cycle — Clean water means the wash finished and the drain failed at the end.
- The machine hums at the end of the cycle but the water level does not move — The pump is being asked to run and cannot turn, or it turns against a blocked outlet.
- The cycle stops part way and the panel shows a fault — Most controls abort the cycle once the water is still there after a drain attempt.
- Water comes back into the tub after the cycle ends — That is siphoning: the drain hose has lost its high loop or the air gap is blocked, and sink water is finding its way back in.
Causes, most likely first on the SPS family
- The filter and sump are packed with soil — First, and it is free to check. The filter twists out by hand; if the sump under it is holding soil, the pump has been trying to push it through and failing.
- The disposal knockout plug was never removed, or the disposal is full — Ranked second on a family this young, because it is the classic new-installation fault: the dishwasher hose was connected to a disposal whose knockout plug is still in place, and the machine has never drained properly.
- The drain hose is kinked, trapped or has lost its high loop — Third. Check it before anything electrical: a hose with no high loop siphons the sink back into the tub, and a kink behind the cabinet stops the drain dead.
- The drain pump impeller is jammed by debris — It shows itself as a hum with no water movement, and it is the point on this list where the job stops being a rinse and starts being a repair.
- The drain pump has failed electrically, or the control is not calling it — Last. A pump that makes no sound at all when the drain step should run points at the pump winding or at the control that drives it, and either one is a service call.
Check in this order, and why
- Run the drain or cancel function first — It forces one clean drain attempt with nothing else happening, so you can hear whether the pump runs, hums or stays silent.
- Bail the tub out and pull the filter — Scoop the standing water with a cup and a towel, then twist the filter out and look in the sump with a light.
- Free the hose where it leaves the machine — The crush point is almost always where the hose passes the cabinet wall or sits behind the machine after it was last pushed back into place.
- Check the sink side before the machine side — Run the disposal, check the hose behind the cabinet for a kink, confirm the hose rises into a high loop or air gap, and clear the air gap cap if one is fitted.
- Stop here if the pump is silent — A drain step that produces no sound at all, with a clear filter and a clear hose, is an electrical fault at the pump or the control — and that is where the owner-side list ends.
Models in the SPS family — One code stands for this family, so the table is a single line and there is nothing to cross-check beyond it.
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| SPS6IKI01A | bosch:dishwasher:sps |
Before you open anything
Safety
Kill the power at the breaker before your hands go into the sump or the toe-kick comes off — you are working in water, and a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Bail first so you can see: glass chips sit under the filter where nobody expects them.
When to call a technician
The owner side of this fault ends at the pump inlet. Filter, sump, drain hose, air gap and disposal are all reachable with a towel and a torch, and they account for most of these calls.
Other symptoms covered for 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.
