The short answer
A Crosley CDB dishwasher standing in water is far more often a plumbing question than a pump question. This family covers two series of the same under-counter machine, and the faults that matter here are the ones the installation creates: a knockout plug never removed from a food waste disposer, a drain hose without a high loop, a blocked air gap, or a filter that has never been cleaned.
What you observe
- Standing water in the sump at the end of every cycle — Nothing is leaving: filter, hose, air gap or pump.
- Never drained since the machine was installed — An installation fault, and on a disposer connection usually the knockout plug.
- Water backs up into the sink when the machine drains — The shared drain or the disposer, not the dishwasher.
- Drains slowly and leaves a film on the dishes — A partial blockage: filter, hose kink or a missing high loop.
- NEAR MISS — a small amount of clean water always in the sump — That is normal on most machines: it keeps the seal wet.
Causes, most likely first on this family
- Disposer knockout plug left in place — First whenever the machine has never drained since installation. It is a fitting error rather than a fault, and it is invisible from the front.
- Filter and sump blocked — Second, and the top cause on a machine that used to drain. The filter is designed to collect debris, which means it is designed to fill.
- Drain hose kinked, or fitted without a high loop — Third. Without the loop the machine siphons and the sink drains back into it.
- Air gap blocked — Fourth, where one is fitted on the worktop: it clogs with the same debris the filter catches.
- Drain pump jammed or failed — Last, and not worth costing until the four above are clear.
Check in this order, and why
- Ask whether it ever drained — Never means installation; used to means blockage. Nothing else splits this fault so cheaply.
- Lift out the filter and clean the sump — Owner-accessible, and the commonest answer on a working machine.
- Check the hose for a high loop and for kinks behind the machine — Both are visible under the sink and neither needs a tool.
- Clear the air gap, then test the sink drain — Left until here because they are shared plumbing rather than the appliance.
Before you open anything
Safety
Switch off the dishwasher at its breaker before removing the kick panel or the pump access; a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off, and the junction box under these machines shares its space with the water. Shut the supply valve under the sink first, expect standing water in the sump, and never bypass the door latch switch to run the machine open.
Models in the CDB family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| CDB350***B | crosley:dishwasher:cdb |
| CDB500***B | crosley:dishwasher:cdb |
When to call a technician
Cleaning a filter, clearing an air gap and correcting a hose loop are owner work. Call a technician when the pump is silent at the drain stage, when it runs and moves nothing, or when the filter and hose are clear and water stays in the sump. Call an installer or a plumber for a disposer knockout plug and for a sink drain that backs up.
Nearest pages of this class
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
