The short answer
Standing water in the tub at the end of a cycle is a blockage far more often than a failed pump. On a compact cabinet the ranking below starts at the filter and the drain hose because that is where the obstruction usually is and because both are owner-clearable.
What you observe
- Water draining slowly rather than not at all — A partial restriction rather than a full blockage, which usually means the filter or the hose.
- A smell from the tub between uses — Standing water and trapped soil, which is the same fault seen a few days later.
- NEAR MISS: a small amount of clean water in the sump between cycles — Many machines keep a little water in the sump by design to stop the seals drying out.
Causes, most likely first on this appliance
- The filter and sump are blocked — Soil, labels, seeds and broken glass collect in the sump and block the drain path. Ranked first on Danby Designer: a compact or portable machine has a short, shallow water path and a low-lift pump, so anything that path has to fight beats any electrical cause to the top of the list, and a finished cabinet fitted into a surround loses the clearance the specification assumed.
- No high loop or air gap in the drain hose — Without a high loop the waste drains back into the machine, so the tub is never actually empty. Ranked second: it ranks below the causes above because it costs more effort, not because it is rare.
- A kinked or blocked drain hose — The hose behind or under the machine gets crushed when the machine is pushed back, and it collects grease over time. Ranked third: it sits here because it produces the same complaint as the cause above it and takes longer to confirm.
- The drain pump itself — An impeller jammed by glass or a label, or a pump that has failed. Ranked last: it is last because on an appliance this size the major components outlive everything around them, and replacing one often costs more than the appliance is worth.
Check in this order, and why
- Take the filter out and look into the sump — A soil mat on the filter, or debris sitting in the sump well, explains a slow or failed drain immediately.
- Look at whether the hose rises before it falls to the waste — A hose that runs flat or downhill the whole way is an installation fault and it will keep producing this symptom.
- Look at the hose run from the machine to the waste connection — A visible kink where the machine was pushed back is a free fix, and a hose that is soft and heavy with grease is a clean-out.
What an owner can safely check
- Remove the filter, clear the sump by hand and rinse both — Bail the standing water out first, then lift the filter, clear the sump with a cloth, rinse the filter under a tap and refit it until it locks.
Tools: cloth, cup or jug, soft brushAbout 30 min
- Lift the drain hose into a high loop and secure it under the counter — Route the hose up under the worktop and clip it so it rises above the machine before dropping to the waste connection.
Tools: cable tieAbout 25 min
- STOP HERE if the next step needs a meter on live terminals or a panel off — That is where an owner check ends and a service call begins.
Before you open anything
Safety
Switch the machine off at its breaker before reaching into the sump or moving the machine, and switch a waste disposer off at the wall before putting a hand anywhere near it. Expect broken glass in the sump and use a cloth rather than bare fingers.
When to call a technician
Call once the filter, the sump, the hose, the air gap and the waste connection are all proven clear and water still stands in the tub, because what is left is the pump or the control. Call a plumber rather than an appliance technician if the sink waste itself is slow, because the machine cannot drain into a blocked waste.
Nearest pages of this class
What this page does not cover
This page covers the Danby Designer dishwasher as a class, not one model or production run. Any family- or model-specific page for your unit takes precedence over it. Not here: the pump and filter part numbers, and the drain routing specified for your specific installation.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
