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 professional built-in 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 standing in the bottom of the tub after the cycle — The core symptom, and it means the water never left.
- The machine finishes early or stops mid-cycle — Many machines abort when the drain does not clear, which is the machine protecting itself.
- 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 DCS by Fisher & Paykel: these machines are integrated, levelled against a hard counter and plumbed behind a panel, so the installation carries more of the fault load than the machine does, and the parent-platform controls behave like their own family rather than like the styling on the front.
- The control or a drain sensor — A machine that never calls for the drain at all. Ranked second: it sits here because on a built-in unit it is a real cause, but reaching it means disturbing the installation.
- The waste disposer connection still has its plug — A new disposer ships with a knockout plug in the dishwasher inlet. Ranked third: it ranks below the causes above because those are visible from the front and this one is not.
- The drain pump itself — An impeller jammed by glass or a label, or a pump that has failed. Ranked last: it is last because these components are built to a long service life, and because confirming one needs instruments and a service manual that are not owner tools.
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.
- Note whether the drain phase happens at all — Silence where the drain should be, with a clear path, points at the control side.
- Ask whether a disposer or waste connection was fitted recently — A drain fault that started the day the plumbing changed has a plumbing cause.
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
- Check the disposer inlet for the knockout plug and clear the disposer — Switch the disposer off at the wall, check the dishwasher inlet is open and run the disposer to clear standing food.
Tools: torchAbout 20 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. Water left in the tub after a cycle can still be hot enough to scald, so let it stand before bailing it.
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 DCS by Fisher & Paykel 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.
