Dishwasher not draining in Gatineau, Hull or Aylmer

A cup or so of clean water in the sump at the bottom of the tub after a cycle is by design on most dishwashers; it keeps the pump seal wet. Water above the bottom of the filter, grey and with food in it, is a drain fault. Before anything else, bail the tub with a cup and a towel so the filter can be reached, and stop running cycles: each one adds more water and more food to the blockage.

The filter and sump. Every modern dishwasher has a removable cylindrical filter and a flat screen under the lower spray arm. Glass shards, a label from a jar, a toothpick or a build-up of grease will block it. It is the first thing to check and the thing you can do yourself: twist out the filter, rinse it, and look into the sump for debris. Many drain problems end right here.

The drain pump. Behind the sump is a small impeller pump. A fragment of glass or a fruit pit can jam the impeller (the dishwasher hums at the end of the cycle), or the pump motor can fail outright (silence at the end of the cycle). We replace drain pumps on Bosch, Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Samsung, LG, GE and Frigidaire dishwashers.

The check valve and drain hose. A one-way valve at the pump outlet keeps dirty water from flowing back in; when it sticks, the pump runs but nothing leaves. The corrugated drain hose under the sink can kink when a cabinet is reorganised, or clog at its narrowest point with grease.

The sink connection. This is the one homeowners can’t see and installers get wrong. If the dishwasher drains into a garbage disposer, the knockout plug inside the disposer inlet must be removed on installation; if it wasn’t, the dishwasher has never drained properly. The drain hose also needs a high loop under the counter or an air gap; without one, sink water siphons back into the dishwasher and it looks like a drain fault. A partly blocked kitchen drain does the same thing.

The control. If the pump tests good and the path is clear, a control board that no longer powers the drain relay, or a float switch sending the wrong signal, is next. Both are tested before replacement.

The technician reads the fault codes, bails and inspects the sump and filter, runs a forced drain and listens to the pump, and tests the pump motor and impeller. Next come the check valve, the drain hose route and the sink connection (disposer knockout, high loop or air gap), the float and the door switch, and the control’s drain output. On a Bosch or Miele with a water-in-base sensor, the base is dried and the leak that tripped it is found. The result is explained in plain terms, with a firm written quote before any part is replaced.

The $89 + tax residential diagnostic includes a forced drain test and a check of the sink connection, and it is applied toward the repair you approve. Typical parts-and-labour ranges: a drain pump $150–$350; a check valve or drain hose at the low end; a wash motor or circulation pump $250–$450; a control board $250–$450. Our dishwasher repair cost page sets out each range.

An after-hours visit (9 PM to 7 AM) carries a flat $100 fee on top; see emergency appliance repair. Coming over from Ottawa costs nothing extra in Hull, Aylmer or central Gatineau; farther than 30 km from downtown Ottawa, a travel charge may apply. Each repair is backed by a 3-month warranty on parts and labour.

Bosch, Miele, Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, Samsung, LG, GE, Frigidaire, Electrolux, Kenmore, Amana, Inglis, Fisher & Paykel and Blomberg, in built-in, portable and drawer dishwashers. Brand pages for Gatineau: Bosch dishwasher repair in Gatineau and Miele dishwasher repair in Gatineau. Bosch E24 and E25 are drain codes and are covered on the Bosch page.

A filter, valve, hose or drain pump on a dishwasher under twelve years old is a clear repair, often finished in one visit for a fraction of the cost of a new machine. The cases that favour replacement are a rusted tub, a wash motor and a control failing together, or a discontinued model with no parts. Our general repair or replace guide sets out the rule of thumb. If you do replace it, our appliance installation in Gatineau service connects the drain properly, high loop included.

We cover the whole City of Gatineau, in English or French: Aylmer and the Plateau in the west, Hull and Vieux-Hull, Pointe-Gatineau, Limbour and Touraine, and Buckingham and Masson-Angers in the east. Local pages: Hull appliance repair and Aylmer appliance repair. The Gatineau dishwasher hub is dishwasher repair in Gatineau, and the Ottawa counterpart of this guide is dishwasher not draining in Ottawa.

En français : lave-vaisselle qui ne vidange pas à Gatineau · réparation de lave-vaisselle à Gatineau. Other dishwasher problems: not cleaning, leaking, not drying and not starting.