Plumbing – Dishwasher not draining water

You've got some large particles in there & it seems that you're running out of time before a complete draining. You likely have a partially blocked drain line from the sink side of things. Make sure your drain hose is clear to the sink drain or disposer & that your sink-top Air Gap (if you have one) is clean.

Your drain hose should enter the sink cabinet at the very top & your hose should be angled up from the sink drain or disposer inlet with no sag or dip below the top of that inlet to avoid any future clogs. You should be good to go after that's all squared away.

First, check and clean the drain filter in your dishwasher. This is a screen that can be pulled out from inside the dishwasher, designed to prevent food particles from getting sucked into the washing and drainage systems. Consult your manual for detailed instructions. This is something everyone should do regularly (every few months or more) to keep their dishwasher working well.

If that doesn't help, call a plumber. These issues can compound each other. If your drain line is clogged, your dishwasher will be struggling to run its drain pump. This will wear the pump out sooner, and the slow drainage will mean that any dirt that might flow out the drain will be more likely to cling to the walls of the drainage hose.

You should also look at how your dishwasher drain is connected. Usually it is attached to the same drain as your kitchen sink. Try filling up your sink with a stopper, then pull the stopper and see if it drains fast. If that is slow, then you most likely have a drain or venting issue which would affect the dishwasher as well. A plumber can fix that for you too.

The only reason you'd need a dishwasher tech is if the drain pump in the dishwasher needs to be replaced. That is a possibility, but less likely than the others. If that does turn out to be the issue, then plumber should at least be able to figure it out definitely.