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An often-overlooked process of an Amana dishwasher is its draining function. The appliance must always be able to drain dirty water, or else your kitchenware will remain soiled.
A little standing water at the bottom of the dishwasher isn’t a problem. But if you have an Amana dishwasher not draining at all, the drainage system is clogged, or the drain pump has failed. The same will happen to dishwashers connected to garbage disposals if the drain plug between the two units isn’t removed.
Your Amana dishwasher can’t work if it won’t drain. So, this guide will help you troubleshoot the problem and minimize any downtime with the appliance.
Why Is My Amana Dishwasher Not Draining?
There are several reasons why your Amana dishwasher might not drain water. Don’t worry, though, as troubleshooting those reasons are pretty straightforward.
Here are 4 reasons your Amana dishwasher isn’t draining and what you can do about them:
Standing Water In Filter Area
About this: It’s easy to think that your Amana dishwasher is not draining when you see standing water in the filter area, even when you’re not using the appliance. However, you should know that this is completely normal and doesn’t mean there’s a problem.
After your dishwasher drains the water inside, a small amount will always be left at the bottom of the compartment. (If your Amana dishwasher is overflowing, click here.)
Its effects: The standing water you see in the filter area has no negative effects. Quite the opposite, actually, as that water prevents the dishwasher’s seals from drying out completely.
How to fix it: There’s nothing for you to fix when it comes to the standing water in your dishwasher’s filter area. So when you start a new wash cycle, that dishwasher will drain that standing water and replace it with fresh water.
That drain-and-replace cycle will repeat itself each time you use your dishwasher.
Read: Why Amana Dishwasher Not Cleaning?
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Issue With Garbage Disposal
About this: Believe it or not, your Amana dishwasher’s ability to drain can be affected by your garbage disposal (if you have one connected). That’s because garbage disposal units come with an inlet that you can connect with your dishwasher drain hose.
That way, the water will flow through the garbage disposal when your Amana dishwasher drains.
Of course, that’s only possible if you remember to remove the drain plug (or ‘knockout plug’) that stops water from flowing between both appliances.
Its effects: When the drain plug hasn’t been removed, water will remain trapped inside the dishwasher with nowhere to go.
This problem is typical when people change their garbage disposal unit but forget to remove the knockout plug.
How to fix it: Suppose you forgot to remove the drain plug from your garbage disposal. In that case, you’ll want to remove the unit and knock the plug out.
Once you remove the plug, reassemble the garbage disposal and connect it to your Amana dishwasher’s hose. The appliance will drain normally.
Read: Why LG Dishwasher Starts And Stops?
Failed Drain Pump Or Impeller
About this: Your Amana will drain itself whenever it needs to remove used water from the inside. That can happen more than once throughout a dishwashing cycle and another time towards the end.
When your dishwasher does that, it’ll activate its drain pump. The pump turns an impeller to drive water out of the dishwasher and through its drain hose more efficiently.
Unfortunately, electrical faults and excessive wear can cause the drain pump to fail. Meanwhile, foreign objects jammed inside the pump can also damage the impeller or prevent it from turning.
Its effects: When the dishwasher drain pump or its impeller fails for whatever reason, your dishwasher can’t drain. That’s because nothing is driving the water out through the bottom of the machine.
Worse yet, gravity alone isn’t enough to help water flow out of the appliance without any additional help.
So, the dirty dishwasher water remains stagnant in your appliance.
How to fix it: This kind of failure can only be corrected by installing a new drain pump with a functioning impeller. But before you do that, it’s best to test and inspect the drain pump to confirm that it’s the root cause.
If the pump and its impeller are jammed by a foreign object, you might be able to remove it and get the pump working again.
A standard
Read: Why LG Dishwasher Keeps Turning Off?
Clogged Drainage System
About this: The dirty water that drains out of your Amana dishwasher must go somewhere.
Whether or not it passes through your garbage disposal, the water will exit the appliance through the drain hose and eventually flow into your household drainage system.
It’ll then flow away along with the rest of your household’s wastewater.
That process will continue smoothly as long as there are no clogs in the drainage system. That system consists of the dishwasher drain hose, garbage disposal (if there is one), and your household plumbing.
Its effects: The final reason your Amana dishwasher is not draining, could be a clog somewhere in the drainage system. That clog typically happens due to a buildup of dirt, debris, and food bits that get stuck instead of flowing away.
Those clogs can happen at one or more of these parts of the drainage system:
- Your dishwasher drain hose
- Your garbage disposal, if the water flows through there
- Your household’s drainage pipes
A clog will prevent water from flowing through. Instead, the water will build up back to the dishwasher.
How to fix it: The only solution is to find and clear the clog. This process will get wet and messy, so you’ll want to prepare towels and buckets to catch any excess water.
Start by removing the dishwasher drain hose and flushing any blockages out. Then, check that nothing is stuck in your dishwasher.
Lastly, clear any debris from your household drainage pipes. If there’s a severe clog, you’ll need the help of a qualified plumber.
Read: Why LG Dishwasher Smells Bad And How To Fix It?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
You’ll find the user manual to be a helpful reference when troubleshooting your Amana dishwasher. If you can’t find it, here are a few helpful questions and answers to keep in mind:
Where Is Drain Filter On Amana Washer?
The drain filter is at the bottom of the dishwasher’s compartment. It’s removable, so you can take it out and clean it in the kitchen sink if there’s a clog.
How Do You Force-Drain An Amana Dishwasher?
To force your Amana dishwasher to drain, start a new wash cycle. The machine will activate the drain pump to remove water at the beginning of any new cycle. Once the draining is complete, you can stop the cycle.
Read: Why LG Dishwasher Not Cleaning Dishes?
Why Is My Amana Dishwasher Not Draining Completely?
Firstly, remember that your Amana dishwasher will leave some standing water at the bottom after a wash cycle. That is normal. But if too much standing water is left over, there’s likely a clog in the drain hose preventing enough water from leaving the machine.
How Do You Hard Reset An Amana Dishwasher?
Sometimes, a hard reset can resolve errors in your Amana dishwasher and get it to drain normally again. You can do that by disconnecting the machine’s power for 1 minute. After that time passes, reconnect the machine and let it power up normally.
Where Does Amana Dishwasher Drain From?
The Amana dishwasher drains from its drain hose at the bottom of the cabinet. That hose connects to the drain pump, draining water from the dishwasher’s sump assembly.
Related: Amana dishwasher not using Rinse Aid
