A small amount of clean water in the sump can protect pump seals, while water covering the tub floor or carrying debris indicates incomplete drainage. Check your manual, which may say a small amount of water is left in the sump on purpose to protect pump seals.
What this covers
- Dishwashers · normal drain state
What it does not cover
Differential
Likely causes of “Is a small amount of water under the dishwasher filter normal?”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
A small amount of clean water in the sump is normal
What separates it A little clear water sits below or around the filter after the cycle and does not smell, and dishes come out clean.
How to confirm Check your manual, which may say a small amount of water is left in the sump on purpose to protect pump seals.
- 2
A partial blockage in the filter, pump cover or drain hose
What separates it Water covers the tub floor, may be cloudy with food, and the drain is slow or leaves water at the end of every cycle.
How to confirm Run Cancel/Drain and watch the water level, then look at the filter, the pump cover and the hose under the sink for debris or a kink.
- 3
Water is flowing back from the sink or disposal
What separates it Dirty water appears after the sink or disposal is used and smells of the drain, and the high loop or air gap is missing or misplaced.
How to confirm Run the sink with the dishwasher off; if dirty water appears in the tub, the backflow path is the cause.
- 4
Broken glass or debris is stuck in the pump area
What separates it The drain motor runs but water stays, sometimes with a rattle or a grinding sound.
How to confirm With power off, look carefully around the sump and filter housing for glass or a small object, wearing gloves.
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- How much water remains, where it sits relative to the filter, and whether it is clean, cloudy or smelly.
- Whether the water is present after every cycle or only after certain loads.
- Whether the kitchen sink or disposal drains slowly at the same time.
Try in this order
0 of 4 completedObserve before changing anything
ReversibleMeasure where the water sits after a completed cycle and whether it is clean, smelly or above the filter area.
Isolate the failing boundary
ReversibleRun Cancel/Drain and inspect the filter, pump cover, hose, air gap and disposal connection.
Apply the narrow correction
ReversibleClean and reassemble user-accessible drain parts; leave a small clean sump level alone if the manual describes it.
Verify the result and stop at the boundary
ReversibleStop for wastewater backup, glass in the pump area or water returning from the sink.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !Stop for wastewater backup, glass in the pump area or water returning from the sink; leave household plumbing to a qualified plumber.
- !Do not keep running cycles on a machine that leaves the tub full of dirty water, because it can overflow.
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Exact questions
Common questions
Is a little water in the bottom of a dishwasher normal?+
A small amount of clean water in the sump can be normal because it keeps the pump seals wet. A tub with standing dirty water is not, so check the filter and drain path.
How much water is normal?+
A small amount of clean water below the filter is normal.
What if it is dirty?+
Clean the filter and drain hose, and check the air gap.
When is it a drain fault?+
If it covers the floor and smells.