- “110 stops quietly, 796 usually says why”
- “The filter or coin trap comes before the pump”
- “The pump is blamed far more often than it fails”
Symptom
Kenmore washer will not drain
This is the symptom where the decode earns its keep most visibly. A 110 is a Whirlpool and a 796 is an LG, and on this exact problem one of them will usually name it on the display while the other simply stops. The repair is similar; the phone call is completely different.
- From $95 diagnostic, credited to the repair
- 59 cities and neighborhoods covered
- OEM parts available on order
- In writing the price, before anything is opened
Five ordinary causes
What this usually turns out to be
Cheapest and commonest first, which is also the order we check them in. They sit hundreds of dollars apart, and only the unit settles which one is yours.
-
The drain hose
Kinked behind the machine, or pushed too far down the standpipe so it siphons.
Washer drain pump replacement from $175 -
The pump filter or coin trap
A sock, a coin or a hairgrip stops a perfectly good pump.
Washer drain pump replacement from $175 -
Excessive suds
A machine cannot pump foam. Too much detergent produces a drum that will not empty and a cycle that runs forever.
Washer drain pump replacement from $175 -
The pump itself
Tested, including whether it is receiving a signal. A pump getting no signal is a control problem.
Washer drain pump replacement from $175 -
The house drain
A standpipe that backs up is not the washer. It shows itself by overflowing rather than by leaving the drum full.
Diagnostic visit from $95
In five minutes
Before you call anybody
None of it needs tools, and all of it makes the visit shorter.
-
01
Read the three digits before the period
110 or 796. It decides what the machine was capable of telling you.
-
02
Was there a code before it stopped
On an LG this shortens the visit considerably.
-
03
Look behind the machine at the hose
Kinks and depth into the standpipe, both free to correct.
-
04
Open the pump filter if there is one
Front-loaders mostly have one. Have a towel ready.
How it shows up
What people describe when they call
A shortcut
Narrow it down before anybody arrives
A description of the behaviour leaves a few possible causes. A code names the subsystem before anybody opens anything, which is why it is worth photographing before it clears.
If there is no code at all
11014112300
11020972992
11024852300
11026002012
11026914690
11071610100
11084390300
11092180310
79640021900
79640272900
79641272210
79641283311
On a washer or dryer, the data plate is inside the door opening. All models
In more detail
About Kenmore washer will not drain
The filter behind the little door
On an LG-built front-loader there is a drain pump filter behind a small panel at the bottom front of the machine. Put a shallow tray and a towel down, open it, and clear whatever is in there. It is the intended maintenance point, it is designed to be opened by hand, and on this symptom it is the answer a great deal of the time.
What it usually means, by the company that built it
Kenmore manufactures nothing, so the same behavior points at different things depending on who made the appliance. The three digits before the period on the rating plate are what tells them apart.
- 110 Whirlpool — Whirlpool calls this a long drain and shows Ld, F9 E1 or drn. Older machines may show nothing at all and simply stop mid-cycle.
- 796 LG — LG's label is WATER OUTLET ERROR and it shows OE, or E03 or E21 on machines with numeric displays. LG front-loaders have a drain pump filter behind a small door at the bottom, and cleaning it is a five-minute job that solves this more often than not.
Two machines, one badge
A Whirlpool-built 110 and an LG-built 796 do not share a drain pump, a filter arrangement, a control or a code table. They are not variants of one washer. That is why the first thing we ask for is the number on the sticker inside the door or lid, and why a repair page that talks about the Kenmore washer as a single machine is talking about nothing in particular.
Suds are a real cause and an easy one to miss
A high-efficiency machine given ordinary detergent, or given three times the right amount of the correct one, fills with foam that the pump cannot move. The machine responds by adding rinses, the cycle stretches, and eventually it gives up with water in the drum. Both manufacturers publish a code for it and both mean the same thing: use less.
This article is based on:
- Official manufacturer documentation
- Internal repair procedures
- Technician repair history
- Company quality standards
Before you book
Questions about Kenmore washer will not drain
Can I get the water out myself?
On a front-loader, yes — the pump filter door doubles as a drain, with a tray under it. On a top-loader it is usually easier to wait for the visit.
It drains sometimes and not others.
Intermittent points at a partial blockage or at suds rather than at a dead pump.
Do I need a new pump?
Probably not. On this symptom the pump is the last thing we test and it is the answer a minority of the time.
Where we do it
Across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach
Same terms everywhere we go: an on-site diagnostic first, the price agreed in writing, and the exact figure confirmed once we have seen the unit.
Neighborhoods people ask for by name