--- title: "Dishwasher not draining" description: "Kenmore dishwasher not draining: three manufacturers built the Kenmore dishwashers in South Florida kitchens and all three publish a code for this, in three…" url: "https://kenmoremiami.support/symptoms/dishwasher-not-draining/" date_modified: "2026-09-01" Appliance type: "Dishwashers" --- # Kenmore dishwasher not draining ### The knockout plug, and it costs nothing If a garbage disposer was ever fitted or replaced while the dishwasher was connected to it, there is a knockout plug inside the disposer inlet that has to be removed. Left in, the dishwasher cannot drain at all. It is a five-minute check, it needs no tools beyond a flashlight, and it is a surprisingly common cause of a dishwasher that has never drained properly since the kitchen was worked on. ### 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. - **665 Whirlpool** — Whirlpool calls it a Long Drain and shows F9 E1, or the same thing as a flashing-light pattern on machines without a display. F9 E2 is the drain motor itself. - **587 Frigidaire** — Frigidaire shows i20 for a machine that did not drain in the expected time, and i40 for a clogged filter or sump. Those are the only two iXX codes Frigidaire actually publishes — a full iXX table is not the maker's. - **630 Bosch** — A Bosch-built 630 is the unit most often looked up against the wrong manufacturer's material, because 630 is missing from most published Kenmore decode tables. ### Why every code page here names its manufacturer Because the code belongs to the manufacturer and not to the badge. The characters overlap enough between makers to be convincing — several of them use F-and-number pairs for unrelated conditions — and a confident answer pointing at the wrong component is worse than no answer. Every code page on this site says which maker’s table it came from and where that table is published. ### What we do before we name a part Clear the filter, check the disposer, check the hose and the loop, test the check valve, then test the pump electrically. A real share of these calls end before the last step, and that is by design rather than by luck. The filter and sump Where the water goes down slowly rather than not at all, this is usually the beginning and the end of it. The disposer knockout plug Free to check and a complete answer when it is the cause. The drain hose and its high loop A hose that never rises above the door lets the sink drain back into the machine. The check valve Holds water back between cycles. When it sticks, water returns. The drain pump Last, and tested rather than replaced on suspicion — a pump stopped by a fruit stone reads the same as a failed one. How much water is left A film in the sump is normal and keeps the seal wet. Water above the filter is not. Pull the filter and look On most of these it lifts out in one piece and washes under a tap. Look inside the disposer inlet With a flashlight. A plug that is still in place is easy to see once you know to look. Note the code or the blink pattern On a Whirlpool-built machine with no display, count the flashes and the pauses. That pattern is the code. Standing water in the bottom after a finished cycle What it usually means A little water in the sump is normal The disposer plug is free to check and often the answer Three builders, three different codes for one condition The knockout plug, and it costs nothing If a garbage disposer was ever fitted or replaced while the dishwasher was connected to it, there is a knockout plug inside the disposer inlet that has to be removed. Left in, the dishwasher cannot drain at all. It is a five-minute check, it needs no tools beyond a flashlight, and it is a surprisingly common cause of a dishwasher that has never drained properly since the kitchen was worked on. 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. 665 Whirlpool — Whirlpool calls it a Long Drain and shows F9 E1, or the same thing as a flashing-light pattern on machines without a display. F9 E2 is the drain motor itself. 587 Frigidaire — Frigidaire shows i20 for a machine that did not drain in the expected time, and i40 for a clogged filter or sump. Those are the only two iXX codes Frigidaire actually publishes — a full iXX table is not the maker's. 630 Bosch — A Bosch-built 630 is the unit most often looked up against the wrong manufacturer's material, because 630 is missing from most published Kenmore decode tables. Why every code page here names its manufacturer Because the code belongs to the manufacturer and not to the badge. The characters overlap enough between makers to be convincing — several of them use F-and-number pairs for unrelated conditions — and a confident answer pointing at the wrong component is worse than no answer. Every code page on this site says which maker’s table it came from and where that table is published. What we do before we name a part Clear the filter, check the disposer, check the hose and the loop, test the check valve, then test the pump electrically. A real share of these calls end before the last step, and that is by design rather than by luck. ### There is always a little water in the bottom. A small amount in the sump is normal on most machines and is there to keep the seal from drying out. Water above the filter after a completed cycle is the problem. ### Should I run the disposer first? It does no harm and it occasionally is the answer, especially if the machine drains into a disposer that is full. ### My machine has no display, just lights. Then the lights are the code. Count the flashes, note the pauses, and tell us the pattern when you call. --- **[Read full article: Dishwasher not draining](https://kenmoremiami.support/symptoms/dishwasher-not-draining/)**