Quick answer: A washing machine not draining and one that will not spin are usually the same fault. A washing machine will not spin until it has drained, so these two faults almost always appear together. The most common causes are a blocked drain pump filter, a kinked or blocked drain hose, a failed drain pump, a broken lid switch or door lock, or a load so unbalanced the machine refuses to spin. Clearing the filter is the one part of this worth doing yourself, and it solves a large share of cases.
Key Takeaways
- No drain means no spin. The machine is protecting itself, not malfunctioning.
- Check the drain pump filter first. Coins, hairpins and lint block it, and it is a ten minute job.
- A machine that drains but will not spin points at the lid switch, door lock, belt or an unbalanced load.
- A loud humming with no drainage usually means the pump is trying and something is jammed in it.
Why a washing machine not draining also will not spin
A washing machine spins at high speed to fling water out of the fabric. Doing that with the drum still full of water would be dangerous and would soak the machine, so every washer has an interlock: it will not enter a spin until the water level sensor says the tub is empty.
That is why “not draining” and “not spinning” are the same search for most people, and why they complete to each other in Google. Fix the drainage and the spin usually returns on its own.
The useful diagnostic question is therefore: is there water left in the drum? If yes, this is a drainage fault. If the drum is empty and it still will not spin, it is a different set of causes.
Water still in the drum: drainage faults
1. The drain pump filter
Behind the small hatch at the bottom front of most machines is a filter that catches everything the pump should not swallow. Over a few years it accumulates coins, hair, buttons, elastics and a felt of lint that eventually blocks flow completely.
Put down a shallow tray and towels, because a full drum’s worth of water can come out. Unscrew the filter slowly, let it drain in stages, clear it, rinse it and screw it back firmly. Run a rinse and spin to test.
This is the single highest-value thing you can do, and it needs no tools.
2. The drain hose
Pull the machine forward and look at the hose. A kink where it was crushed against the wall stops flow entirely. So does a blockage at the standpipe, which shows up as water backing up out of the pipe when the machine drains.
The hose also needs a high loop above the drum’s water level. Without it, water siphons back and the machine appears never to finish draining. That routing detail is also behind most washing machine drain smells.
3. The drain pump
If the filter and hose are clear and the machine still holds water, the pump is the next suspect. Two symptoms tell you which way it has failed. A loud buzz or hum during the drain phase means the motor is energised but the impeller is jammed, often by an object that got past a loose filter. Complete silence during the drain phase means the pump is dead or is not being told to run.
Either way the machine has to come apart, and that is a repair.
Drum is empty but it will not spin
An unbalanced load
Check this before anything else because it costs nothing. A single heavy item, a duvet, a bath mat or a pair of jeans that has wrapped itself into a ball, throws the drum off balance. The machine detects the wobble, refuses to accelerate, and either stops or drains and gives up.
Open the door, redistribute the load, and run a spin. Machines get less tolerant of this as their suspension wears, so a machine that suddenly cannot handle a load it managed last year is telling you something about the dampers.
The lid switch or door lock
A top loader will not spin unless the lid switch confirms the lid is shut. A front loader will not run at all unless the door lock engages. These are safety devices and they are common failures, because they operate on every single cycle for years.
On a top loader, listen for a click as you close the lid. On a front loader, a door that will not lock usually means the cycle never starts properly, which is covered in a washing machine that will not start.
The belt or motor coupling
On belt-driven machines a perished or slipping belt lets the motor run without turning the drum. The giveaway is a motor you can clearly hear working while the drum stays still, sometimes with a smell of hot rubber. Stop using the machine if you smell burning.
Direct-drive machines have no belt, and the equivalent failure is in the motor or the position sensor.
Narrow it down
| What you see | Most likely cause | Yours or ours |
|---|---|---|
| Water in drum, no noise at drain time | Pump not energised, or control fault | Ours |
| Water in drum, loud hum at drain time | Pump jammed or blocked filter | Try the filter first |
| Drains slowly, gurgles | Partly blocked filter or hose | Yours |
| Water backs up out of the standpipe | Household drain blocked | Plumber |
| Drum empty, drum will not turn at all | Belt, motor or door lock | Ours |
| Drum empty, spins slowly then stops | Unbalanced load or worn dampers | Redistribute, then ours |
| Clothes soaking wet but drum is empty | Spin never completed | Ours |
Before you call
Do the filter. Redistribute the load. Check the hose is not kinked. Those three cost you twenty minutes and resolve a real proportion of cases.
Past that point, leave the machine alone. Do not unplug it, and do not start taking panels off to have a look. A fault that is still doing what it was doing is far quicker to diagnose than one that has been reset and partly dismantled, and that is a large part of why most of our jobs finish in a single visit.
If there is standing water you cannot clear, turn off the water supply taps behind the machine and stop using it so it does not overflow.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my machine not spinning but the motor is running?
On a belt-driven machine, a slipping or broken belt. On a direct-drive machine, a failed rotor position sensor or a motor fault. Either way the drum is disconnected from the power turning it.
It drains but the clothes are still soaking. What is that?
The machine drained but never reached full spin speed. Look at load balance first, then suspension dampers, then the motor control.
Can I drain the machine manually?
Yes. The drain pump filter hatch is the drain point. Have a wide shallow tray, towels, and patience, because you will need to close and reopen the filter several times to empty a full drum.
Does it matter that it is a top loader or front loader?
The causes overlap heavily. Top loaders add the lid switch, front loaders add the door lock, and front loaders are more sensitive to unbalanced loads because they spin faster.
Is a drain pump worth replacing?
On most machines yes, it is a routine part and a common repair. On a very old machine where the part is discontinued or the cost approaches the price of a new washer, it may not be, and we will tell you straight if that is where you are.
Where to go from here
Related faults at the other end of the cycle: a washing machine not filling up and a tub that keeps filling with water. Keeping the filter clear is part of routine care, covered in how to clean a washing machine and five ways to avoid the most common washing machine repairs.
For the mechanical end of this, book washer repair in Winnipeg.
Appliance still not right? Our Winnipeg technicians diagnose faults that other companies could not solve. Call (431) 813-3999 or book a visit online. Diagnosis is $95 in the city, and if you go ahead with the repair the quote you are given is the whole price, not a bill on top of the call-out.
