Samsung Washer Not Draining? Diagnosis and Repair Cost

You open your Samsung washer at the end of the cycle and find your clothes sitting in water.

Sometimes the washer drains normally. Other times it stops, makes a loud humming or grinding noise, or leaves water inside the drum.

Does this mean you need a new washing machine?

Usually, no.

A Samsung washer that will not drain often has a blocked filter, restricted drain hose or worn drain pump. These problems are generally repairable, and most customers choose the repair because replacing the washer can cost two or three times more.

The Issue: Water Stays Inside the Washer

Common symptoms include:

• Water remains inside after the cycle.
• The washer stops before the final spin.
• Clothes come out extremely wet.
• The pump makes a loud humming, rattling or grinding sound.
• The washer drains sometimes but not every time.
• A 5C or 5E drain-related error appears.

Samsung identifies a clogged filter, kinked or incorrectly installed drain hose, and pump problems as common causes of drainage issues. A washer that is not level may also have difficulty completing its cycle.

Intermittent draining is an important warning sign. A coin or another small object may occasionally block the pump, but a weakening drain pump may also work during one cycle and fail during the next.

How to Diagnose a Samsung Washer That Will Not Drain

Run Drain and Spin

Remove most of the clothing and select Drain/Spin or Rinse and Spin, depending on your model.

Listen carefully to the washer:

• If the pump hums but little or no water moves, the filter, hose or pump may be blocked.
• If you hear grinding or rattling, something may be caught inside the pump or the pump impeller may be damaged.
• If there is no pump sound, the pump motor, wiring or control system may have failed.
• If the washer drains normally, the original problem may have been temporary or caused by an unbalanced load.

Do not repeatedly run the washer when the pump is making a severe grinding noise.

Inspect the Drain Hose

Turn the washer off and inspect the drain hose behind the machine.

Make sure the hose is not:

• Crushed behind the washer
• Kinked or twisted
• Blocked with debris
• Pushed too deeply into the drainpipe
• Creating an airtight seal

Samsung Canada advises that the drain hose normally be inserted approximately six to eight inches into the standpipe. It should be secured, free of kinks and installed without creating an airtight seal.

Clean the Drain-Pump Filter

On most Samsung front-load washers, the drain-pump filter is located behind a small access door near the bottom front of the machine.

First, unplug the washer.

If a hot or sanitizing cycle was recently used, allow the water to cool before opening the filter. Place towels and a shallow container in front of the machine.

Use the small emergency drain hose, when provided, to remove the water slowly. Once the water is drained, turn the filter counterclockwise and remove it.

Look for:

• Coins
• Hairpins
• Buttons
• Small socks
• Lint
• Pet hair
• Other debris

Check the filter opening for anything preventing the small pump impeller from moving. Do not force or damage the impeller.

This procedure mainly applies to Samsung front-load washers. Many top-load models do not have the same customer-accessible front filter. Samsung recommends cleaning the filter because a blockage can reduce drainage performance.

Reinstall the filter securely, reconnect the power and run Drain/Spin again.

Run Samsung Diagnostic Mode

Many Samsung washers support a Smart Install diagnostic test.

Make sure the washer is empty. Set Delay End to 17 hours, and then press and hold Start until AS appears on the display. Press Start again to begin the test.

During the drain portion of the test, the display shows the number 7. If the drain test fails, the washer may display a 5C error.

Control panels vary between models. Some washers use a different diagnostic procedure or may not display AS. Check the owner’s manual when these steps do not work on your model.

A washer may also pass a short diagnostic test even when the pump fails intermittently during a complete wash cycle.

The Likely Solution

If the drain hose and filter are clear but the washer still will not drain, drains only sometimes, or makes loud pump noises, the drain pump is a likely cause.

A professional technician should inspect:

• The filter and pump housing
• The drain-pump impeller
• The hoses connected to the pump
• The pump’s electrical connection
• Wiring between the pump and control
• Power being supplied to the pump

The repair may involve removing an obstruction, replacing the pump motor or replacing the complete drain-pump assembly.

Samsung uses several different pumps and assemblies. The correct part must be matched to the washer’s complete model number and version suffix.

Do not purchase a pump based only on the washer’s appearance. Two similar-looking Samsung washers may use different pumps, housings or electrical connectors.

Technician’s Recommendation: Repair or Replace?

As an appliance technician, I usually recommend repairing this problem.

For a Samsung washer that is three years old or older and has recurring drainage problems, intermittent operation or a noisy pump, replacing the worn pump is often more dependable than repeatedly cleaning the filter.

Cleaning the filter may completely solve the problem when debris is the only cause.

However, cleaning the filter is not a repair for:

• A weak pump motor
• A damaged impeller
• A worn pump bearing
• An intermittent electrical failure

A failing pump may work again temporarily and then leave the washer full of water during another cycle.

The drain pump is a wear component. Its failure does not mean the drum, motor or entire washing machine is finished.

Most customers choose the repair after comparing it with the price of a new washer, delivery, installation, removal of the old machine, and possible stacking work.

Samsung Washer Drain-Pump Repair Price

Typical pricing for this repair is:

• Drain pump or pump assembly: approximately $139–$250
• Professional labour: approximately $220–$280
• Estimated repair total: approximately $359–$530

Prices are before applicable taxes, travel charges or additional parts.

The final cost depends on the exact model, pump design, parts availability and how easily the pump can be accessed. Damaged hoses, wiring or control components may increase the price.

Samsung Models This May Apply To

This general no-drain troubleshooting process applies to many Samsung front-load and FlexWash models, including:

• WF42H5000AW/A2
• WF42H5200AP/A2
• WF45K6500AW/A2
• WF45M5500AW/A5
• WF45R6100AW/US
• WF45R6100AP/US
• WF45R6300AW/US
• WF45T6000AW/A5
• WF45T6000AV/A5
• WF45T6200AW/US
• WF45A6400AW/US
• WF45B6300AW/US
• WF50R8500AW/US
• WF50A8500AV/A5
• WV55M9600AW/A5

Samsung parts listings confirm that drain-pump components are used across these model families, but the correct pump is not the same for every machine.

Always provide the complete model number, including the letters and numbers after the slash, before ordering a replacement part.

Book a Samsung Washer Repair

If you cleaned the filter, inspected the hose and ran Drain/Spin but water still remains inside, the washer should be professionally diagnosed.

TrustedFix Appliance Repair can inspect the filter, hoses, drain pump, wiring and control system, identify the correct Samsung part, and provide an estimate before approved work begins.

A Samsung washer that will not drain usually does not need to be replaced. In many cases, replacing the drain pump returns the washer to normal operation for much less than the price of a new machine.