Miele · Troubleshooting
Miele Dishwasher Not Draining
A Miele that leaves water in the tub usually has one of five problems: clogged filters, something stuck at the drain pump or check valve, a blocked drain line or disposal, a failed drain pump, or the sensing that decides whether the tub is empty. You can check the filters and the sink in ten minutes.
$79 service call, applied to the repair. Monday to Saturday, 8 AM to 7 PM.
In short: switch off at the breaker, scoop out the water and clean all three filters. A slow sink too means house plumbing. If F11 comes back with the filters clean and locked, the cause is under them (a jam, the check valve or the drain pump), in the drain hose, or in the sensing; call us. A pump that keeps running with the machine off usually means a leak into the base; a few minutes after weeks unused is normal on a Generation 6000 with a heat exchanger.
How a Miele gets rid of water
All the water collects in a small sump under the filters. To drain, a small pump under the tub pulls water from beneath the finest filter and pushes it through a one-way check valve and the hose to the sink drain or disposal. The flow through that filter runs backwards as it does, so each drain also rinses it.
The control never sees the water leave. After a drain it spins the wash pump briefly and reads a pressure switch: leftover water shows up as pressure. Too much, and it drains longer; still too much, and it stops the program with a drain fault. Display models show F11 or a drain message. Models without a display use their indicator lights, which vary by generation; on the older ones it is often the Intake/Drain light.
Owner checks first
No tools, and nothing below the filters.
- Switch off and bail out. Turn the machine off and switch off its breaker, then take out the lower basket and scoop the water out with a cup and sponge. A little water under the filters after a cycle is normal; water over the tub floor is not.
- Clean the filters. Turn the handle in the tub floor and lift out the assembly: the coarse strainer on the handle, the round microfine filter under it and the flat fine filter around them. Rinse each with a soft brush until light shows through. Wear gloves for glass.
- Look into the sump. With a flashlight, pick out any pit, bone, label or bottle cap you can reach with your fingers. Do not push tools into the opening; the check valve and pump sit below it.
- Lock the filters back in. Turn the handle until it stops; on Generation 6000 it ends up parallel to the door. A loose filter lets debris straight into the pump.
- Test the sink. Run water and the disposal. A slow sink or gurgling points at the shared drain. A disposal installed days ago may still have its knockout plug in the dishwasher inlet, a job for a plumber or us.
- Check the air gap and detergent. If water spits from the chrome air gap cap beside the faucet while the machine drains, the line below it is clogged; the cap lifts off for cleaning. Hand dish soap or a double dose makes foam, which the pressure sensing reads badly. Then run a short program: if F11 returns, stop and call.
What it usually turns out to be
Filters coated with food and grease
What it usually is: the most common cause. A greasy microfine filter passes water too slowly for the drain to finish in time.
What you can check: the filters, every week or two.
What we do: replace a filter with a cracked mesh or broken locking tab, which lets debris reach the pump.
Something jammed in the drain pump
What it usually is: glass, a fruit pit, a bone or a plastic tab that got past the strainer. Listen for a rattle or grinding during the drain, or a loud hum with little water moving.
What you can check: only what you can see in the sump, breaker off.
What we do: take the check valve out to reach the impeller, remove the object and make sure the impeller turns freely and is not chipped. For kitchens that keep feeding the pump, Miele makes a trap ring for the microfine filter; it catches more, and the filters need cleaning more often.
Check valve stuck
What it usually is: the one-way valve in the sump holds a small ball. Stuck closed, the pump runs and nothing leaves. Stuck open, water from the hose or the disposal runs back in, so grey water and a smell appear in a machine that drained fine.
What you can check: whether the water appears only after the sink was used.
What we do: clean the valve, check the ball moves and seals, and replace it if not.
Hose, disposal or house drain
What it usually is: a hose folded behind the machine when it was pushed into its opening, a packed disposal inlet, a clogged air gap or a slow sink. Run length counts too: Miele allows roughly 13 feet of hose and about 3 feet of lift.
What you can check: the sink, the disposal, the air gap.
What we do: disconnect the hose at the sink and pump into a bucket. Water pouring out clears the dishwasher, and we tell you it is plumbing before anything is replaced.
Drain pump failed
What it usually is: a small synchronous motor that wears out after many years or dies after a jam. It is silent during the drain, or hums without turning.
What you can check: listen low on the door as a program starts: hum, rattle or silence.
What we do: confirm power reaches the pump during a drain before replacing it. The pump is serviced with the machine out of its opening.
Sensing, relay or control
What it usually is: F11 with an empty tub. The pressure switch that checks the sump can be blocked or stick. Now and then F11 comes from an electronic fault rather than water, which shows up when we read the stored faults. A drain pump that keeps switching on and off in short bursts by itself usually points at the control, not the pump.
What you can check: whether the tub is really empty when the fault appears.
What we do: test the switch and the control output, and replace what failed. See Miele dishwasher error codes.
What changes by generation
- G 600 and G 800. The drain pump meets the sump at the front right. On models such as the G 680 and G 880 a drain or supply fault stops the program and flashes the Intake/Drain light.
- G 1000 and G 2000 (Advanta, Inspira, Optima, Excella, La Perla) and Futura G 4000 and G 5000 (Classic, Crystal, Dimension, Diamond). Pump to the left of the sump, F11 on display models, indicator lights on fully integrated ones.
- Generation 6000. Same layout. Models with a heat exchanger empty it by themselves after a few weeks unused, even switched off.
- G 7000. Current models; the same order of checks applies.
To tell them apart by model number, see Miele dishwasher repair.
When to stop and call
Call if the fault returns with clean filters and a working sink, or at once if:
- The drain pump runs nonstop, on G 1000 and later even when switched off. A leak has put water in the drip pan under the tub and tripped the WaterProof float; display models of G 1000 and later store it as F70. On a G 600 or G 800 the pump runs whenever the machine is on with the door closed.
- Water vanishes mid-wash. If the house drain sits below the bottom basket and the hose is not looped up or vented, water siphons out during the cycle. It shows as poor cleaning or, on Generation 6000, a pressure fault such as F14, and is fixed in the hose routing.
Stay safe. Switch the breaker off before your hands go into the sump, and wear gloves. With water on the floor, also close the supply valve. Never pour chemical drain cleaner into a dishwasher or its hose; it attacks the pump seals and the check valve. Do not tip the machine out of its opening yourself.
What the repair costs
The $79 service call covers the visit and diagnosis and is applied to the repair when you approve the written price. Drain pumps, valves and control boards fall in these ranges; a pressure switch or check valve is priced in writing at the visit:
Luxury dishwasher repair (Miele, Cove, Thermador, Fisher & Paykel)
| Repair | Typical price, parts and labor |
|---|---|
| Drain pump | $350 to $600 |
| Water inlet valve or protected hose | $300 to $600 |
| Door hinge or spring | $300 to $550 |
| Flow-through heater | $450 to $850 |
| Circulation pump | $600 to $1,100 |
| DishDrawer motor or lid actuator | $400 to $800 |
| Electronic control board | $700 to $1,300 |
Typical Orange County ranges for parts and labor. The $79 service call is applied to any of them. Parts that ship from the manufacturer and older or discontinued models can run higher. You get the exact written price after the diagnosis and before any work starts.
The same checks applied on two recent European dishwasher drain jobs: Why Is My Asko Dishwasher Not Draining? (Irvine, October 2026) and Bosch Dishwasher E25 Error: The Drain Pump Fix (Newport Beach, September 2026). Cove and other brands are on luxury dishwasher repair, every table on pricing, the rest of Miele on Miele repair.
Talk to the technician first
Monday to Saturday, 8 AM to 7 PM. The $79 service call is applied to the repair.
Miele dishwasher not draining: questions
What does F11 mean on a Miele dishwasher?
The drain fault on G 1000 and G 2000, Futura and Generation 6000 machines: after a longer drain, too much water was still sensed in the sump.
Can I clear F11 myself?
Often. Bail out the water, clean and relock the filters, make sure the sink drains, then run a short program. If F11 returns, call us.
Is it my dishwasher or my plumbing?
A slow or gurgling sink almost always means plumbing. We settle it by pumping into a bucket at the sink: water pouring out clears the dishwasher.
Why is there dirty water in my Miele when I did not run it?
It is coming back from the hose or the disposal, through a check valve stuck open or a hose not looped up under the counter.
It stopped draining right after a new disposal went in. Why?
The knockout plug in the disposal's dishwasher inlet was probably not removed. A plumber, or we, can clear it in minutes.
Why does my Miele drain pump run while the machine is off?
Usually water in the drip pan from a leak. On Generation 6000 models with a heat exchanger, a few minutes after weeks unused is normal. Longer than that, call.
Does F11 mean the drain pump has failed?
Usually not. Clogged filters, a jam under them and the house drain are more common; we replace it only after confirming it gets power and still does not move water.