When your dishwasher posts 8–1 (F8E1), the control has detected that water isn’t leaving the tub within the expected time. The machine will often pause, attempt another drain, and then fault to prevent running the pump dry or starting a wash with standing water. Slow drain almost always traces to a restriction in the drain path or a drain-pump circuit that can’t move water at full strength.
How the Problem Shows Up
Typical clues include water left in the basin after a cycle, gurgling or a harsh buzz from the pump with little water movement, and occasional leaks from the door bottom because the tub stayed too full during spray. Some models will finish the cycle but leave dirty film because the final drain stalled.
What Usually Causes Slow Drain
Most cases come from debris lodged in the sump, filter cup, or chopper area, a kinked or partially collapsed drain hose behind the cabinet, a blocked air gap or sink disposer knockout that was never punched out, or a check valve stuck closed so water can’t exit freely. Less often, the drain pump has a damaged impeller, swollen shaft seal, or weak windings, or the pump wiring/connector is loose or heat-stressed and the motor never reaches full speed.
Safety First
Shut off power at the breaker and close the water supply before you open panels or disconnect hoses. Keep towels and a shallow pan ready—clearing the sump or hose will release trapped water.
Step-by-Step Diagnosis (Narrative)
Start inside the tub. Remove the bottom rack and lift out the filter screens. Rinse them under running water and check the cup and sump inlet for pasta, seeds, foil, broken glass, or label glue that congeals into a plug. If your model has a chopper or coarse screen, clear wrapped fibers and verify the inlet to the drain channel is open. Reassemble the filter stack carefully so sealing lips sit flat; a warped or misseated filter lets debris reenter the path you just cleared.
Move to the external path. Pull the dishwasher forward a few centimeters to relax the drain hose and look for sharp bends, crushed spots at clamps, or kinks where the hose passes through the cabinet. At the sink, remove the air-gap cap (if fitted) and clean out sludge. If the hose connects to a garbage disposer, confirm the knockout plug was removed during installation; many slow drains are simply a closed knockout. Finally, detach the hose from the sink side and flush it at a laundry sink—dark flakes or a hard plug indicate long-term buildup that needs a thorough rinse or hose replacement.
With the power still off, access the bottom front of the machine and inspect the drain pump. Spin the impeller with a fingertip; it should rotate freely without wobble. Check the electrical connector for firm latch engagement and clean, untarnished pins. If the pump feels gritty, jammed, or the impeller blades look chewed or loose on the hub, plan on replacing the pump. If all mechanics look sound, follow the harness from the pump to the control for abrasion or pinched sections that could drop voltage under load.
Power-Up and Confirmation
Restore power and run a cancel/drain or service test. You should hear the pump start immediately and see a strong, continuous discharge into the sink or standpipe. The tub should clear within seconds, the error should not return, and the next fill should begin without delay. If the unit drains perfectly into a bucket with the hose temporarily disconnected from household plumbing but faults when reconnected, the restriction lives in the home drain—usually the branch tailpiece, P-trap, or a long horizontal run with grease buildup.
When the Pump Itself Is the Culprit
A pump can hum yet fail to move water if the impeller is cracked, swollen, or slipping on the shaft. It can also run weakly when the motor windings age or the connector overheats and loses tension. If you’ve verified a clear path and sound household drain but the machine still struggles, replacing the drain pump resolves most lingering 8–1 cases.
Preventing a Repeat
Rinse or wipe the filter screens weekly, and avoid pre-rinsing with heavy amounts of paper labels, seeds, or stringy food that defeat the screen. Keep the drain hose in a smooth arc with a proper high loop, periodically clear the air gap, and avoid extra-long or crushed hoses that starve the pump. An occasional hot wash with a dishwasher cleaner helps dissolve grease films that later flake off and clog the sump.
Bottom Line
F8E1 = slow drain. Clear the sump and filters, verify an open, properly routed hose and air gap, and ensure the drain pump spins freely and receives solid power. Once the path flows and the pump moves water at full strength, the code clears and normal wash performance returns.