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Symptom guide / dishwasher
A dishwasher that leaves standing water in the tub
Both companies behind this page put the same free step in front of every paid one, and the London page publishes how much of the work that step removes: a clogged filter is the answer to roughly half of the dishwasher drain calls it takes. The safety list on this page opens with an instruction rather than a part: you are about to reach into the drain pump or the sump - the London page's instruction is to unplug the dishwasher at the breaker first and never to reach into a pump with power connected [CA1]. That is what puts a dishwasher that leaves standing water in the tub in the high-risk column, and it is why the machine has to be isolated at the power and the water before any diagnosis. Once the machine is safe to work on, filter and sump full of food debris is where the search starts — CA$85–CA$140 installed [CA2], about 30 minutes. It is reported as water standing in the bottom of the tub after the cycle, the dishwasher finishes with dirty water still inside, the machine hums at the end of the cycle but never empties or the sink backs up when the dishwasher drains.
medium likelihoodadvancedCA$50–CA$120 partabout 90 min
the machine hums at the end of the cycle but never empties
The London page publishes the tell and the numbers: if the impeller spins freely by hand but the pump still does not engage during a drain cycle, the motor itself has failed, and replacement pumps run CA$200-380 installed in the London area on a job it puts at 60 to 90 minutes. The GTA page, which covers GE models, publishes the part at CA$50-120 with a fitted total of CA$180-280 and the same silence-during-the-drain-phase tell, and states that a technician confirms the failure with a multimeter test of the motor windings before ordering parts. The London page adds the age test for this repair: if the dishwasher is over eight years old, weigh the cost against replacement. Time basis: the London page's own published 60 to 90 minutes is the basis for the 90 minutes used here.
low likelihoodadvancedCA$90–CA$180 installedabout 60 min
water standing in the bottom of the tub after the cycle
The London page lists a stuck check valve in the pump among the six things that block the drain, in its own words: water cannot move past it. Its price table carries the matching row, an air gap or check valve repair at CA$90-180, and the page groups this with the two causes that need a service call rather than a homeowner. The GTA page does not price this row for GE models and treats the pump assembly as the unit that is replaced when the drain path is clear and the pump does not run. Time basis: neither page publishes a duration, so 60 minutes is a book estimate.
no part-only price is claimed: the London page prices this work as a service row rather than as a part, so the installed price is the published figure.
drain solenoid valve stuck closed (older GE models) [CA1]
low likelihoodadvancedCA$25–CA$60 partabout 60 min
water standing in the bottom of the tub after the cycle
The GTA page publishes this cause only for the models it covers: some GE dishwashers use a drain solenoid, a magnetic valve that opens a gate to let water out through the pump, and when the coil burns out or the plunger seizes the gate stays closed and water cannot exit even though the pump motor is working correctly. It puts the failure as more common on older GE models built before 2018, prices the part at CA$25-60 with a fitted total of CA$130-200, and states that a technician tests the solenoid coil for continuity. The London page's cause list has no equivalent row for the brands it services, so this cause is carried here as the brand-scoped repair it is. Time basis: neither page publishes a duration, so 60 minutes is a book estimate.
low likelihoodadvancedCA$100–CA$200 partabout 60 min
the machine hums at the end of the cycle but never emptiesthe dishwasher finishes with dirty water still inside
The London page prices a control board replacement at CA$280-450 and marks it as the point where home repair stops: the board sits behind the door panel and works on 120 volt household current, and the Electrical Safety Authority of Ontario regulates that work. Its stated reason for paying for the diagnosis is specific: wrong board orders are the most common reason a do-it-yourself dishwasher repair gets expensive. The GTA page prices the same repair for GE models at CA$100-200 in parts and CA$200-350 fitted, describes the fault as the drain relay on the board failing so the pump never receives the drain command, and notes that GE machines sometimes display error codes that point toward the board. Both pages put the board last, after the mechanical causes have been eliminated. Time basis: neither page publishes a duration, so 60 minutes is a book estimate.
Repair or replace?
The verdict
The London page's rule starts before any price: a clogged filter or hose is a free home fix, and roughly 60 percent of the dishwasher drain calls that company takes in London end up being fixes the owner could have done after knowing what to look for, with the other 40 percent needing a technician. The paid decision is then the 50 percent rule the page publishes: if the drain pump or the control board fails on a unit 10 or more years old and the quote is over half the price of a new replacement, replacement is the smarter financial call, and under half a single repair is usually worth it. The GTA page adds one brand-scoped condition to the same arithmetic, that a control board on an older machine with other issues should be discussed as repair against replacement before the part is ordered. [CA2]
Neither Ontario company publishes a job count for this complaint, so no median and no sample size appears on this page for either of them. What the two pages publish are shares of their own work, each with its own stated scope, and this page repeats them as shares rather than turning them into counts: the London page puts the calls that end in a homeowner fix at about 60 percent, the calls that cleaning the filter alone fixes at roughly 50 percent, and the dishwasher that has never drained since a new disposal went in at about 1 in 4; the GTA page, which covers GE dishwashers, puts the heavily clogged filter at roughly 40 percent of the GE machines that company sees. All four statements are about the publisher's own service calls or its own machine population, and none of them is a job count. No completed-invoice dataset is quoted on this page either, because no publisher of completed dishwasher invoices cited here breaks its records down by this complaint.
Neither Ontario page publishes a replacement price, so this page prints none and computes no break-even line against a new machine: what it prints is the 50 percent rule the London page publishes and the age line it applies it to. The replacement side of that comparison has moved in Canada in 2026 for a reason that appears in neither company's price table: the counter-tariff measure in effect since 8 September 2026 runs 15 to 50 percent on approximately US$28 billion of imports from the United States, with appliances named in the source's own list of affected goods, which raises the price of the replacement rather than the price of the repair. The one replacement figure either page does publish is a running-cost figure rather than a purchase price: the London page states that ENERGY STAR Canada certified models use 30 percent less water and energy than standard machines, worth roughly 60 to 100 dollars a year on a London utility bill, which it puts at 600 to 1,000 dollars over a 10 year lifespan.
the London page publishes the life of the machine in its own words, most residential dishwashers last nine to twelve years, and then names the line it uses for the decision: if the drain pump or the control board fails on a unit 10 or more years old and the quote is over half the price of a replacement, replacement is the smarter financial call. This page plans from the ten-year line the publisher itself uses inside its own published range, rather than from either end of the range or from a midpoint calculated here. The choice is an editorial decision recorded in this field rather than in the fact fields.
Have a quote?
Put your quote and the age of the unit into the calculator — the same half-of-new-price rule, with your own numbers.
high likelihoodeasyCA$85–CA$140 installedabout 30 min
water standing in the bottom of the tub after the cyclethe dishwasher finishes with dirty water still inside
The London page calls the filter by far the most common cause and the one most owners never check, and publishes the strongest single number on either page: cleaning the filter is the step that fixes roughly 50 percent of dishwasher not draining calls, and if the filter has not been cleaned in more than six months it is almost certainly the cause. The GTA page, which covers GE models by name, puts a heavily clogged filter at the cause of standing water in roughly 40 percent of the GE dishwashers that company sees, and calls the fix entirely free. Both pages give the same sequence: pull the lower rack, twist the cylindrical filter out, rinse and scrub the mesh, clear the sump, and lock the filter back so food cannot bypass the trap. Time basis: the London page publishes no duration for the clean, so 30 minutes is a book estimate.
no part is involved: the fix is a clean. The London page prices the professional filter and sump cleaning service at CA$85-140 and the GTA page prices the owner's own version of the same job at zero, so this cause carries an installed price and no part price.
drain hose kinked, sagging or clogged inside [CA2]
high likelihoodeasyCA$30–CA$60 partabout 45 min
water standing in the bottom of the tub after the cyclethe machine hums at the end of the cycle but never empties
The London page describes the three things that go wrong with the hose, all of them checkable by the owner: a sharp kink in the run, a sag that traps grease, and an internal clog. It publishes the free test as well: disconnect the hose at the sink or disposal end, hold one end in a bucket and run a few cups of hot water through it, and if the water trickles instead of flowing the hose is clogged. It prices a replacement hose at CA$30-60 at any plumbing supply and the fitted hose replacement at CA$120-220, and notes the high loop the hose has to rise to under the sink. The GTA page prices clearing a kinked or blocked hose as a do-it-yourself job with a CA$0-25 part cost and CA$0-120 if a technician does it, and states that the hose has to be routed up and clamped under the counter to work. Time basis: neither page publishes a duration, so 45 minutes is a book estimate.
sink line or garbage disposal blocked, or the disposal knockout plug left in place [CA2]
medium likelihoodeasynot pricedabout 30 min
the sink backs up when the dishwasher drainswater standing in the bottom of the tub after the cycle
The London page publishes the plumbing reason and a free test: almost every Ontario dishwasher drains into the kitchen sink line, so if the sink drains slowly the dishwasher cannot push water through it. Its stated test is to fill the sink with hot water and time the drain, with anything over 30 seconds counting as a partial blockage, and it says that if the boiling-water and baking-soda flush does not clear it, that is a plumber on the sink rather than a technician on the dishwasher. For the disposal it publishes the cause and its own scope: a new disposal ships with a solid plastic plug at the dishwasher inlet, and if the dishwasher stopped draining the day a new disposal went in, that plug is almost certainly still in place, which it puts at about 1 in 4 times for a dishwasher that has never drained since the disposal was installed. The GTA page lists the same knockout plug as its own cause and states that its two free checks, the filter and the disposal connection, resolve about half of all GE draining problems. Time basis: neither page publishes a duration, so 30 minutes is a book estimate.
no part is involved. The London page describes knocking the plastic plug out of the disposal inlet with a screwdriver and the GTA page prices the same job at CA$0-25, so this cause carries no part price of its own and no installed price that is not the call-out itself.
the machine hums at the end of the cycle but never empties
The London page puts a jammed drain pump fourth in its own frequency order and names the debris it sees: glass, a fruit pit or a small bone caught in the impeller. Its instruction carries the first electrical warning on the page: unplug the dishwasher at the breaker, never reach into a pump with power connected, look at the impeller, and if it is stuck rotate it gently back and forth until the debris releases. The GTA page reaches the pump only after the filter, the hose and the disposal connection are clear, which is the same order in a different structure. Time basis: the London page publishes no duration, so 45 minutes is a book estimate.
no part is involved when the pump is jammed rather than failed: the London page describes clearing the impeller by hand, so this cause carries no part price and no installed price.
What each fix costs
Cause
Cost
Time
DIY?
sink line or garbage disposal blocked, or the disposal knockout plug left in place
not priced
30 min
easy
drain pump jammed by debris
not priced
45 min
easy
filter and sump full of food debris
CA$85–CA$140 installed
30 min
easy
check valve or air gap fault
CA$90–CA$180 installed
60 min
advanced
drain hose kinked, sagging or clogged inside
CA$30–CA$60 part
45 min
easy
drain solenoid valve stuck closed (older GE models)
CA$25–CA$60 part
60 min
advanced
drain pump motor failed
CA$50–CA$120 part
90 min
advanced
control board failure
CA$100–CA$200 part
60 min
advanced
A technician visit starts with a diagnostic fee of CA$70–CA$120 [CA2]. Completed repairs run CA$85–CA$450 [CA2].
Sources
[CA1]Nick's Appliance Repair (Toronto and the GTA, Ontario; GE dishwasher models, 2026) (2026). the GE-scoped rows: the clogged filter or screen at zero with the statement that a heavily clogged filter is the cause of standing water in roughly 40 percent of the GE dishwashers that company sees, the blocked drain hose with a CA$0-25 part cost and CA$0-120 if a professional clears it, the garbage disposal knockout plug at CA$0-25, the drain solenoid at CA$25-60 in parts and CA$130-200 fitted with the statement that it is more common on older GE models built before 2018, the drain pump at CA$50-120 in parts and CA$180-280 fitted with its multimeter test of the motor windings, the control board at CA$100-200 in parts and CA$200-350 fitted with the drain-relay description, the statement that the filter and the disposal connection are two free checks that resolve about half of all GE draining problems, the named GE models and lines the page covers, the CA$89 diagnostic waived when the repair goes ahead, the 90-day parts and labour warranty and the statement that a control board on an older machine with other issues should be discussed as repair against replacement. The page publishes no job count, so it carries no median on this page, and its rows are GE-scoped rather than brand-neutral.
[CA2]Max Appliance Repair London (London, Ontario; 2026 service rates) (2026). the six causes in the publisher's own frequency order (filter full of food debris, drain hose kinked, sagging or clogged, sink drain or garbage disposal partially blocked, drain pump jammed, check valve stuck, control board failed), the statement that the first four are user fixable and the last two need a service call, the statement that about 60 percent of dishwasher drain calls in London end up being homeowner fixes and that the other 40 percent need a technician, the statement that cleaning the filter is the single step that fixes roughly 50 percent of dishwasher not draining calls, the statement that a knockout plug left in place after a new disposal is the cause about 1 in 4 times when a dishwasher has never drained since the disposal was installed, the 30 second sink-drain test, the instruction to unplug the dishwasher at the breaker and never reach into a pump with power connected, the impeller test, the statement that a pump whose impeller turns freely but does not engage has failed its motor, the published 60 to 90 minute job time for a pump replacement and the advice to weigh that cost on a machine over 8 years old, the statement that the control board works on 120 volt household current and that the Electrical Safety Authority of Ontario regulates that work, the London price table (drain pump replacement CA$200-380, drain hose replacement CA$120-220, filter and sump cleaning service CA$85-140, control board replacement CA$280-450, air gap or check valve repair CA$90-180, diagnostic call CA$70-120 credited toward the repair), the statement that most residential dishwashers last nine to twelve years, the 50 percent rule for a pump or board failure on a unit 10 or more years old, the ENERGY STAR Canada statement that certified models use 30 percent less water and energy, worth roughly CA$60-100 a year on a London utility bill and CA$600-1,000 over a 10 year lifespan, the filter cleaning interval by household use, the pricing disclaimer that the ranges are estimates based on typical London Ontario service rates as of 2026, and the instruction to request a written quote before authorising any repair work. The page publishes no job count, so it carries no median on this page.
[CA3]Government of Canada, Job Bank (wages for appliance servicers and repairers, NOC 72421; wages updated 19 November 2025) (2025-11-19). the median hourly wage for this trade within its published low and high bands: Canada CA$28.13, Ontario CA$27.00, British Columbia CA$30.49 and Alberta CA$25.00, with the page's own update line stating that the wages were updated on 19 November 2025. It is an hourly wage and not a repair price, and this page does not multiply it by an hour count.
[CA4]ATB Economics (Canadian counter-tariffs in effect, 8 September 2026) (2026-09-08). the counter-tariff measure in effect from 8 September 2026 at a rate of 15 to 50 percent on approximately US$28 billion of imports from the United States, with appliances named in the source's own list of affected goods, and the source's own estimate that the measures add 0.2 to 0.3 percentage points to inflation and shave roughly half a percentage point off Canadian GDP growth.
Last verified: 2026-09-26. Prices are Canadian market figures from the sources above; your quote may differ.
Built from a fact record, not from a template: every number above is tied to one of the sources and the record is re-checked against them. Editorial choices (which symptom leads, which cause is the single tell) are kept in a separate block so the facts stay auditable.
Quick answers
How much does it cost to fix a dishwasher with this problem?
Completed repairs run CA$85–CA$450 according to the sources cited on this page, after a diagnostic fee of CA$70–CA$120.
How long does a dishwasher last?
The decision rule used on this page works from a planning life of 10 years.
Repair or replace?
The London page's rule starts before any price: a clogged filter or hose is a free home fix, and roughly 60 percent of the dishwasher drain calls that company takes in London end up being fixes the owner could have done after knowing what to look for, with the other 40 percent needing a technician. The paid decision is then the 50 percent rule the page publishes: if the drain pump or the control board fails on a unit 10 or more years old and the quote is over half the price of a new replacement, replacement is the smarter financial call, and under half a single repair is usually worth it. The GTA page adds one brand-scoped condition to the same arithmetic, that a control board on an older machine with other issues should be discussed as repair against replacement before the part is ordered.