Washer Drain Pump Replacement Cost
Where These Numbers Come From
- Source. Completed Bozmanfix jobs, January 2023 to October 2026: 69,165 jobs in our service records across Florida, Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and South Carolina.
- What counts. Washer repairs where a drain pump was fitted, plus the symptom rows below, which group jobs by what the customer reported rather than by the part replaced.
- What the figure includes. Part, labor and the service call as one total.
- How to read it. Median first, then the middle half of jobs (the 25th to 75th percentile), then the number of repairs.
What a Drain Pump Repair Costs
| Repair or reported symptom | Median | Middle half | Repairs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washer drain pump replaced | $383 | $338 to $441 | 214 |
| Reported as not draining | $384 | $320 to $445 | 599 |
| Reported as not spinning | $369 | $311 to $439 | 480 |
| Reported as leaking | $360 | $296 to $448 | 532 |
| Reported as making noise | $373 | $325 to $438 | 662 |
| Reported with an error code | $385 | $322 to $453 | 535 |
| Control board, for comparison | $474 | $411 to $577 | 76 |
| All washer repairs with a part fitted | $373 | $312 to $448 | 5,214 |
Every figure is the whole invoice: part, labor and the service call together. Symptom rows group jobs by the complaint, so they include repairs other than the pump.
The pump sits almost exactly on the typical washer repair. A drain pump at $383 compares with $373 for all washer repairs across 5,214 jobs, and the not draining complaint, at $384 across 599 jobs, lands almost exactly on the pump price. In practical terms, if your washer will not drain, you can expect a bill close to this figure whatever the technician finds. Every other washer component is priced on our appliance repair cost by part page.
What the Drain Pump Does
At the end of each wash and rinse, the control board switches on a small electric pump at the bottom of the machine. It pulls the water out of the tub and pushes it up the drain hose into the standpipe or sink. On a front loader it usually sits behind the lower front panel with a filter or coin trap in front of it; on a top loader it sits underneath the tub.
The pump is a wear item. It handles everything that comes out of your pockets and your laundry: lint, hair, coins, buttons, hair ties and the odd sock. Debris can jam the impeller, crack it or wear the seal, and the motor that turns it can burn out from straining against a blockage. That is why pump jobs are one of the more common washer repairs, at 214 in our records.
Why a Pump Fault Looks Like a Spin Fault
A washer will not spin with water in the tub. This is deliberate: spinning a drum full of water would strain the motor, the suspension and the bearings, so the machine checks the water level first and refuses to spin until the tub is empty. A failed drain pump therefore shows up as a washer that will not spin.
That is why the not spinning row in the table, at $369 ($311 to $439) across 480 jobs, sits so close to the pump and the not draining rows. Many of those not spinning calls end at the drain system, while others turn out to be the door lock, the belt or the motor. Our washer motor repair page explains how the drive system is ruled in or out, and washer not draining covers the symptom from the start.
Water left in the drum after the cycle. The clearest sign the drain side is involved, whatever the display says about spinning.
A hum or buzz with no water moving. The pump has power and cannot turn, usually because something is jammed in the impeller or the motor has seized.
Silence at the drain step. The pump may have failed electrically, or it may never have been told to run, which points at the board or the wiring rather than the pump.
A rattle or grinding during drain. A coin or a button in the pump housing, which sometimes clears without a part and sometimes cracks the impeller.
Water on the floor under the machine. A cracked pump housing or a failed pump seal, which belongs in the leaking row at $360 across 532 jobs.
Faults That Look Like a Bad Pump
A washer that will not drain does not always need a new pump, and the technician separates these before quoting one.
A clogged filter or coin trap. On front loaders, debris caught in front of the pump stops drainage while the pump itself is fine.
A kinked or blocked drain hose. Hoses get crushed when a washer is pushed back against the wall, or clog with lint where they enter the standpipe.
A blocked house drain. If the standpipe or the sink it empties into is slow, the washer looks broken when the plumbing is the problem.
A pressure switch or water level sensor. If the board believes the tub is still full, it will keep trying to drain and refuse to spin.
The control board. The board powers the pump. A failed relay leaves a good pump idle, and that repair runs a median of $474 ($411 to $577) across 76 jobs.
Error codes help narrow this down, because most washers report a drain timeout with a specific code. Our guide to washing machine error codes lists the common ones, and the error code row in the table, $385 across 535 jobs, shows those calls cost about the same as the pump itself.
Front Load and Top Load Pumps
The part does the same job on both designs, and the price difference is mostly access. On many front loaders the pump is reached from the front behind a lower panel, which keeps the job predictable. On some top loaders and on stacked or tightly installed machines, the washer has to be moved out or tipped for access, which adds labor. That difference is a good part of why the middle half of pump jobs runs from $338 to $441 rather than sitting on a single figure. For a broader comparison of the two designs, see front load vs top load washer.
Dishwasher Drain Pumps Are a Different Repair
Dishwashers have a drain pump too, and the symptoms overlap: standing water, a hum, an error code. The work and the price are their own, at a median of $358 ($303 to $419) across 297 dishwasher jobs. That appliance has its own guide, dishwasher not draining.
What the Visit Involves
The technician works from the cheap causes toward the expensive one. The drain path is checked first: the filter or coin trap where the machine has one, the drain hose and the house drain it empties into. Then the machine is asked to drain while the technician listens and measures whether the pump receives power at the right moment in the cycle.
That single observation sorts most cases. A pump that receives power and does not move water has failed or is jammed. A pump that never receives power points back at the level sensor, the wiring or the control board, and replacing the pump in that situation would leave you with the same standing water and a smaller bank balance. Brand matters less than design here, although the drain layout differs between makers, and our brand guides such as LG washer not draining and Samsung washer not draining cover the model details.
What the Price Includes
Every figure here covers the visit, the diagnosis, the pump and the labor to fit it. The $99 diagnostic visit is applied to the repair when you approve it, and the work carries a 90-day parts and labor warranty. Before leaving, the technician runs a drain and spin cycle so you see the tub empty and the drum spin, rather than taking the repair on trust.
The technician also looks for whatever damaged the pump. If a coin trap was packed or a hose was crushed, that gets cleared too, because a new pump working against the same blockage will fail the same way. If you keep several appliances, the Priority Membership at $179 a year adds priority scheduling for future visits.
When a Pump Replacement Is Worth It
A drain pump is one of the easiest washer repairs to justify. It is a single part, it does not affect the drum, the motor or the bearings, and once replaced the machine usually returns to normal service. At a median of $383, set against the price of a comparable new unit, it is normally the right call.
The calculation changes when the pump is one of several faults. A machine that also needs a control board or shows bearing noise is a different decision. We do not publish a price for drum bearings, because the number of bearing jobs in our records is too small to give a reliable figure, but it is the repair most likely to tip a washer toward replacement. For age and lifespan, see how long washing machines last.
Discounts Applied Automatically
Related Guides
Common Questions
How much does a washer drain pump replacement cost?
A median of $383 across 214 completed Bozmanfix repairs, with the middle half of jobs between $338 and $441. That covers the pump, the labor and the service call together.
How do I know if my washer drain pump is bad?
Water left in the drum after the cycle, a hum with no water moving, or a rattle during drain all point at the pump. The same symptoms can come from a clogged filter, a kinked hose, a blocked house drain, a level sensor or the control board, so a technician confirms the pump before quoting it.
Why will my washer not spin when the drain pump fails?
A washer will not spin with water in the tub by design, because spinning a full drum would strain the motor and suspension. A pump that cannot empty the tub therefore shows up as a spin fault. In our records the not spinning complaint runs a median of $369 across 480 jobs.
Is it worth replacing a washer drain pump?
Usually yes. It is a single part that does not affect the drum, motor or bearings, and at a median of $383 it sits close to the typical washer repair of $373. Compare the quote with the price of a comparable new unit, and reconsider only if the pump is one of several faults.
What does a not draining repair usually cost?
A median of $384 across 599 Bozmanfix jobs reported as not draining, with the middle half between $320 and $445. That includes pump replacements and the other causes of the same symptom, which is why it lands so close to the pump price.
Is a dishwasher drain pump the same repair?
No, it is a separate repair on a different appliance, although the symptoms overlap. A dishwasher drain pump runs a median of $358 across 297 Bozmanfix jobs, with the middle half between $303 and $419.
Water left in the drum?
A technician checks the hose, the filter and the board before quoting a pump, because each one produces the same standing water. The $99 diagnostic visit is applied to the repair when you approve it.