I don't think this is a problem that you can fix with CLR. There are several reasons why a dishwasher won't drain. Check the archives. And if it is not one of these, you may have to call a repairperson.
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My Frigidaire dishwasher won't drain completely. The pump was replaced, now it washes, but won't drain. Do I need to replace motor now? it drains straight to the disposal and has has no overflow.
This happened to me one time, and it was a pressure problem caused by caked and collected food from the disposal in the pipe that leads to the drain. I don't know if your problem is the same, but it might be worth checking. I got down under the sink and disconnected the pipe running from the disposal to the drain pipes, and used a coat hanger to poke through it and kinda ream it out. Greasy food seems to make it cake up.
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My dishwasher water will not drain out. Does anyone know what I can do about this?
I have a General Electric Permatuf dishwasher and the water will not drain out. My line going to my garbage disposal is not plugged, nor my sink lines under the sink. The line going from my dishwasher to the garbage may be plugged, but I don't have any way of knowing.
Make sure the pump is working. You disconnect the drain hose and run it into your sink or a bucket for testing purposes. If it is pumping out the water then check to make sure there are no obstructions in the connection at the disposal. If this is a new install make sure the plug was removed from the disposal connection at time of the install, also check for kinks in the drain line. Most dishwasher manufacturers recommend a loop in the drain line. Look at the install instructions that came with the washer. (08/21/2009)