All washers have a pump and hose system to transfer water from the clothes basket to the home drainage system. On some brands, to decrease clutch wear draining must be 2/3 complete before spinning begins. This is true on all Whirlpool products (Kenmore, RCA, Roper, KitchenAid and Insinkerator) and old Norge products (Wards).

On others, GE, Hotpoint, Maytag products, and Frigidaire products, draining and spinning occur simultaneously. If draining occurs, but the clothes are still dripping wet, the spin speed is slow and there may be drive system problems, such as a damaged belt or a worn clutch.

The usual drain problems are:

1. Kinked drain hose.

2. Bad lid safety switch.

3. Clog at the pump inlet or in the pump itself.

4. A bound pump.

5. Timer or wiring problem (unlikely but possible). See Whirlpool belt-driven flowchart in Manual 2: Automatic Washers, Part 2.

6. An item dragging on the clothes basket.