---
title: "Kenmore dishwasher showing F8E1 | DishwasherRepair.center"
description: "What F8E1 means on Kenmore dishwashers, what to check before booking, and when it is not a failure at all."
url: "https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/kenmore-f8e1-he/"
---

# Kenmore dishwasher showing F8E1

On Kenmore HE models F8E1 is a slow drain: the water is leaving, but not quickly enough for the control.

## What F8E1 actually means.

On Kenmore HE models F8E1 is a slow drain: the water is leaving, but not quickly enough for the control.

Kenmore dishwasher display · also shown as 8-1

What to do when F8E1 shows on the dishwasher

### Kind of code Drain

Water did not leave the tub in the time the control expects. A clogged filter, a kinked hose or a blocked disposal inlet are ruled out before the drain pump.

### Usually leads to Drain and pump repair

Water left standing in the tub, cleared by finding where the drain path actually stops.

### Shows up as Dishwasher Not Draining

Dirty water stays in the bottom of the tub after the cycle ends.

### Make Kenmore

A retail brand whose dishwashers have been built by several different manufacturers.

### Source Sears PartsDirect: Kenmore HE dishwasher error codes (Wayback copy, Nov 2019)

Kenmore HE, Global HE and MicroClean HE dishwashers, where Sears lists the code in both forms (a blink pair such as 8-1, or F8E1 on a display). Other Kenmore series use different codes.

## Before you book, in this order.

Each step comes from Kenmore's own guidance for F8E1 on its dishwashers. Follow it to the end: the last card says whether this is a visit.

01

Switch off the power, then the water, before reaching into the tub.

02

Clear the drain path: filter area, hose and the connection at the sink.

03

Book a visit if the path is clear, since Sears's next checks are the drain pump wiring and the pump.

### Still there?

It usually turns into [drain and pump repair](https://dishwasherrepair.center/services/drain-and-pump-repair/). Book with the code and the model number.

### What not to do

Do not read this F8E1 through a newer brand chart; on these Kenmore series Sears files the drain codes under F8, and F9 belongs to the diverter.

## What you may notice with it.

The dishwasher problem F8E1 tends to arrive with. Answer these at the dishwasher before anyone is booked.

[All problems](https://dishwasherrepair.center/problems/)

Before you call

### [Dishwasher Not Draining](https://dishwasherrepair.center/problems/dishwasher-not-draining/)

[All 6 causes, cheapest first](https://dishwasherrepair.center/problems/dishwasher-not-draining/)

Problem

### Dishwasher Not Draining

6 causes, cheapest first

Where F8E1 usually leads

## Drain and pump repair.

**Drain pump or drain hose · low.**

Book a visit [What the job involves](https://dishwasherrepair.center/services/drain-and-pump-repair/)

## Read these before the visit.

Short guides that make the call quicker and the diagnosis cheaper.

[All guides](https://dishwasherrepair.center/guides/)

What it is trying to tell you

### Why dishwashers stop draining, from the filter to the sink

Is it safe to run, and what about the floor

### The Dishwasher and Garbage Disposal Connection

Error codes

### All 188 codes, by make

## Kenmore dishwashers.

A retail brand whose dishwashers have been built by several different manufacturers.

[Kenmore dishwasher repair](https://dishwasherrepair.center/brands/kenmore/)

More Kenmore codes

[F8E2](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/kenmore-f8e2-he/) [F6E1](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/kenmore-f6e1-he/) [F6E4](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/kenmore-f6e4-he/) [F7E1](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/kenmore-f7e1-he/) [F2E2](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/kenmore-f2e2-he/) [IE](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/kenmore-ie-722/) [OE](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/kenmore-oe-722/) [AE](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/kenmore-ae-722/) [Clean light blinks 7 times](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/kenmore-clean-light-7-blinks-665/)

Drain on other makes

[ASKO F10](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/asko-f10/) [Bertazzoni F2](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/bertazzoni-f2/) [Bosch E24](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/bosch-e24/) [Cove 800115](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/cove-800115/) [Dacor 5C](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/dacor-5c/) [Electrolux i20](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/electrolux-i20/) [Fisher & Paykel A3](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/fisher-and-paykel-a3/) [Frigidaire i20](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/frigidaire-i20/)

[All 45 codes of this kind](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/#family-drain)

Kenmore builds this

### Built-in dishwasher

The standard 24-inch machine under the counter, and the one nearly every American kitchen has.

## In Kenmore's own words

> Shut off power to the dishwasher and then shut off water. Check the drain path for an obstruction.

[Sears PartsDirect: Kenmore HE dishwasher error codes (Wayback copy, Nov 2019)](https://web.archive.org/web/20191113170353/https://www.searspartsdirect.com/diy/error-codes/dishwasher-repair/1234583/kenmore-he-dishwasher/0582)

Every code on this site is taken from the manufacturer's documentation, never from a forum or a parts listing. Kenmore HE, Global HE and MicroClean HE dishwashers, where Sears lists the code in both forms (a blink pair such as 8-1, or F8E1 on a display). Other Kenmore series use different codes.

## Kenmore F8E1 dishwasher repair, where we come out.

The same visit in every metro below: the code, the model number, and a diagnosis before any part is ordered.

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For the heart of your home.

## Questions about F8E1.

### Can I clear F8E1 myself?

Switch off the power, then the water, before reaching into the tub. If it comes back, it needs a visit.

### Can my Kenmore HE keep running dishes while F8E1 is showing?

It can still move water out, only too slowly for the control, so each load risks ending with a wet tub floor. Clearing the filter area, the drain hose and the sink connection is the sensible thing to do before the next cycle, with the power and water off first.

### Why would F8E1 return on a Kenmore HE after I cleaned the filter?

The filter is only the first stop on the drain path; the hose and the point where it joins the sink plumbing can also slow the water. If all of those are open and the slow drain persists, the pump wiring and the pump itself are what Sears checks next.

---

**[Read on the site: Kenmore dishwasher showing F8E1 | DishwasherRepair.center](https://dishwasherrepair.center/error-codes/kenmore-f8e1-he/)**

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