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The bottom of a dishwasher tub with the lower rack removed, cloudy water standing around the cylindrical filter and the spray arm above it.

Kenmore dishwasher
showing F8E1

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

(844) 430-4286

Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

  • Drain
  • Drain and pump repair
  • Source: Kenmore

Book a visit

Three short steps, about a minute.

or call (844) 430-4286

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 codeDrain

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 toDrain and pump repair

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

Shows up asDishwasher Not Draining

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

MakeKenmore

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

SourceSears 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. 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

Before you call

Dishwasher Not Draining

All 6 causes, cheapest first
An open dishwasher with the lower rack pulled out and cloudy gray water standing across the bottom of the stainless tub around the filter. 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

Read these
before the visit.

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

All 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

More Kenmore codes

F8E2F6E1F6E4F7E1F2E2IEOEAEClean light blinks 7 times

Drain on other makes

ASKO F10Bertazzoni F2Bosch E24Cove 800115Dacor 5CElectrolux i20Fisher & Paykel A3Frigidaire i20
All 45 codes of this kind
A stainless 24-inch built-in dishwasher sits flush under a quartz countertop beside the sink in a US home kitchen. 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)

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.

All service areas

Tampa BayFL · 31 areas

OrlandoFL · 30 areas

Miami / South FloridaFL · 47 areas

New York MetroNY · 75 areas

HoustonTX · 36 areas

ChicagoIL · 50 areas

Los AngelesCA · 95 areas

San DiegoCA · 31 areas

San Francisco Bay AreaCA · 74 areas

A family unloading clean plates from an open dishwasher together in a bright contemporary kitchen, a child handing a plate to a parent
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.

Back to your everyday

Still showing F8E1?

Book with the characters exactly as shown, the full model number, and whether any water is on the floor — for a code, that is where the diagnosis begins.

Schedule a repair Call (844) 430-4286
(844) 430-4286 Schedule a repair