Maytag Dishwasher F8 E1 — What It Means & How to Fix It
Also shown as F8E1, 8-1 on some models.
Your Maytag ran its drain pump but the water didn't clear fast enough, so it flagged a slow drain — almost always a blockage you can reach yourself: the filter, the drain hose, or a garbage-disposal plug that was never knocked out.
What this code means
F8 E1 (8-1 flashed) is the slow-drain code, raised when the tub still holds water after the pump has had its turn. Maytag's own troubleshooting works the drain path from the tub filter out to the hose and the disposal connection before ever blaming the pump — which is also the order that costs you nothing to follow.
If you've recently had a new garbage disposal fitted, suspect the knockout plug first: installers sometimes leave the solid plug in the disposal's dishwasher inlet, which blocks draining entirely and triggers this on the very first wash.
Most likely causes
| Cause | How likely | DIY-fixable? |
|---|---|---|
| Clogged tub filter or sump | Very common | Yes — rinse clean |
| Kinked or clogged drain hose | Common | Yes — reroute/clear |
| Disposal knockout plug left in place | Common | Yes — remove plug |
| Drain pump worn or partly jammed | Less common | Partly — clear debris |
What you can try yourself
- Unplug the dishwasher, lift out the cylindrical filter in the tub floor, rinse it under the tap, and clear any food or glass from the sump it sits in.
- Follow the drain hose where you can reach it — often under the sink — and straighten any kink or pinch.
- If a garbage disposal was recently installed, check that its dishwasher knockout plug was removed; a quick look inside the disposal inlet tells you.
- Check the sink's air gap, if you have one, isn't clogged — debris there can back the dishwasher up.
- Restore power and run a rinse cycle; if water still lingers after the path is clear, the pump may be worn and need a technician.
When to call a technician
- Water remains in the tub after the filter, hose, and disposal connection are all clear.
- The drain pump is silent, or grinds when it should run.
- Draining is slow on every cycle despite a spotless filter.
Typical professional repair cost: A drain pump replacement, if it comes to that, generally runs $150–$300 with labour.
Frequently asked questions
Why is there standing water in the bottom of my Maytag dishwasher with F8 E1?
The machine couldn't drain quickly enough, so water is left in the tub. Start with the filter in the tub floor — rinse it clean — then check the drain hose for kinks and, if you've a new disposal, that its knockout plug was removed.
What is the disposal knockout plug and why does it matter?
A garbage disposal ships with a solid plug in its dishwasher inlet. If an installer forgets to knock it out, the dishwasher has nowhere to drain and throws F8 E1 on its first run. Removing it is a two-minute fix.
A little water always sits in the filter area — is that the fault?
No. A small amount of water in the sump is normal and keeps the seals from drying out. F8 E1 is about the tub failing to empty, not that residual cupful.
Related Maytag codes
- Maytag Dishwasher F1 E1 Your Maytag's control board has flagged one of its own relays as stuck on — an output that should have switched off still reads live — and a full power-down often clears a false alarm, while a genuinely welded relay means board-level service.
- Maytag Dishwasher F2 E1 Your Maytag's control thinks one of the touchpad buttons is being held down — a stuck-button reading that's far more often caused by moisture or a sticky film on the panel than by a dead control.
- Maytag Dishwasher F3 E1 The combined temperature-and-soil sensor in your Maytag's sump has stopped giving the control a usable reading, so the machine can no longer tell how hot or how dirty the water is — sometimes just a fouled sensor face, sometimes a true sensor or wiring fault.
- Maytag Dishwasher F5 E1 Your Maytag tried to begin a cycle and didn't sense the door securely latched — most often because the door wasn't pushed shut quickly enough after pressing Start, and less often because the latch or its switches are wearing out.
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