F11 on a Miele dishwasher means the water isn't leaving. The control checks that the tub has emptied within a set time; when it hasn't, it halts the programme, posts F11, and leaves you with standing water and a door you'd rather not open.
Miele is a machine worth repairing — these units run fifteen and twenty years — and we service them across the Bay Area. 77 Miele dishwasher jobs in our records.
How our Miele customers describe it:
"Miele dishwasher — it is not working properly, getting error F11. Not completing the whole cycle."
"Miele dishwasher F11 / F13 error, not working properly." (model AHS860)
We've cleared F11 on a G 2470 SC SF among others.
What F11 is telling you
The drain pump should empty the tub inside a fixed window. F11 means it didn't. Either the pump can't move the water, or the water can't get past something on the way out.
In practice the obstruction is almost always in the first half-metre of the path:
- The filter assembly in the base of the tub. Miele's triple filter traps a lot, and when the fine screen loads up, flow collapses. This is the most common cause and the one you can fix yourself.
- The drain pump impeller. Glass chips, a fruit stone, a twist tie. Miele's pump cover comes off by hand on most models and the impeller should spin freely.
- The non-return valve sticking shut or held open by debris.
- The drain hose — kinked behind the machine, blocked at the air gap, or run into a garbage disposal whose knockout plug was never removed after it was fitted.
- The pump itself, electrically failed. Less common on Miele than on most brands, but it happens.
Why F11 often arrives with F13
One of our Miele jobs came in with F11 and F13 together. They're related: F11 says the water isn't going out, and once it's sitting where it shouldn't be, the machine starts reporting the consequences too. Treat the drain fault and the companion code usually goes with it.
What you can safely do
- Scoop the standing water out with a cup and a sponge before anything else, so you're not working in it.
- Pull and wash the filter assembly. Unscrew the fine filter in the base, lift the coarse filter out, rinse both under hot water with a brush. Grease films over the mesh and it doesn't look blocked until you hold it to the light.
- Check the pump impeller. With the filters out, the pump cover is underneath — lift it and feel the impeller turns freely.
- Check behind the machine for a kinked hose, and run the disposal if the drain goes into one.
Call a tech when F11 comes straight back with clean filters and a free impeller — that means the restriction is further down, or the pump is failing. Also call if the machine is tripping the breaker, or you can hear the pump running with nothing moving.
Miele parts are model-specific and not generic, so it's worth having the model number — it's on the sticker inside the door frame.
Book Miele dishwasher repair
We repair Miele across the SF Bay Area and Peninsula. Bring us the model number and we'll tell you up front whether the part is worth it — on a Miele it usually is.
Call (888) 993-5699 or book online.
Related pages
- Dishwasher Repair in the SF Bay Area & Peninsula — our full dishwasher service
- Dishwasher Not Draining? Standing Water in the Bottom — 532 jobs
- Bosch Dishwasher E24 Error — the same fault on the brand we see most
- Miele Appliance Repair — every Miele appliance we service
Frequently asked questions
What does F11 mean on a Miele dishwasher? F11 is a drain fault. The control expects the tub to empty within a set time; when it doesn't, it stops the programme and posts F11, usually leaving standing water in the bottom. The cause is almost always a restriction in the filter, the pump or the drain hose.
How do I fix a Miele F11 error myself? Scoop out the standing water, then remove and wash the filter assembly in the base of the tub — the fine screen grease-films over and doesn't look blocked until you hold it to the light. With the filters out, lift the pump cover and check the impeller turns freely. Then check behind the machine for a kinked drain hose.
Why do I get F11 and F13 together on my Miele? They're related. F11 means the water isn't draining; once water is sitting where it shouldn't, the machine starts reporting the consequences as well. One of the Miele units in our records came in with exactly that pair. Fix the drain fault and the companion code usually clears with it.
My Miele dishwasher still shows F11 after I cleaned the filters — what now? Then the restriction is past the filters, or the pump is failing. That means checking the non-return valve, the drain hose and the air gap, and testing the pump. At that point it needs a tech, and it's worth having your model number from the sticker inside the door frame.
Is a Miele dishwasher worth repairing? Usually yes — these machines are built to run fifteen to twenty years, so a drain repair on a ten-year-old Miele is money well spent, where on a mass-market unit of the same age it might not be. Miele parts cost more, so we quote the part before we order it.