--- title: "Washer error code E21" description: "Electrolux washer error code E21: The pump ran, the water went somewhere, and not fast enough." url: "https://electroluxmiami.support/error-codes/washer-e21/" date_modified: "2026-09-11" Appliance type: "Washers" --- # Washer error code E21 ### What E21 means on this make The pump ran, the water went somewhere, and not fast enough. The maker’s own first line is the drain hose, and specifically a kink — which sounds trivial until you remember where these machines live in South Florida. A stacked pair in a closet, pushed back against the wall to close the louvered door, folds its own drain hose behind it, and the trouble appears weeks after an installation that was fine on the day. The other half is the filter at the bottom of the pump, and on a machine that washes beach towels that is a genuine maintenance item. ### Where this appears, and why not to clear it On the appliance’s own display, as a short single code — a letter and a number, or two letters. Nothing alternates and nothing arrives in halves on this make, so what the panel shows is the whole of it. Photograph it before you cut the power. This maker’s own answer to most of these is thirty seconds at the breaker, and that is worth following once — but a display that has been cleared has taken the evidence with it, and there is no way to ask the machine for it again. ### What to do about it - Walk the drain hose end to end with the machine pulled out. A fold behind the cabinet is the first thing this maker names, and it costs nothing to rule out. - Check the hose is at the right height into the standpipe, and that the standpipe is not itself blocked — water that cannot leave the wall comes back. - Clean the pump filter. On these machines it is behind a panel at the bottom front, and on a coastal household it collects sand as reliably as lint. - If the hose is clear and the filter is clean, the pump or its impeller is the visit — and tell us whether you can hear it trying, because a silent pump and a straining one are two different parts. ### Where this goes next The job this usually becomes is [diagnostic visit](/services/diagnostic-visit/), and that page carries a starting figure and the reasons that move it. If it turns out to be nothing — and on this make a real share of these are modes, reminders and settings rather than problems — the visit ends there and you pay the diagnostic and nothing else, or call [(305) 912-9018](tel:+13059129018) and describe what the panel is doing before booking anything. Error code E21 indicates the washing machine water isn't pumping fast enough or is taking too long to empty. NOTE: This is a known installation issue. If your washer was recently installed or moved, have the installer verify the installation was done correctly. What this one means What E21 means on this make The pump ran, the water went somewhere, and not fast enough. The maker’s own first line is the drain hose, and specifically a kink — which sounds trivial until you remember where these machines live in South Florida. A stacked pair in a closet, pushed back against the wall to close the louvered door, folds its own drain hose behind it, and the trouble appears weeks after an installation that was fine on the day. The other half is the filter at the bottom of the pump, and on a machine that washes beach towels that is a genuine maintenance item. Where this appears, and why not to clear it On the appliance’s own display, as a short single code — a letter and a number, or two letters. Nothing alternates and nothing arrives in halves on this make, so what the panel shows is the whole of it. Photograph it before you cut the power. This maker’s own answer to most of these is thirty seconds at the breaker, and that is worth following once — but a display that has been cleared has taken the evidence with it, and there is no way to ask the machine for it again. What to do about it Walk the drain hose end to end with the machine pulled out. A fold behind the cabinet is the first thing this maker names, and it costs nothing to rule out. Check the hose is at the right height into the standpipe, and that the standpipe is not itself blocked — water that cannot leave the wall comes back. Clean the pump filter. On these machines it is behind a panel at the bottom front, and on a coastal household it collects sand as reliably as lint. If the hose is clear and the filter is clean, the pump or its impeller is the visit — and tell us whether you can hear it trying, because a silent pump and a straining one are two different parts. Where this goes next The job this usually becomes is diagnostic visit, and that page carries a starting figure and the reasons that move it. If it turns out to be nothing — and on this make a real share of these are modes, reminders and settings rather than problems — the visit ends there and you pay the diagnostic and nothing else, or call [(305) 912-9018](tel:+13059129018) and describe what the panel is doing before booking anything. --- **[Read full article: Washer error code E21](https://electroluxmiami.support/error-codes/washer-e21/)**