Official Fix
On a Miele dishwasher, F11 means drain fault. The machine cannot pump out water.
There is no magic F11 reset button. Clear the drain problem and the code clears itself after a good drain.
What the Miele manual basically tells you to do:
- Kill power. Turn the machine off. If possible, pull the plug or shut the breaker.
- Open the door and pull out the lower rack.
- Lift out the round filter combo in the bottom. Rinse it under hot water. Scrub off grease, paper, bones, glass, and food sludge.
- Reach into the sump hole under the filter. Scoop out any gunk, labels, shells, or broken glass.
- Find the small cover or flap to the drain pump. On most models it is a plastic cover you twist or unclip in the sump area. Open it.
- Feel the pump impeller with your fingers. It should spin freely. Pull out toothpicks, glass, pits, twist ties, or anything jammed in there.
- Look for a small rubber non return valve, usually a little flap or plug near the pump outlet. Make sure it moves and is not held open by debris. Clean it.
- Refit the pump cover and the filter combo exactly as they came out. If they sit crooked you will keep getting F11.
Then check the drain hose and house plumbing, as Miele instructs:
- Trace the drain hose from the dishwasher to the sink trap or garbage disposal.
- Straighten any kinks, crush points, or tight bends behind the cabinet.
- Put a bowl or towel down and remove the hose from the sink trap or disposal stub.
- If you have a fairly new disposal, check for the plastic knockout plug in the dishwasher inlet. If it was never removed, punch it out with a screwdriver and hammer, with power to the disposal off.
- Run hot water through the hose into a bucket or sink. If it does not flow freely, the hose or siphon connector is clogged. Clean or replace it.
- Check the sink trap fitting where the hose connected. If it is packed with grease or food, clean it out.
Now do the basic reset test:
- Reconnect the drain hose and tighten the clamp.
- Restore power and water.
- Close the door and start a short or Rinse program.
- Listen at the start. The unit should first try to pump out. You should hear the pump running and see water shooting into the sink drain.
- If the tub empties and the cycle continues, F11 will clear on its own.
- If the pump is silent, only hums, or F11 pops right back with standing water, you likely have a failing drain pump or a blockage the manual level cleaning did not reach.
Community Workaround (Technician’s Trick)
This is what many techs do when F11 sticks around after cleaning the filter: power vacuum the drain line from the sink side.
- Shut off power to the dishwasher at the breaker. Do not skip this.
- Pull the drain hose off the sink trap or disposal again.
- Grab a wet or dry shop vacuum. Set it to suck, not blow.
- Wrap a rag around the wet vac nozzle and the dishwasher hose end to get a decent seal.
- Run the vac for 10 to 20 seconds. You are trying to pull out grease clumps, glass, lemon pits, and scale from the hose and the pump outlet.
- Check what comes out of the hose or into the vac tank. If you see chunks, you just cleared the real blockage.
- For stubborn clogs, switch the vac to blow and gently blast air back through the hose into the machine for a few seconds, then suck again. Do not overdo it or you will spray water inside the cabinet.
- Reconnect the hose, restore power and water, and run a short program. If it now drains hard and fast without F11, you are done.
Important: This trick avoids pulling the whole dishwasher out. If the machine still will not drain after this, the pump itself is probably weak or dead, not just blocked.
Is It Worth Fixing? (The Financial Verdict)
F11 is almost always a blockage, not a dead machine.
- DIY clean and vacuum clear: costs your time, maybe a cheap wet vac or basic tools.
- New Miele drain pump part: ballpark 100 to 250 in parts, depending on model.
- Professional visit and pump replacement: often 250 to 450 total with labor.
- A new Miele dishwasher: typically 1,200 to 2,500 plus installation.
If the dishwasher is under about 12 to 15 years old and otherwise works fine, fixing F11 is absolutely worth it.
If you can use a screwdriver and are comfortable turning off power and water, you can handle the filter, pump access, and hose checks yourself. Swapping the pump is more advanced but still doable for many people with online diagrams.
Only start thinking buy a new one if the machine is very old, rusting, noisy, and also showing other error codes on top of F11.
Verdict: Fix it yourself. Call a pro only if the drain pump tests bad after you have cleared all blockages.
Parts You Might Need
- Miele drain pump assembly for your exact model
- Non return valve or check valve insert for the sump
- Filter combination and sump cover, if cracked or warped
- Replacement drain hose and hose clamps
- Level sensor or pressure switch, only if a tech confirms it is misreading water level
- Main electronic control board, rare, only when a tech proves the pump is not being powered