A drain pump for an appliance, the drain pump comprising: a single, self-starting, single-phase synchronous motor which includes: a rotor in magnetic communication with a stator and a winding forming a portion of the stator; a pump chamber having an inlet and first and second outlets (46, 48); and an impeller disposed within the pump chamber and configured to be selectively and bi-directionally driven by the single-phase synchronous motor, the rotor being coupled to the impeller, wherein: rotation of the impeller in a first direction serves to direct fluid from the inlet toward the first outlet and away from the second outlet; and rotation of the impeller in the second direction serves to direct fluid from the inlet toward the second outlet and away from the first outlet, characterised in that: the first direction corresponds to a torque-favorable direction of the rotor; the second direction corresponds to a torque-unfavorable direction of the rotor; the impeller is operable to begin rotation in the first direction from a rest position of the rotor; the rest position of the rotor defines a cogging torque that prevents the rotor from starting in the second direction from the rest position; the impeller is operable to begin rotation in the second direction from a magnetic potential position of the rotor that is different than the rest position of the rotor and the motor is configured so that, once the rotor is at the magnetic potential position, a current, which has a magnitude higher than a magnitude of the current applied to the winding of the stator when the rotor operates in the torque-favorable direction, is applied to the winding of the stator to provide a high intensity magnetic field that exerts a heightened torque on the rotor in the torque-unfavorable direction to build up sufficient momentum to overcome the cogging torque, so allowing the rotor to complete at least a first rotation of the rotor in the torque-unfavorable direction. a single, self-starting, single-phase synchronous motor which includes: a rotor in magnetic communication with a stator and a winding forming a portion of the stator; a rotor in magnetic communication with a stator and a winding forming a portion of the stator; a pump chamber having an inlet and first and second outlets (46, 48); and an impeller disposed within the pump chamber and configured to be selectively and bi-directionally driven by the single-phase synchronous motor, the rotor being coupled to the impeller, wherein: rotation of the impeller in a first direction serves to direct fluid from the inlet toward the first outlet and away from the second outlet; and rotation of the impeller in the second direction serves to direct fluid from the inlet toward the second outlet and away from the first outlet, rotation of the impeller in a first direction serves to direct fluid from the inlet toward the first outlet and away from the second outlet; and rotation of the impeller in the second direction serves to direct fluid from the inlet toward the second outlet and away from the first outlet, the first direction corresponds to a torque-favorable direction of the rotor; the second direction corresponds to a torque-unfavorable direction of the rotor; the impeller is operable to begin rotation in the first direction from a rest position of the rotor; the rest position of the rotor defines a cogging torque that prevents the rotor from starting in the second direction from the rest position; the impeller is operable to begin rotation in the second direction from a magnetic potential position of the rotor that is different than the rest position of the rotor and the motor is configured so that, once the rotor is at the magnetic potential position, a current, which has a magnitude higher than a magnitude of the current applied to the winding of the stator when the rotor operates in the torque-favorable direction, is applied to the winding of the stator to provide a high intensity magnetic field that exerts a heightened torque on the rotor in the torque-unfavorable direction to build up sufficient momentum to overcome the cogging torque, so allowing the rotor to complete at least a first rotation of the rotor in the torque-unfavorable direction.