WASHING MACHINE REPAIRS

image: manand washing machineProvided below is a help page to enable the owner of a washing machine to decide for themselves if professional assistance is required.  Prior to reading any further please read this warning. 

The idea here is simply to give a few tips that might help to get you out of trouble.  Book a home visit.


General Faults

  1. Dead Machine
  2. Dead but hums quietly.
  3. Fills with water when not in use.
  4. Fuse blows.
  5. Leaking when in use.
  6. Leaking when not in use.
  7. Machine jumps about.
  8. Machine overfilling or leaking
  9. Noisy when spinning
  10. Not pumping out. machines with filters.
  11. Not pumping out. general advice.
  12. Smoke inside the drum.
  13. The drum does not rotate.
  14. The door doesn't open.
  15. Timing mechanism sticks in one place.
  16. Get Fox & Co to fix it.  
            
         But only if you live in or very close to the following areas of North London, England: Hampstead, Finchley,   Muswell Hill, Crouch End, Hampstead, Camden Town, Holloway, Kentish Town, Highgate, Bounds Green, and Wood Green.
  1. Dead machine. 
    You find the machine is apparently stone dead. Is there power to the machine?. Ensure the door is completely closed.  Check the control knob is pulled out or that the on/off switch is on. Try a few different programs.

  2. Dead Machine that hums quietly.
    Is there a humming sound? Check you have the hot and cold water supply turned on.  Check the water inlet hoses are not kinked.

  3. Not pumping out, machines with filters.
    Don't remove the filter prior to draining unless you want a massive flood! try laying the waste hose close to the floor into a suitable receptacle. If this isn't possible look to the front of the machine behind the kickplate for a small black drain hose which should do the same job.  Once the machine is drained take a look at the filter and if blocked removed the culprit, if not blocked call in professional help.

  4. Not pumping out. General advice.
    There are three main possibilities here. Firstly there may be a blockage that is stopping the water from flowing. Secondly there may be an item stuck in the pump chamber. Lastly the pump itself may be seized up. On machines that have their waste pipe connected under the kitchen sink it is always worth checking that the plumbing is not blocked with fat or lint at this junction. Check for kinking of the waste hose, this may of course release itself if you pull the machine forward. As for blockages and obstructions inside the machine itself it would be difficult to give any real guidance as there are so many models. If the pump is seized or defective the solution is nearly always the replacement of the whole pump.


  5. The drum does not rotate.
    The belt may have broken. The drum may be jammed by an item of clothing. The main motor may be faulty. There may be a broken wire to the motor. 


  6. The door won't open.
    This is often caused by the fact that the water has not pumped away. If the pressure system that controls the door interlock and fill levels is blocked this may prevent the door from opening. Sometimes leaving it for a few hours will allow the air to go past the blockage and the door will open. If this happens do not use the machine again until the pressure system has been properly cleaned. If the door will still not open it may be because the lock is defective and stuck in the locked position, it could be that parts of the actual door handle are broken, or the mechanical parts of the interlock system inside the machine have been damaged. Call in a professional.

  7. The timer sticks at one place.
         Quite a common problem. The least common is the actual failure of the timer itself.  It is much more commonly caused by the failure of the heater, water valve, pump, a broken wire or even a blockage in the pressure system or waste system. 

  8. Noisy spinning.
    Often this is caused by wear of the drum bearings. If the drum bearings are worn there will normally be a brown rusty stain under the machine towards the back. If there is no rusty stain and the drum does not seem to be excessively loose on its spindle, the noise may be coming from the motor or the pump or from a foreign object inside the machine somewhere. Clonking can be caused by loose components or loose concrete weights inside the machine, or even simply because the machine is not standing squarely on all four feet or wheels. 

  9. Machine jumps about.
    Sometimes a large item or a few items of clothing form into a ball and cause the machine to become unbalanced. Reloading the machine will cure this. If the machine is not installed so all the feet or wheels are firmly against the floor it will jump about. If there is a partial blockage of the waste system and the machine begins to spin with some water still in it may cause this too. On the more serious side many machines can develop a fault which causes the motor to drive the drum at the wrong speed at the wrong time witch causes sudden violent lurching of the machine. If this is happening do not use the machine until it is repaired. 

  10. Major flooding.
    If there is a sudden major flood from the machine without warning, first check that wherever the machine drains to is not blocked and overflowing. This cannot usually happen if the machine is connected to the plumbing under the sink. If the machine itself has much too much water in it, the pressure system that controls the fill level may be blocked. This is generally not a diy job on most machines. If this is the case, sometimes the machine will start to work again if the blockage is not absolute. Be warned that unless it is cleared the same thing could happen again. The same fault can cause the machine to begin washing and heating with no water, causing smoke inside the drum, which can be very alarming.

  11. Leaking during use.
    Leaks coming from the actual machine can be caused by component failure such as the door gasket, various hoses, the pump, or from defective or loose seals or joints.

  12. Leaking when not in use.
    This is usually caused by faulty washers on the inlet hoses, faulty inlet hoses themselves or defective inlet taps. If the pump is leaking very slowly it may take a day before the water stops seeping out after the machine has been in use, as there is always some water left in the sump of the machine at the end of the wash.

  13. Smoke inside the drum.
    This is commonly caused by a blocked pressure system. The heater may have come on with no water in the drum. Switch off the machine and do not try to use it until the problem has been properly diagnosed and fixed. If the machine appears to right itself, do not be tempted to use it as there is a danger that the fault will happen again or even worse cause a major flood

  14. The fuse blows.
    Ensure the washing machine is plugged into a single socket and not sharing the same socket with numerous other appliances. If after changing the fuse and switching on it again blows, call professional help.

  15. Filling with water when not in use. If the machine waste is connected directly to the plumbing under the sink, it may be that water draining from the sink is finding it's way into the washing machine, this can be rectified by raising the height of the washing machine waste hose so it is higher than the outlet pipe from the sink.

    It may also indicate a blockage which needs clearing. The only other cause of this fault is one or both of the inlet valves of the machine is  defective and letting water in all the time. Turning off the water supply to the machine should stop this.  
    TO BOOK A VISIT:
    Telephone: 020 8883 2223
     
    Mobile: 07958 500 900 
    (For a free call, dial, let it ring twice, then put down the phone, we'll call you back)

    Fax:  020 8372 6043

    Email Fill out form     stating some alternate days and times when someone will be in, and your telephone number and address. 

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WARNING!

image: mai in washing machinePlease note that all the advice given is intended only as a guide and that no responsibility for loss or damage will be accepted as a result of implementation of such advice. If you are a man, ask a female if she thinks you're as able as you obviously think you are, if the answer is unhappily no, then take her advice and leave it to a repairman*. Under no circumstances remove the top cover, the back cover, or attempt to gain access to the underside of the washing machine when the electricity supply is still connected. If you do look inside the washing machine, always disconnect the power completely rather than just switching it off at the switch as there may be an error in the house wiring that means that the live side of the supply is still running through the washing machine!

If you are divorcing and your wife states that you are competent enough to repair the washing machine, when previously, she hadn't trusted you to boil an egg, beware, she may be attempting to save on lawyer and burial  fees by hoping you will touch a live connection, thereby granting her a 'quickie' divorce  and cremating yourself prematurely into the bargain!