washing machine not emptying - help!

whitevanwoman

My washer is about 4 yrs old and I usually do 4 - 5 washes a week. During the middle of a wool wash it stopped and wouldn't drain or spin. At first I thought the drainage pipe leading outside was frozen but having poured hot water through the pipe today, it's not.

I've had to open the door to get the clothes out and there is still water inside the drum which still won't drain or spin even now its empty. I've taken the back off it and checked the belt but that seems to be ok - at least, it hasn't come off and I can move it round by hand both forwards and backwards.

I've read some other posts and replies about similar problems and wondered whether it could be a blocked filter - I have a very hairy dog and end up with dog hairs on all my clothes so that could be a possibility. Apparently another cause could be the brushes? I know nothing about electrical items and am very skint (on a v low income) but am fairly competent at DIY stuff so I could attempt an easy repair.

The alternative is to get someone out to look at it - what's the best way of finding someone & what sort of price should I expect to pay for a call out and then hourly rate, parts etc. I live in a rural area and unless I can find someone local in the village who can do it, my nearest town is about 13 miles away.

Any suggestions on what to do and how to locate the filter would be much appreciated.

ormus

you need to find out if the pump is working.
it should look a bit like this.

ormus

http://www.washerhelp.co.uk/washing-machine-parts/pumps.html

more help here.
what is the make and model?

discodaddy

simple thing to check- check drainage hose from machine into under sink- maybe hair clogging/ bits n bobs

rachfriar78

Normally your filter is on the front at the very bottom, ome there is a little door you can open or another times its a full length panel you take off. My filter is in a panel nd once that is taken off i can twist the filter out. If you decide to give it a try, pull washer out and tilt at an angle, put a bowl or similar under it so water can drain off into it, you will prob find it is clogged. good luck x

whitevanwoman

ormus wrote: »

you need to find out if the pump is working.
it should look a bit like this.

OMG! Looks scary! How do I know if the pump is or isn't working? When I try it on an "empty" or "spin" setting there is a faint humming / whirring noise but nothing is happening. I'll have a good look at the insides of it tomorrow and will get back to you. Thanks for the reply and pic.

whitevanwoman

ormus wrote: »

http://www.washerhelp.co.uk/washing-machine-parts/pumps.html

more help here.
what is the make and model?

Thanks for the link - will have a look.

Its an Indesit, model WIL33.

I've just managed to find the original info / instruction leaflet so am going to sit down and have a read through that - apologies I should have done that first before posting.

whitevanwoman

discodaddy wrote: »

simple thing to check- check drainage hose from machine into under sink- maybe hair clogging/ bits n bobs

I did wonder about that, I also wondered whether that pipe might be frozen - my washer is in an unheated room on the back of the house (it used to be the larder - victorian terrace) - only single brick walls. I poured some hot water down the drainage pipe back into the machine but couldn't tell if it was actually getting into the machine or not.

I need to empty the rest of the water out of it tomorrow so that I can have a real poke around inside the back of it and disconnect the drainage pipe from the washer to really check it's clear.

I always thought there was a tap at the bottom of washers for emergency emptying but couldn't find one so have had to open the door today and ended up washing the floor unintentionally despite having several buckets close to hand. Now that I've discovered the instruction booklet I will probably find that there is an emergency drain hidden away somewhere!

whitevanwoman

rachfriar78 wrote: »

Normally your filter is on the front at the very bottom, ome there is a little door you can open or another times its a full length panel you take off.
Aha, there does seem to be a long panel along the bottom of the front of the washer. Can't figure out how to get it off but will read the instruction book.
My filter is in a panel nd once that is taken off i can twist the filter out. If you decide to give it a try, pull washer out and tilt at an angle, put a bowl or similar under it so water can drain off into it, you will prob find it is clogged. good luck x

Many thanks and sorry for being a dunce and not reading the instruction book first. Will post again if still stuck tomorrow.

rachfriar78

Mine is clipped in, I tilt the bottom of the panel slightly and pull it out (held in by arrow type clips, not sure what they called). Get back to us all and let us know how you get on x

kaya

gravity is your friend when draining a washing machine out, you need to remove the drain hose from the sink end and lay it down flat on the floor with the end in a bucket, machines which do not have a filter which is accessable from the front will often have one on the large sump pipe that comes directly from the bottom of the drum secured by a large spring clip, pulling your machine foreward away from the wall and leaning back at an angle will enable you to gain access, dito if there is a fixed worksurface above, very easy job for a competant diy'er