Urgent help required - my washing machine(s) won't work!!

Sparky67

I had a 3 year old machine that stopped filling up. Called out an engineer who said it was a faulty pump. As it was the second time in 3 years that this had gone, and he also said the circuit board was not working, decided not to go with the £200 repair and bought a new machine...

New washing machine turned up today, connected it, and guess what - it won't fill up either!

I can't beleive that we have two machines with identical faults, so my guess there's a fault with the plumbing...

Cold tap is not working properly (which might be a clue), but I can't see why the machine won't fill. If you disconnect the inlet hose and turn on the valve, water flows through.

Now have a plumber booked for tomorrow (£45 per half an hour plus VAT!!:eek: but desparately need it - not done washing for 2 weeks now)

Is there somehting obvious that I've missed?? Any help greatly appreciated!

HugoSP

It sounds like a partial blockage with your cold water supply. Is this supply fed from a header tank or rising main?

If it's a header tank, check whether other taps/toilets etc that come off it are working properly. If not then check for blockages at the base of the header tank. There's a hole at the base of this about 50mm above the bottom of the tank. Make sure you've not got anyting blocking it. If the tank's not covered stuff can fall into it from the loft and in time sink to the bottom, then restrict flow.



If it's your rising main, check that your main stopcock is turned on fully. Also try turning it off then on again, then turn it back 1/4 turn (to stop it siezing open). This may free up partical contamination within it.

Other than that, I would need to see the system

deanos

https://www.washerhelp.co.uk

ariba10

I trust you are using the new filler hoses that came with the new machine and not the old ones?

Sparky67

I think I'm doomed not to have any clean clothes....

Plumber just rang to say he's sick!

Thanks for the replies - yes I am using the new hose that came with the machine.

I tried disconnecting the hose and switched on the supply pipe tap - it looks like it flows really fast, but its a bit like when you put your finger over the end of a hosepipe (back in the days when we were allowed to use them!), so I guess that might mean a blockage in the pipes somewhere...

I think we are on a rising main (stopcock is under the kitchen sink) and I've tried turning it on and off to see if that shifts anything, but no joy.

The kitchen tap also needs turning right on full before the water comes through, and that's run off the same pipe supplying the machine.

Does this mean I have to bite the bullet and find another plumber....

weekendwarrior

Have you checked your outside stopcock is fully open?

Doodles

Sparky67 wrote:

I had a 3 year old machine that stopped filling up. Called out an engineer who said it was a faulty pump. As it was the second time in 3 years that this had gone, and he also said the circuit board was not working, decided not to go with the £200 repair and bought a new machine...

New washing machine turned up today, connected it, and guess what - it won't fill up either!

I can't beleive that we have two machines with identical faults, so my guess there's a fault with the plumbing...

Cold tap is not working properly (which might be a clue), but I can't see why the machine won't fill. If you disconnect the inlet hose and turn on the valve, water flows through.

Now have a plumber booked for tomorrow (£45 per half an hour plus VAT!!:eek: but desparately need it - not done washing for 2 weeks now)

Is there somehting obvious that I've missed?? Any help greatly appreciated!

I wonder if its anything to do with your water pressure? I would check with your neighbours to see if they have experienced any water problems. If so, I would then give your water company a ring to get their advice.

Sparky67

There's no problem with water pressure in any other tap or toilet in the house, it seems isolated to the kitchen sink, so I don't think its a mains problem...

Taking washing to my mums and calling out an expert next week now.

Thanks for all your suggestions!

HugoSP

Do you have any shut off valves serving that part of the CW feed? Often one of these could have been partly shut off by a tradesman (your WM engineer perhaps).

H