Is it easy to pull a washing machine out?

youth_leader

Hello, I posted on here earlier in the year because all of my 'new' bungalow floors were rotten. When the men came and took the floors out, it seems the floorboards had been repaired and reattached to the original wood worm infested joists. The chipboard rooms had been fitted with non tannalised joists with a piece of plastic stapled on the end.

All the floors were replaced in August, and I asked for the capped chimney breast stone hearths to be removed.  All airbricks were cleared.  I didn't pay for any insulation.

About six weeks later, I noticed the new MDF skirting board on the bedroom wall joining my kitchen had grown green mould. The kitchen has a concrete floor.  I contacted the company and asked if I could pay for this MDF to be replaced with wood, they haven't got back to me yet.  

I can hear the washing machine water very loudly through the wall in the bedroom, and investigated tonight.  The cupboard next to the washing machine really smells of mould.

Can I pull the washing machine out to investigate, or should I get a plumber?  

.

grumbler

Yes, you can, but beware of two (sometimes three) hoses behind and the electric cable, so look carefully as soon as you are able to see them.

The easiest way to pull it is to open the door and to grasp the top edge of the opening.

Eldi_Dos

If you suspect leak at rear of machine, before moving it get some kitchen roll or a dry tea towel and push under machine with a spatula or something similar.Leave it a couple of minutes then pull out and see if wet.

If there is plinth under cupboard should be able to move it to check at side of machine.

youth_leader

Thank you both.  We are waterlogged up here in the NE after a bad storm last night, I now have gutter problems too! 

Ectophile

It's not that easy to get them out, but it can be done.  I used a sheet of semi-rigid plastic, that I shoved under the machine, and that helped me to slide it out.  Other thin sheet materials, such as hardboard would also work.  Expect a lot of wiggling and shoving and pulling.

Obviously, make sure that you're not ripping out any pipes or wires as you pull.

MovingForwards

I carefully wiggle L - R and it slowly comes out and can keep having breaks, giving my body a rest.

calleyw

MovingForwards said:

I carefully wiggle L - R and it slowly comes out and can keep having breaks, giving my body a rest.

thats what I do when I needed to install or had to check for a leak last year and I am 50 year old 5ft 4 female. Just saying that incase people think they need to be He-Man to move washing out of a space. 

DullGreyGuy

Getting any appliance out will depend very much on how its been put in. If there are decent length cables/hoses and the flooring goes into the space then its very easy to wiggle/pull it out.

Have had a couple of machines where the flooring didnt go under the appliance and so there is a lip you need to step it over that can be more difficult... a washing machine isnt too bad but an XL dishwasher can be more tricky esp if someone has laid a floor over another one as per a previous home. 

Ganga

We have a tiled kitchen floor and when i pull ours out to clean behind /the side of it i just wipe the floor with a wet floor cloth and the machine slides over the floor much easier.

MalMonroe

Hi, I can pull my washer out alone and I'm a 72 year old 5ft 4in female. (Not that I'm boasting, you understand!) I can also pull out my dishwasher and cooker and now, my new fridge freezer. White goods are now being made with modern materials which are lighter, which means that they're easier to manoeuvre. 

I live in a flat with a concrete floor. 

It seems like you need to launch an investigation into the extent of the mould - I'd ask a builder to come out and give me a free, no obligation quote (is there still such a thing?). 

Unfortunately, it seems as if you have bought a bit of a money-pit (sorry to have to say it) that's going to cost a bit to put right.

But if you try to pull the washer out and you can't do it alone, I'd really wait until someone can help. You don't want to injure yourself. 

Mutton_Geoff

Squirt some washing up liquid on the floor in front of the two feet, it acts as a lubricant to get the machine out and is easily cleaned up afterwards.