Troubleshooting Washing Wachine Water Issues

First things first, you will want to make sure that your drain hose is properly installed.

If the hose has fallen too low into the drain pipe it will actually cause a siphoning effect. The washer will fill and drain at the same time, never being able to satisfy the washer's water fill sensors, thus preventing the unit from advancing through it's cycle. Washing machine drain hoses should be no more than eight inches into the standpipe. Once properly positioned, the hose should be secured into place, we recommend using zip ties. Securing the hose will prevent it from coming out of the drain pipe all together, which is often the cause of leaking or flooding washers.

Another very common cause of a leaking washer is the drain pipe itself. If there is a blockage in your home's plumbing lines, this can cause slow draining and lead to water overflowing from the standpipe and flooding. A few questions we may ask to lead us to culprit are as follows:

• Did your washer complete the cycle? If so, it is also likely that the leak was during the last drain cycle, leading us to suspect a backing up drainpipe.

• Is the wall behind your washer wet? This is another indication that the leak is coming from the washer box, where the drain and inlet hoses are.

• Was it more of a puddle or a flood of water? A drain pipe restriction typically looks more like a flood of water.

Frozen lines can be the cause of leaks as well. Typically, we will see frozen lines if your washer is on an outside wall, and during freezing temperatures, of course. In addition to water lines freezing, the drain pipe can actually freeze, too, leading to the same scenario as a clogged drain line. Our recommendation is to wait until warmer temperatures to do laundry.

Frozen water fill lines can be the cause of a no fill complaint. Should you attempt to wash clothes during a freeze, and your unit is on an outside wall or in a garage, we suggest waiting until temperatures warm up and trying again before calling for service.

Another potential cause of a washing machine not filling with water is clogged hoses and/or inlet valves. To verify you have adequate water supply, you can turn the water off at the washer box, remove the hoses from the back of the washer, then test them by turning the water back on with the hoses inside of the washer or a bucket. If you do not have water supply, you will need to contact a plumber for service. If you do, you can look into the washer water valves to see if there is visible debris present. Unfortunately, most washing machines do not have removeable screens, but you can try to carefully remove any debris you may see.

If debris has worked itself into the washer's water inlet valves, they can stick open. You may notice your washer continuing to fill or drip when it is not in use. This would lead us to a valve replacement.

Of course, there are many other components that can also affect a washer's filling and draining operations, so if you still have questions or need your unit serviced, contact us today!