Washing machine - Advice needed

[Durlston]

The washing machine has decided to wreak havoc by flooding the floor with water and it smells awful of old drains. My clothes I 'washed' now stink of cow shit and don't fancy wearing them now.

Had the washing machine for about 5 years but it hasn't done anything like this for a while. Is it easy to repair or has the time come to buy another one? Not a happy bunny at all about what it's done to some of my best clobber. Thought about doing a 'Basil Fawlty' but that wouldn't do any good.

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Dominoid]

The "about" bit of about 5 years could be important here depending on how long your warranty is; an awful lot of the more expensive washing machines have 5 year warranty, the cheap and cheerful ones usually only have 2 or three. If it's still in warranty then the manufacturer should fix it for free for you. If it's not in warranty any more then you'll have to pay if you want it fixed but it's difficult to tell if this will be a better idea than getting a new one without knowing exactly what to do. Did you see where it leaked from? If it's a broken door seal for example, that's gonna be cheaper than it's a broken pump. Likely your best bet will be to call out a reputable repair guy for an estimate.

 

[fork me]

Depends on what sort of machine it is. Some makes are easier to repair than others.

 

[Bones]

No expert, but to me it sounds like you have a blockage in your main drain and its backing up onto the floor and back up the flexi washing machine waste water pipe.

 

[Durlston]

The "about" bit of about 5 years could be important here depending on how long your warranty is; an awful lot of the more expensive washing machines have 5 year warranty, the cheap and cheerful ones usually only have 2 or three. If it's still in warranty then the manufacturer should fix it for free for you. If it's not in warranty any more then you'll have to pay if you want it fixed but it's difficult to tell if this will be a better idea than getting a new one without knowing exactly what to do. Did you see where it leaked from? If it's a broken door seal for example, that's gonna be cheaper than it's a broken pump. Likely your best bet will be to call out a reputable repair guy for an estimate.

I don't think the warranty is still valid then. It wasn't a cheap one and haven't had too many problems with it up til now. Will get someone in that knows a lot more about washing machines than me later on. Hard to see where the water is coming from as I got back to find it had finished the 'wash' with water everywhere.

Thanks for your advice, Dominoid.

 

[Durlston]

Depends on what sort of machine it is. Some makes are easier to repair than others.

Zanussi Electrolux.

 

[cuthbert]

No expert, but to me it sounds like you have a blockage in your main drain and its backing up onto the floor and back up the flexi washing machine waste water pipe.

This sems the best explanation in view of the smell. I'm not an expert either though.

 

[Tristram Fourmile]

Get the thing out, disconnect it from the water supply and tip it on its side. Have a look at the pipes underneath, you can normally unclip them. There is probably a sock or pair of pants made its way through the drum and got stuck somewhere in the pipes, which has caused all the muck to back up and cause the stinky flooding.

 

[Durlston]

Get the thing out, disconnect it from the water supply and tip it on its side. Have a look at the pipes underneath, you can normally unclip them. There is probably a sock or pair of pants made its way through the drum and got stuck somewhere in the pipes, which has caused all the muck to back up and cause the stinky flooding.

That sounds the most likely cause. The smell is beginning to make me feel sick.

I've got someone to have a look at it later after they finish work and am hopeful they'll know what's wrong with it as he's trained in plumbing.

 

[upthealbion1970]

You need to talk to the poster formerly known as Guiness dave

 

[CheeseRolls]

Most models have a filter piece that collects bit of old socks etc. Look for a square flap at the bottom, open it and twist the handle and remove. Be prepared for more water and a bad smell. Clean it up and it should look like a comedy codpiece re-insert and fill and drain the machine.

 

[ryeseagull]

If your washer woman has started smelling of cow shit, there is little than can be done. Find a new one.

 

[Muhammad - I’m hard - Bruce Lee]

my money is on a blocked pressure system, causing overfilling.
after 20 years of fixing kitchen appliances, i can honestly say that zannusi are a crock of shit

 

[34064 Fighter Command]

Most modern washing machines are built down to a price these days and all you pay for with the most expensive ones are pointless features that you'll rarely ( if ever ) use.

I suggest you look here :

Washing Machine Help and Advice covering reviews, repairs, spare parts and buying

Many washing machines are no longer made by the companies shown on the logo, or they have been taken over by bigger companies with a different ethos. These global companies usually keep the old brand name for tactical marketing reasons. In a way, it shouldn't matter who makes which brand, but there is a concern that should be considered.

If a customer is very unhappy with a product, or the service provided by a manufacturer, they are likely to want to avoid purchasing from that company again, but they may well end up purchasing virtually the exact same washing machine with a different logo - complete with the same company service engineers as well as the same company ethos. Examples of this are Hoover and Candy, who used to be totally different companies, but are now both owned by the Candy group. However, there is little difference between these two makes these days, and the guarantee repair work is carried out by the same engineers. Similarly, Hotpoint, Indesit and Creda are all owned by the same company and there isn't an enormous difference between these washing machines either, with Hotpoint being slightly better and offering more features.

Eventually, all washing machines are likely to be made by just a handful of companies and in fact we aren't that far off from this scenario already. Note that some brands retain all their original differences but are just owned by a rival company and some are virtually the same machine inside with different logos and trimmings. Here is a sample of some of the household names who are owned or made by the same company.

Electrolux: own well over 50 brand names (though not all of them washing machines) Among the more well known ones are AEG, Tricity Bendix, Zanussi. Currently, The Electrolux group also make the John Lewis washing machines.

Candy: own Hoover, Zerowatt and Kelvinator among others.

Merloni: own Ariston, Indesit, New World, Philco, Hotpoint, Creda, Cannon, GDA, English Electric,Thorn (and many others).

 

[strings]

Most models have a filter piece that collects bit of old socks etc. Look for a square flap at the bottom, open it and twist the handle and remove. Be prepared for more water and a bad smell. Clean it up and it should look like a comedy codpiece re-insert and fill and drain the machine.

This.

I had a similar problem with our washing machine - the blockage was caused by one of my girlfriend's hairpins.

 

[Durlston]

Nearly all sorted out. No need for a new one - yet.

The filter was jammed with too much soap put in the washing machine over a long period of time, clogging it up. Some soda crystals have been put in and recommended to keep doing an empty wash. Smelling a lot better now. Didn't cost me anything except a bit of pride. Stupid boy!

Thanks to everyone that gave me advice on this thread.

 

[gullty]

turn it off then on again.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Nearly all sorted out. No need for a new one - yet.

The filter was jammed with too much soap put in the washing machine over a long period of time, clogging it up. Some soda crystals have been put in and recommended to keep doing an empty wash. Smelling a lot better now. Didn't cost me anything except a bit of pride. Stupid boy!

Thanks to everyone that gave me advice on this thread.

An empty wash about every 6 weeks will help the machine chugging along.

 

[34064 Fighter Command]

Nearly all sorted out. No need for a new one - yet.

The filter was jammed with too much soap put in the washing machine over a long period of time, clogging it up. Some soda crystals have been put in and recommended to keep doing an empty wash. Smelling a lot better now. Didn't cost me anything except a bit of pride. Stupid boy!

Thanks to everyone that gave me advice on this thread.

I always use liquid detergeant in a ball dispenser directly in the drum. The only time I used powder in the tray the hose from the tray to the drum clogged up and water overflowed from the tray all over the floor (that's also why I never leave a machine unattended).

Don't believe all this 'washing machines last longer with Calgon' rubbish either, limescale doesn't form at temperatures below about 60 C and modern (branded) detergeants already have limescale inhibitors in them anyway.