Hello everybody 'Lurgs' here welcome to my channel and today it's what to do if your washing machine
is not draining water, this video is for front loading washing machines only, so what should
be happening is you put your laundry in you do a wash or your clothes come out nice and clean
and the washing machine does the normal drainage cycle and everything's hunky-dory but if you've
got a blockage your water might not be draining properly and if it hasn't been draining correctly
it will probably start to smell, remove any wet clothes and be careful when you're opening the
drum door and just try and get as much water out of the drum as possible using a sponge.
In this video we'll be checking the washing machine filter then we'll be cleaning the
filter and then after that if that hasn't fixed your problem we'll be checking the drainage pipe
work and there's generally two different types of drainage pipe work and I'll cover both of
those in this video. The first thing you must do is switch off the washing machine at the
mains and unplug it then you need to isolate the cold water mains your inlet hose for your washing
machine should have a tap on it if you can locate this then just turn that 90 degrees and that just
stops the water if you can't find that then you can turn it off at your main stopcock. It's a
good idea to know where your main stopcock is anyway in case you've got a plumbing emergency,
if you still can't find that then you need to go out into the street and isolate the water
in your street but don't do that if you live in a block of flats obviously because you'll be cutting
everybody's water off! What we'll do now is check the washing machine filter, on most washing
machines the filter will be at the bottom right hand side but it may be on the left hand side
I'll just show you a few different models here just to show you what they can look like
on most washing machines you will get a drainage hose but on some you won't have a drainage hose
so make sure you've got a towel and a sponge ready because there will be lots of water,
on this particular model we've got a drainage hose so just take a tray unclip the drainage hose
and then clip the cover off and it will start draining water now if you had smell-o-vision
you would go Phwoar because this water absolutely pen and inks oh it stinks!
So just keep doing that until all the water is drained out of that
hose here's a slightly different version here same principle just pull the hose out
then unclip the nozzle let that water drain this may take a while and it will smell once
you've finished pop the nozzle back in just be careful on this one when you're pushing it
back in that it doesn't disappear into the washing machine and then just clip it in.
Right once you've drained as much water as you can it's time to remove the filter and
make sure you've got a towel on the floor because there will be water
and it will smell so start undoing this anti-clockwise
if you've got debris in there such as a metal hair clip it may get stuck so if it does get stuck and
it feels like it's not going anywhere then start tightening it back up again and then undoing
it and then hopefully the debris will work its way loose, now don't undo the filter completely
undo it slowly let some water drain out then start emptying the tray
and you may have to do this three or four times
again this water may be a bit stinky
but as we've drained it with the drainage hose
there shouldn't be too much but it may still take a while
So I did this three times now it's ready to be removed completely
as I mentioned earlier if you've got some debris in here it may be a bit tricky to undo so you may
just have to get a bit more forceful with it if it does feel like it's really stuck you could try a
pair of pliers on here but just be very careful because obviously the filter is made of plastic
There we go now if that was blocked up that would stop the water draining from the washing machine
this filter doesn't actually look too bad but prime examples for blocking the impeller at the
back are broken hair clips, coins which obviously fall out of people's pockets, hair bands,
face masks and colour catchers, before we check the impeller area we're just going to clean the
filter so just take your partner's toothbrush or an old toothbrush [Wife] 'Lurgs have you
been using my toothbrush for cleaning the washing machine again'. Um no of course not my darling!
Just give this a nice clean in some hot soapy water this one actually isn't too bad but you
could find there's lots of long hair wrapped around this lots of dirt and debris lots of
mould so just give that a really good scrub make sure that's in Tip-Top condition, before we put it
back we'll just check the impeller area here now that impeller at the back is what drains the water
from the washing machine make sure there's nothing blocking that and make sure that that spins freely
so I'm just cleaning this again with my partner's toothbrush with some hot soapy
water and that impeller is nice and free there's nothing blocking that, obviously things like hair
bands can get wrapped around the impeller or you may have a metal hair clip wrapped
around it and that will stop it rotating and that will stop your washing machine draining properly,
so just give that a really good check make sure there's no debris right at the back,
we're now ready to put the cleaned filter back in just line it up and then turn it clockwise to
lock it in now this should go in very very easily it's just plastic threads if it feels like it's
not going in then don't force it take it back out and just try and line it up again this should just
go in very very easily, and it just gets nice and tight near the end and just locks into position,
then remember to put the cover flap on your washing machine, if you have managed to pull
loads of debris out of the filter then it's time to do a drum clean so what you need to
do is plug your washing machine back in switch it on turn the water back on, if you did it on the
stopcock then turn the stopcock all the way but a TOP TIP once it's fully open then turn it back
slightly that just stops it getting jammed in the future if you don't use it very often, then take
some washing machine cleaner I've just got some Dr Beckmann's here this goes straight inside the drum
and then you want to select the hottest wash that the washing machine will go on with literally
nothing in it at all apart from the Dr Beckmann's washing machine cleaner so on this particular
washing machine there's a drum clean option if you haven't got one of those then select 90
degrees Centigrade wash on your washing machine and that will just give you a washing machine a
really good clean make it hygienically fresh and hopefully draining properly.
If that didn't work then it's time to check the drainage pipe work there's generally two
types there's a type where your washing machine drainage pipe goes in underneath the sink and
there's another type where it goes into some drainage pipe work at the back of the washing
machine which will be up against the wall, if you've got that type then you will need to remove
your washing machine just be careful not to pull it out too far because obviously you've got the
mains cold water feed and the drainage hose and then at the back of the washing machine you'll
have something like this so this is your drainage hose out of the back of the washing machine which
goes into your drainage pipe work so gently pull that out this one's covered in grime
put that into a bucket this is pretty stinky as well just give that a really good clean now check
for any blockages in your drainage pipe work the easiest way to do that is take your mobile phone
and just video it with the light on and then check the footage, this one actually doesn't seem too
bad looks like we've got lots of clear water at the bottom no blockages but this is a prime place
for any sludge or gunk just to build up inside this U-bend, now that U-bend is there to actually
catch any grime and blockages but also to stop any smells coming into your kitchen, now hopefully
these haven't been glued on these threads so just undo these and remove this pipe work
again you'll need an old towel or a tray just to catch the water that's going to come out
so you're checking in here making sure that you've got no blockages this one actually
doesn't look too bad looks like there's lots of clear water but when you remove that that
might be full of sludge and gunk and absolutely stink so don't pour that down your sink if it is
full of sludge make sure you put that in your rubbish bin, this one's ready to go back on
and just tighten it up here
and then don't forget to put your drainage hose back in from the back of your washing
machine otherwise next time you use your washing machine you can have a flooded floor!
Now the other type which is the most common type is where
your washing machine drainage hose goes underneath your sink
this was actually clipped on with a metal clip which I've already removed so you're
just getting rid of any excess water out of here making sure that's nice and clean
then just put it back on with the metal clip
Again you've got a U-bend here unscrew these two here and remove the U-bend and
then you're just checking for any sludge make sure that's nice and clear give that
a good clean and then reinstall it, if you didn't run the steps earlier then
make sure you plug your washing machine back in and switch it on
Then remember to turn your cold water mains feed on if you did that on your main stopcock then open
this up fully but a TOP TIP when it's opened up fully then turn it back about 45 to 90 degrees
that just stops it jamming if you don't use it very often then take some Dr Beckmann's cleaner
pour this straight into the drum and we're going to be giving this a hygienically fresh washing
machine, we've got a drum clean option which is the hottest option if you haven't got one
of those just select the hottest wash that there is 90 degrees centigrade
and just run a washing machine program without any laundry in it and just the
Dr Beckmann's cleaner that will give it a really good clean and make it
hygienically fresh and then hopefully your washing machine will be draining properly.
If
you can get outside and check your drainage then have a look outside and another TOP TIP after any
wash make sure you leave the dispenser drawer and the drum door slightly ajar just to help
with ventilation and stop any smells and mould forming, if your washing machine is still not
draining you may have to go outside and lift some manhole covers and check your actual drainage,
if you can't do that it's worth getting a drainage company in to check out your drainage,
if that is all clear it could be that you've actually got a faulty pump inside your washing
machine in which case I'm afraid it's time to call somebody out or get a new washing machine.
And I'll tell you what after all that hard work I think it's definitely time for a lovely cup
of tea! If you found that video useful Please Subscribe by pressing this button down here so
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select those now thank you for visiting my channel everyone I really really appreciate it. 'Lurgs'.