Back to Basics with Washing Machine Repairs

Washing machines are complex domestic appliances and thinking about having to repair one could quite rightly give you nightmares.  The reality however does not need to be quite so daunting and, although it would only be right to recommend that wherever possible you have a professional work on the machine, there are steps you can take to diagnose a fault and maybe make small repairs or at least identify the problem to allow you to purchase the appropriate appliance spare parts.

First off all you need to make some basic checks to make sure it is not a minor problem that needs a small fix. 

• Make sure the machine is receiving power properly.  Check the wire, the plug and the power outlet to be sure they are all in working order.  Things to keep an eye out for are blown fuses or a tripped circuit breaker on your main house control panel.  If you are convinced the washing machine is still receiving power normally, try the reset button on the front panel of the appliance, if there is one.

• Secondly, check the control knob is set to ON and the door is tightly shut, check the hoses are not kinked and that the water inlet taps are turned to the on position. 

• Check around the door and the soap draw for a build up of powder or lint that may be affecting the washer’s performance.  Some machines also have an outlet at the bottom of the machine where socks can end up being lodged, so check with the manufacturer’s instructions on how to open this and clean it out.

If you are still having problems with the washing machine then it may be worth opening the machine up to look for obvious signs of problems. 

When attempting to open up any kind of domestic appliance to determine a fault, safety should always be the main priority.  Before you open the washing machine up to peer into its inner workings make sure that the machine is switched off properly and unplugged, disconnecting the grounding wire and the water hoses for extra safety. Also make sure the machine is not still in warranty as attempting to do a self repair may make this invalid.

The thing to remember is that washing machines are a lot more complex than something like a toaster or a kettle that just run through the same activity time and again.  Washing machines run through complex cycles, which means that there are many different things that can go wrong with them and if you are ever unsure of what you are trying to diagnose then we would recommend that you get an experienced engineer in to look at your machine. 

These useful washing machine repair tips by the website www.howstuffworks.com are a good place to start if you want to try repairing the machine yourself though and are intended to help you identify the most common problems.  Whether you decide you are confident enough to diagnose the problem yourself and do a repair or you feel you need outside help, the overriding message would always be the same – it is better to try and repair any domestic appliance by identifying the appliance spare part than to simply give up and throw the appliance away in favour of a new one.