Express Plumbing Heating & Air Blog
My Washing Machine Won
Coming to move over laundry to find that your clothes are still soaking in a full washing machine can be frustrating. There are several reasons why your washing machine isn’t draining. Some of these are simple enough to solve yourself. However, you may have a larger issue and may need to call in a professional.
Is the water not draining out of the machine after the cycle ended? If so, the problem is likely inside the appliance. If there is an issue with the drain tube or pump, your washing machine will not drain properly. There are ways to test for these issues.
The drain tube could be clogged. To check, remove the drain tube attached to the washer. Make sure this is clear. You can do this by simply blowing air through it. You could also try using a simple hair removal snake to see if you can pull the obstruction through. If this seems to be clear, the problem is likely at the pump for the machine.
There is a chance that either your pump is bad or just not working properly. When the pump is not working, it is not able to expel water from your machine at the end of the cycle. If you think there may be a problem with your pump, you should call an appliance repair shop to come to take a look at it for you.
If you are getting water on the floor whenever you run the machine, it is likely you have a problem at the drain itself. Clogged drain maybe? This results in water backing up and out of the drain pipe. Your washing machine’s hose goes down into the plumbing drain and into a trap. The clog could be at this trap or further down the line. There is a test you can use to try and determine where the clog is located.
First, fill the washing machine with water. Then, turn the dial to the spin or drain cycle setting and get ready to drain the machine. Stand where you have access to the washer dial but can also see the drain standpipe. Watch and see how long it takes water to back up out of the pipe and onto the floor. If the washer backs up after a few seconds, the clog can probably be cleared with a small hand-powered snake. It takes quite a bit of time to back up, it is probably pretty far down the pipe. To clear this you will need a medium-sized snake fed through a clean-out to clear the clog.
Most people do not have drain snakes on hand. You can usually rent these by the hour from tool rental or home improvement stores. If you decide that you would rather have professional take care of this issue, Express Plumbing Service has all of the tools and expertise on hand! Call us today!
