XT Appliances · Warren
Washer leaking from the door or underneath
On a front-loader it's most often a torn or fouled door boot; on any washer, the drain pump and its hoses underneath or the fill hoses at the back come next.
Where the water shows up, and at which point in the cycle, narrows a washer leak faster than anything else. Dry the floor, start a short cycle and stay with it for the first few minutes and again at the drain and spin.
Water at the front
On a front-loader, water at the door is most often the door boot, the rubber bellows that seals the gap between the door opening and the tub. It flexes every time the drum moves, so it can tear, and the fold along the bottom collects coins, bra wires and lint. Pull the fold open and look all the way around the bottom. A tear or a trapped object there explains a leak that gets worse on the spin, when the drum moves most. That same fold holds water and grows mold, which is behind a lot of front-loader smells.
Top-loaders have no door boot, so on a top-loader look underneath and behind instead.
Water underneath or behind
Water under the machine that appears while it pumps out points at the drain pump or one of the hoses under the tub. Water behind it during the drain step, with the floor under the washer dry, is often the standpipe overflowing because the house drain is slow. The washer is fine in that case.
Water at the back during the fill, or a slow drip while the washer sits idle, comes from the fill hoses or the inlet valve. Check both ends of each hose. If the washer keeps taking in water even when it's unplugged, the inlet valve is stuck open and only the faucets will stop it, so turn them off and call.
Brown or rusty water under a front-loader comes from further inside. The seal behind the drum has let water reach the tub bearing, and you'll often hear the bearing roar on the spin as well. That's one of the bigger washer repairs, and we'll tell you whether it makes sense on your machine.
If water is anywhere near an outlet or the cord, switch off the breaker before you touch the washer, as long as you can reach it without standing in water.
On the visit we run the washer with the covers off, trace the water to where it starts, and check the boot, the pump, the hoses and the seal before we quote.
What it usually turns out to be
- PartTorn or fouled door boot (front-load)The rubber boot between the door and the tub tears, or a coin or bra wire gets trapped in its fold. The water shows at the front, and it's worse during the spin.
- PartDrain pump or hoses underneathA leak at the drain pump or one of the hoses under the tub puts water under the machine. It shows up mostly while the washer is pumping out.
- PartFill hoses or inlet valve at the backDrips at the back during the fill, or even with the washer idle, come from the hot and cold fill hoses or their connections. A tub that keeps filling with the washer off means the inlet valve is stuck open.
- Cleaning or upkeepOverflowing standpipeWater behind the washer only while it drains, with the floor under it dry, usually means the house drain is slow and the standpipe is backing up out of the top.
- PartTub seal (front-load)Rusty or brown water under a front-loader means the seal behind the drum has let water through to the tub bearing. A roar on the spin often comes with it.
Try this first
- On a front-loader, pull the door gasket open and look all the way around the bottom fold for tears and anything trapped in it.
- Dry the floor, run a short cycle and watch where the water first appears and in which part of the cycle.
- Look along both fill hoses at the back for drips at the faucet end and at the washer end.
Stop using it and call now if
- Water on the floor near an outlet or the power cord
- It keeps filling with the washer off or unplugged (turn off both faucets behind it)