Washing machines are common in the vast majority of homes, especially in developed countries. They are actually fairly complex pieces of technology, as a result, especially modern day ones that have not only a lot of hardware components but also software components.
As a result, they tend to break sometimes. Below is a list of the most common ways in which these machines break or have problems.
A common problem that occurs is the washing machine does not spin-dry the clothing after washing them. This occurs often when you either have too little or too much clothing in the machine:
Modern washers have built into their electronics what are called out-of-balance sensors.
These sensors are designed to protect the spinning mechanism from excess vibration as well as making sure that the clothes are evenly distributed amongst the washer. Having too little clothes will cause too many vibrations within the machine, whilst too many clothes can lead to uneven distribution. In either case, the machines sensors will stop the spinning from occurring to protect the washing machine from damage.
The same problem can occur if the machine cannot drain its excess water before spinning.
If you are receiving an error code of some type from the electronics, then the system needs to be repaired by a technician. These error codes vary from model to model as well as between manufacturers. Each different error code is designed to be shown so that technicians/repairmen have an idea on where the problem is occurring.
Another common problem is when the machine door will not open. This occurs if the draining process after washing is not completed and is standard in most machines. This is done to prevent water damage to the area surrounding the machine. If there is no water but the door will not open, then the problem is mechanical and probably a faulty lock-door mechanism.
If clothes are still dirty after they have been washed, then common problems could be: Detergent dispenser is clogged or broken; there is a loose or broken belt or your motor brushes are worn out and need replacing.
If the clothes have been damaged by the machine, then the drum is damaged or there is a metal object in the drum that is causing the damage.
If the clothing or machine is letting off an odour that is not pleasant then the cause is often bacteria build in the machine. This has become more common as people move away from using hot water in their machines.
When the machine won’t fill with water, the problem is probably with the one of the inlet hoses being clogged. Additionally, the drainage hose could be blocked or have a kink in it.
If the machine is operating very loudly or vibrating then it is likely that the load you have put in is too heavy for the machine.