Help! Why is my washing machine not working?

[surlycurly]

For context, I bought a new washing machine because the last one broke as it wouldn't drain. Flooded my bathroom twice on Boxing Day. Bought a new one as it was about 5 yrs old and I thought it must have died. Sooo two night ago new washing machine shows a fault. It won't drain. Can't spin properly either because the load is sodden. I can't get it open. Anyway, after a while i figure it out, split the load, spin it and then do a wee victory jig. Prematurely it would seem as the same thing has happened tonight. 9kg machine, about half full and stops, locked, showing fo5 fault. Which is drainage. Do I have a problem with my machine or my plumbing? Have I thrown out a perfectly good washing machine? Please help.

Assuming it's likely connected to a pipe under the sink...is that pipe blocked? I had an issue with machine refusing to drain and constant flooding...turned out I needed to clean the u bend under my sink...it was all full of fat and food scraps and was forcing water back I to the washing machine

My machine is in the bathroom. Upstairs. I'm not sure how even begin to start poking about!

Ours did this and the filter needed cleaning, it was full of gunk. On ours the filter is on the front st the bottom. Once we cleared it it drained fine

I did wonder about that. But it's less than a month old! We're grubby but not that bad 😂

I think blocked filter. At the bottom of the machine (front) is a small door and behind if a cap that you can turn(like a petrol cap). It will gush with water so you need lots of towels but when you pull it out it will prob be made up with stuff. Dog poo bags and hair bobbles common here. If you can drain as much from the drum with a bucket then it will reduce the amount coming out of the bottom.

Video
https://www.bosch-home.co.uk/customer-service/get-support/washing-machines/cleaning-filter

Check that the drain hose isn’t kinked or blocked as that can cause an F:05 error.

It's just weird that it's the same issue with a new machine as the last one. I live in an upstairs flat. Not sure if that has anything to do with it.

There’s like a filter thing to unscrew at the front. Might have a sock stuck in it.

What make is it? Have you looked up the fault online or in the guide that comes with it?

How is its drain connected OP? Does it connect via a sink/bath drain or directly into an outlet pipe down to a drain?

It's an indesit. It doesn't say anything other than the kinked pipe it that it can't drain.

@surlycurly

I did wonder about that. But it's less than a month old! We're grubby but not that bad 😂

Ours gets really bad, it's not dirt or gunk but mostly hair,fluff and bloody hair ties that get stuck around the filter blades.

Clean the filter up to begin with. Then use a drain unblocker , our machine is connected to kitchen sink so we just pour the stuff down the sink. It flooded before because it was the actual sink pipes that were blocked. If still no joy, check the hose that comes out of the washing machine for any blockages.

Are you in a hard water area? I spent £60 this week for something very very similar. The guy pulled out the filter (I last did it in November so hadn't even checked as didn't occur to me it could be that) and so much limescale, hair, and gunk came out. Expensive lesson to learn. Check it first.

Check where the actual water is going, is that blocked?

Wire coat hanger is useful 👍

Thanks all. Just tried to run it empty and it's definitely not draining. Will have to pull it out and poke about tomorrow.

Have you checked the pump? Unscrew the cover, ( place a thick towel underneath) make sure tgere isnt a button or hairgrip stuck in there.

Could be uneven load in the drum.
If I was one heavy thing, say, a coat, it can do this.

Try splitting it again, or if it is one heavy thing, adding another heavy thing like a towel to balance it out.

And speaking nicely to it, not getting cross.
My machine is very sensitive 😁

If you had the same problem with the previous machine it must be a blockage in your down pipe, distal to the drain hose.

The pipe at the back probably has a kink in it when it was pushed in. It's also worth pulling the filter out at the front as a sock might be stuck.

The filter is probably blocked as others have said. This happened to me a few weeks ago but I’d managed to block it so badly I couldn’t even unscrew the filter. YouTube to the rescue! I managed to take the whole machine apart and put it back together again and it’s now working perfectly. Not only did I do a wee victory jig, it has been the defining moment of my post divorce single life

Good for you @Wailywailywaily and I did lol at your temperamental washing machine @Moretodo

I think it's the down pipe. It's full of gunk.

@surlycurly I really shouldn’t be too proud of myself as a few months before that I called the washing machine repair man out because there was no power in my machine.. turns out it wasn’t plugged in 🤦🏻‍♀️.

Well done with the diagnosis, fingers crossed it’s plain sailing from here!

@surlycurly our pipe gets blocked as the dishwasher and washing machine drai into the same pipe.

We bought some curly bendy rods and those combined with unblocker directly down the pipes shifted it. We do a maintenance unblock periodically, it's such a pain when the dishwasher won't drain.

Good luck