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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To have a little rant over this?

25 replies

velvetspoon · 19/02/2014 17:58

My washing machine has broken. Won't empty. Full of water which has now flooded the utility room. Hurrah :(

It has repair cover. BUT no-one can come out til next week. I can't take another day off next week (I have had 3 days off this week), so I'm left for a week or more without a washing machine.

I work FT. I'm a LP. I have no partner, no family, no-one who can take any time off or who is available in the day. So it's me, again. And I'm just fed up with it. I resent using my precious holiday for repairs (I wasted over a week of it last year on waiting for deliveries/repairmen/tradesmen). Clearly this year will be the same.

Appreciate it's a first world problem, blahblah, but I think I'm allowed to be cross nonetheless.

OP posts:

Binkyridesagain · 19/02/2014 18:01

You can rant and your allowed to be cross.

Have you checked the filter?

pussycatdoll · 19/02/2014 18:02

:(
Would a local repair man come out in the evening or at the weekend ?

Original poster

velvetspoon · 19/02/2014 18:06

I can't take the filter cap off, it was too wet - going to try again in a short while.

Local repair man might do eves/weekends, but the cost wouldn't be covered by the repair cover I have - their hours are strictly Mon-Fri 9-5 only.

OP posts:

Binkyridesagain · 19/02/2014 18:07

My washing machine sometimes refuses to drain and it has always been the filter that has been jammed up, has it got a drain pipe next to the filter cap?

Original poster

velvetspoon · 19/02/2014 18:09

I think the drain is behind the cap. Will see if I can get it off now.

OP posts:

gamerchick · 19/02/2014 18:10

Can you empty the machine manually? There's usually a hose under the flap next to the filter.

Them clean the filter out.. poke your finger in the hole to check for stuff.

Then take the connection off under the sink and check it's not clogged up with stuff.

It's usually one of those 2 things.

Binkyridesagain · 19/02/2014 18:10

Make sure you have lots of towels handy before you take it off.

gamerchick · 19/02/2014 18:11

Empty the machine first before unscrewing the filter. Get a pan ready.

Original poster

velvetspoon · 19/02/2014 18:17

Still can't shift the cap at all. Think that's where both drain and filter are, so can't access either.

The towels are already all over the floor from earlier.

Can't see any way of resolving this without repair man.

OP posts:

gamerchick · 19/02/2014 18:18

Have you emptied the machine?

gamerchick · 19/02/2014 18:19

What kind of washing machine do you have

Original poster

velvetspoon · 19/02/2014 18:33

I've emptied the drum as much as I can.

It's a hotpoint.

OP posts:

gamerchick · 19/02/2014 18:38

Right... get a pair of pliers and use them to unscrew the filter. It'll take a bit of muscle if its tight but it will give. Towels at the ready.

Binkyridesagain · 19/02/2014 18:38

Which bit are you having trouble getting off? is it the round piece, at the bottom of the machine, that you need to turn anti clockwise?

Original poster

velvetspoon · 19/02/2014 18:55

I've managed to get the cap off (and flooded the room again).

I don't know if the filter is attached to the cap, but if that's it, it was clean. However, it still isn't working.

OP posts:

gamerchick · 19/02/2014 18:58

Poke your finger in the hole and check there's nothing in it. Feel really carefully.. I was thwarted by a bobby pin.

If it's not that then you'll have to unconnect it from underneath the sink. If it's clogged it'll be smelling to high heaven when you clean it out.

PrimalLass · 19/02/2014 19:00

My dishwasher wouldn't drain, and it was just because I had shove it in too far, and the hose at the back was squashed. Try pulling it out a bit?

Original poster

velvetspoon · 19/02/2014 19:19

I've tried poking around in the hole, nothing at all there.

It's too heavy to move on my own, so I'm not going to be able to get behind it to disconnect it.

OP posts:

gamerchick · 19/02/2014 19:25

You don't need to. Open the cupboard door to underneath the sink and the waste pipe is attached to an adaptor that's attached to the pipe underneath the sink.

Unless your kitchen is set up different and washer is plumbed in somewhere else?

It's actually the plastic thing connected to the sink that you need to get a look at. If that's blocked then it's easy cleaned. Might be worth waiting till its light though.

turnaroundbrighteyes · 19/02/2014 19:33

To pull it out easily put some neat washing up liquid under it's feet and it will slide out.

Original poster

velvetspoon · 19/02/2014 20:10

It's not set up like that unfortunately, it's in the utility room and all the pipework basically runs/is connected immediately behind it.

That aside, I've managed to get the machine to spin now. However, at the back of the hole where the drain cap goes, there is a little propeller type thing, and a piece of something (metal or plastic, long and thin) loose behind that, which I suspect may be causing the problem, but which because of the propeller being there I can't get it out (have just spent nearly 30 mins trying).

OP posts:

gamerchick · 19/02/2014 21:34

yes there's something stuck.. YOu need to get that out and it'll be fine.

Leave it till the morning when you're fresh though and go slow in teasing it out.

mindthegap01 · 19/02/2014 22:18

This happened to me twice with my washing machine from Currys (grrrr at the thought). I found some legislation through trading standards saying that even if a product only comes with a 1 year guarantee, it has to last a 'reasonable' amount of time - 5 years for a washing machine. So after much kicking off at Currys I quoted said legislation and informed them they could either come out on an evening (also full time) or pay for a repairer I would find who would. The first time, they found a repairer of their own who came out the next day at 7pm. The second time the damned thing broke they replaced it on a Saturday. This worked too when the dishwasher broke - the large independent shop weren't going to come out until a week on Friday between 8 and 6 type thing, but with a bit of relentless arguing and threats to call trading standards they paid for a repairer who I found myself and works evenings. Argue argue argue!

FunkyBoldRibena · 19/02/2014 23:16

That would be the sale of goods act

Original poster

velvetspoon · 20/02/2014 11:00

just to update - hopefully all's well that ends well - Ds1 (15) managed to pull out the bit of metal behind the propeller bit.

Touch wood it all seems to be working fine.

Next job is to sort out replacing the hob which blew up a while ago. Does feel like I have a never-ending list of 'stuff' to do....!

OP posts:

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