Bizarre washing machine behaviour (sorry for the boring question)

[antikkiti]

I know this is not the usual sort of mumsnet topic but I’m wondering if anyone can shed any light on my strange washing machine problem.

For years I have used washing soda (i.e. soda crystals) in my machine to clean it and get rid of any gloop build-up left by liquid detergents. It always kept the machines in good condition. However, my current appliance doesn’t like it at all: every time I put washing soda in, either as a single scoop added to the wash or in an empty machine on a cleaning cycle, the floor is completely flooded, with the water seeming to come from the base of the machine.

Initially I thought there must be a lot of gloop and that it would resolve itself when that was cleaned out. But that can't be the case because, if it were, any deposits should have cleared by now - but instead it’s a permanent problem. Mystifyingly, this never happens when I don’t use washing soda.

Has anyone else experienced the same problem?

Are you doing anything else differently when you clean it? Different wash type or load?

No, nothing different. It happens with any type of load and I always use the same liquid detergent. If I add washing soda to a wash load I reduce the amount of detergent to compensate, and if it's just washing soda in an empty machine on a cleaning cycle I use a couple of scoops. It's a mystery.

I can't think of any explanation - does it happen when you use powder and soda crystals?

Oh, thanks for that! I haven't used powder for many years but it'll be interesting to get some and try.

i wonder if the soda is causing foaming that is causing something to overflow?

Yes, that's what I think must be happening, although there is no sign of extra foam when I look through the door. I've decided to take the back off, so I can see the base inside, and watch what happens during a wash.

Have you cleaned out all the filters?

Yes, I've done that but it makes no difference. It doesn't seem as though anyone else has this problem so I think there must be something going on inside the machine. Going to get DH to take the back off and watch it going through a cycle.

I don't understand about taking the back off, you won't see anything. It is all contained. The only thing you'll see is the pipework and the electronics and the concrete.

My machine is an AEG and, according to a washing machine repair site I've seen, if I take the back off I'll be able to see inside the base of the machine where there's something called a float switch on the very bottom. This is there to cut off the machine and throw up an error code if excess foam spills out from somewhere inside and floods the base of the machine. I haven't been getting any error codes but, learning that foam can get inside the base, think it'll be worth watching a cycle to see if I can track where the water leak is coming from.