Washing machine faults and repairs

My washing machine smells

If you have an odour coming from your washing machine, it is more than likely because you have a build up of grime, mould and bacteria.

Follow our simple steps to clear the odour.

Remember: Before carrying out any checks or maintenance on your machine make sure it is clear of laundry, fully drained and switched off.

1. Run a hot wash (or service wash)

This runs the machine at temperatures of 90˚, killing the bacteria and hopefully starting to clear the mould. You may have to do this more than once, depending on how long it's been since your last service wash.

NOTE: we recommend using citric acid – available from our spares department, to breakdown the grime and give a fresh smell.

2. Leave the door open following the wash to allow air to circulate. Also the detergent drawer.

3. Clean the seal, detergent drawer and lint filter. Check your manufacturers manual on the correct way to do this.

If the odour is still present, you may need to check the stand pipe and use drain unblocker to clear any blockage.

If you are unsure about any of these tasks, and/or the odour still remains, contact our service department and we'll be happy to help. Often a small call out by one of our approved service engineers can save and prolong the life of your washing machine.

My washing machine makes a loud noise

Remember: Before carrying out any checks or maintenance on your machine make sure it is clear of laundry, fully drained and switched off. Check your manufacturers instruction manual to stop or drain the machine.

Is your washing machine making a racket? It may not be a big issue. Try these simple steps first before calling an approved service engineer.

1. It could be an unbalanced load.

Heavy laundry, such as towels, sheets or duvet covers can absorb water and glue themselves to the side of the drum. This creates an unbalanced load and will have an irregular spin and therefore cause a banging noise as the drum spins. You need to particularly avoid this when the machine enters the spin cycle as it could damage the machine. Some modern machines are designed to detect these balancing issues and can rebalance or not enter the spin cycle at all. Rule of thumb, don't put in an unbalanced load in the first place.

2. Is your washing machine level?

All the feet should be firmly planted to the floor. These are adjusted higher or lower via a screw type action once you have undone the locking nuts. Use a spirit level to make sure the machine is level. And MAKE SURE, you tighten the locking nuts when you are finished.

If both of these do not fix the noise coming from your machine, it may be time to call in one of our approved service engineers, as it may be the drum bearings. A couple of ways to check this is to look at the machine and see if the drum has dropped slightly. The other way is to turn the drum and see if there is any resistance. Again if unsure, it is worth having an approved engineer check.