The washing machine draws water when it is turned off

The washing machine may spontaneously fill with water even when it is turned off. And this is a serious problem that can result in your apartment being flooded, and if this happens when you are not at home, then the neighbors below may also suffer. What are the reasons why the machine suddenly begins to overflow with water, and how to eliminate and prevent them, every owner of an automatic machine needs to know.

Causes of malfunction

When a washing machine breaks down, water can come from both the sewer and the water supply. You can tell by the color and smell; if cloudy water slowly appears in the drum, then this is clearly water from the sewer.

At the same time, when the machine draws water from the water supply without stopping, the Aquastop system will not save you from overfilling the drum with water. The leakage protection sensor is fixed in the washing machine tray, and water will leak onto the floor. Therefore, even the most advanced protection will be powerless in this case.

But what is the reason that the machine takes on water? There are two reasons:

• water supply valve malfunction;
• malfunction of the siphon valve or its absence;
• the drain system is clogged, causing water to flow back into the drum through the drain hose.

Important! If such a problem is caused by improper connection of the washing machine to the drain, then you will be denied warranty repairs. You will have to fix the problem yourself or at your own expense.

Troubleshooting

So, when you see that the switched off washing machine is drawing water, immediately turn off the water supply tap. Only then proceed to troubleshooting.Do not forget to disconnect the machine from the power supply. If the reason for the water intake is the solenoid valve, then it must be replaced with a similar one. It's not difficult to do this yourself.

For your information! If the washing machine is under warranty, then the valve must be replaced by a service center technician. Otherwise, after independently tampering with the inside of the washing machine, the warranty on the equipment will expire.

Getting to the filling solenoid valve is easy. In front-loading machines, it is located under the top cover of the housing, and this is what needs to be removed. In vertical machines you will have to remove the side cover. But first, turn the machine around so that it is convenient to work, and disconnect the water supply hose. Having seen the valve, disconnect the hoses from it, loosening the clamps, and the electrical wires, remembering the polarity of these wires. Unscrew the valve from the machine body and remove it.

For your information! On some models of washing machines, in order to remove the fill valve, you need to remove the plastic box under the powder tray. Therefore, the replacement process may become somewhat more complicated.

Since solenoid valves cannot be repaired, we take a new spare part and connect it to the hoses. At the same time, we use new clamps to ensure reliable connections. Then, observing the polarity, we connect the electrical wires and fix the fill valve.

Before closing the lid of the washing machine, connect the inlet hose and run a test wash. Check connections for leaks. Once you are sure everything is in order, reassemble the machine and set it in place.

If the drum collects water from the sewer, then first clean the siphon to which the drain hose from the washing machine is connected. Well, if the reason is connected to the drain, then read the article Siphon for washing machine.

Precautionary measures

And finally, how to avoid situations where the machine is turned off and takes on water. Everything is quite simple, you need:

1. After washing, close the water supply tap; if it is not there, be sure to install it.
2. Connect an anti-siphon valve, which will prevent waste water from flowing back into the machine.
3. Use a leakage protection system that is installed on the floor. As we noted, the washing machine’s protection system will not help in such a situation.

We hope the information in this article will help you prevent a flood, find the reason why water appears in the drum and quickly eliminate it. Good luck!

6 reader comments

1. 05/09/2018 at 18:31

   Alexander:

   Everything is very clear, thank you very much.

   Answer
2. 05/30/2018 at 22:36

   Galya:

   Thank you very much.

   Answer
3. 07/02/2018 at 16:28

   Simon:

   Thanks for the article and video, very useful.

   Answer
4. 04/16/2020 at 20:14

   Konstantin:

   Thank you. I'll try with the valve. The water seems clean. Probably doesn't hold up.

   Answer
5. 03/13/2021 at 14:33

   Valentine:

   Water flows even if the pump does not pump. What could this be, tell me?

   Answer
6. 05/18/2021 at 11:04

   Maria:

   Please tell me, can the machine draw water when it is turned off due to poor water pressure? To understand, a 1.5 liter kettle takes about a minute to fill.

   Answer