It was Thursday night and my fiance and I were sitting there watching some TV. In the utility closet we could hear the washing machine and dryer going.  Something didn’t sound right though. The washing machine seem to be stalling on the spin cycle.  When I opened the lid the tub was filled with water, this didn’t seem right to me. I wondered if the motor was broken but figured that the water in the tub was probably preventing the washing machine from spinning up. The question then became why wasn’t the tub draining. We thought maybe the water pump was broken which had us pretty worried but then a realization that it might just be clogged. The previous day we had washed a bathroom floor mat and a bunch of “fluff” came off and maybe that’s what was keeping the washing machine from draining.

Should we bring in a professional repair man?

This caused some debate. We really wanted it fixed and we figured it would be pretty easy to repair and relatively cheap, we hoped.  We were also concerned that I could break it even more which would cost us even more to repair. However our biggest worry was due to the fact that this is a condo and it isn’t exactly an ideal working environment. We didn’t want to cause any physical damage to our hardwood floor. Ultimately our frugalness won out and it was decided that with the power of the internet I would give it a try.

Fixing the problem

We started by emptying the washing machine by hand. We can’t get all the water out but that’s fine. I pull out the washing machine and undo the drainage pipe, making sure to capture some of the remaining water. After cleaning the pipe it looks like it wasn’t the cause of the clog and we turned our focus to the agitator as the path to get to the pump. However before I can do anything we need to clean up the water that has been slowly leaking under our hardwood floor.  Once the water was cleaned up I used an extension cord and a 4′ piece of wood to remove the plastic part of the agitator.  Underneath is a steel casing that I can’t get off.  I decide to wait until Saturday when I can get some bigger wrenches from my future father in-law.

I had to work Saturday so my father in-law decides he’ll give it a shot. After looking closer at this particular model we determine (via Google) that we need to remove the front panel to get to the pump instead of the agitator. Removing the panel was as easy as slipping a butter knife along the top seem to undo the clips. Once off, the pump was right there and the clog was easily cleared though it wasn’t what I thought it would be.

What was clogging the washing machine ?

If you’re wondering what that is, it’s a sock! That’s right, I’ve repatriated one of my missing socks. I don’t know how it got there but by god did it cause a headache.  For you folks out there looking for missing socks be aware, that yes, your washing machine could be eating them.

Conclusions?

I enjoyed completing my first appliance repair. I still feel uncomfortable doing it in a finished condo especially since I want this place in prestine condition when I sell it in three years. It sucks that we did have some water damage on our hardwood. Luckily its an engineered floor and the damage is barely noticeable now. Despite all the trouble I think I would definitely give appliance repair another try in the future but I’ll make sure to have a pro’s number handy as backup.

Do you have any stories about appliance repair or funny places where you found your missing sock?

-mfd-