[CamillaRhodes]

My washing machine (Indesit) doesn't seem to be pulling in enough water to wash a load of clothes - when I take them out when the run is complete, they're only half damp (the other half remains dry and unwashed).

I'm utterly clueless about these sort of things. Any ideas where to start? Could it be the filter? (Reading through some threads, the filter seems to be the culprit behind a lot of washing machine problems...)

We're pretty skint at the moment so paying a pro to come look at it has to be the last option :-/

[dolanbaker]

First thing to check is the hose feeding water into the machine, make sure it isn't kinked or blocked.

Assuming it's a front loader can you see the water in it when it's running, is the water about halfway up the window?

[CamillaRhodes]

Thanks dolanbaker, I'll run it again this evening (once we've checked the hose) and check the water level. Appreciate you taking the time to reply, cheers.

[CamillaRhodes]

Just cleaned out the filter (not much in there, a couple of coins) and checked the hoses at the back (not kinked).

Ran the machine now and it only filled up by about an inch before it started spinning, nowhere near halfway up, so I guess this is the problem.

How would we check if the hose is blocked at the back? Or if there's a blockage anywhere else?

I could hear water starting to come in for at least 30 seconds before it appeared in the drum, not sure if this is normal or not...?

Sorry for my idiocy, thanks for any suggestions.

[galway1973]

is drum turning?
if so then clean out the pressure chamber it is a clear plastic chamber connected to the filter

[dolanbaker]

Yes, it's normal to hear water going in before you see it, have you got it set to an "economy" or small load setting? It sounds like it's just set to a low water use programme.

[CamillaRhodes]

Originally Posted by galway1973

is drum turning?
if so then clean out the pressure chamber it is a clear plastic chamber connected to the filter

Yep the drum's turning. Where would I find the pressure chamber, is it behind the filter at the bottom right of the front of the machine (which I cleared out earlier)?

dolanbaker - we haven't changed anything on the machine since it was working fine 2 washes ago, and the economy button (as all buttons on the machine actually) doesn't work, so it's strange that it suddenly started behaving this way.

But if, given that the buttons don't work, this is the case (that it's somehow jumped onto an economy / low water use setting) do you think there's any way we can over-ride that, or are we looking at a new machine? TBH I think it's pretty old anyway, came with our house...

[Billy Bunting]

Originally Posted by dolanbaker

First thing to check is the hose feeding water into the machine, make sure it isn't kinked or blocked.

Assuming it's a front loader can you see the water in it when it's running, is the water about halfway up the window?

Very few machines these days would have the machine fill "halfway up the window", not even on rinse and especially if "sounds like it's just set to a low water use programme".
The pressure pot will be found low down on the machine, you'll notice a small tube connected to it that runs upto the top of the machine and connects to a pressure switch.

[CamillaRhodes]

Just to let yiz know, guy came round to take a look at the machine today, said he reckoned it was because of the stuck button on economy - fixed that, and machine worked fine afterwards. Hurrah! Thanks all for your tips and guidance