Washing Machine Detergent Drawer won't Fill

Un-Big

I just moved into a new apartment a month and a half ago and it has a washer-dryer combo (it's not new, don't know how old). I've discovered that if I put powder or fabric softener in the detergent drawer, after the wash the soap will still be there. I took the drawer out and turned the machine on and saw that there's a water pipe in there and there was water coming out of it, but it wasn't coming out strongly enough to fill the compartments with the soap in them; It was just getting into the end of the compartments and then dropping down into the overflow, not reaching the soap at all. I figure it might be something to do with water pressure but I'm not sure what to do about that. Anybody have any advice?

John T Carroll

Un-Big wrote: »

I just moved into a new apartment a month and a half ago and it has a washer-dryer combo (it's not new, don't know how old). I've discovered that if I put powder or fabric softener in the detergent drawer, after the wash the soap will still be there. I took the drawer out and turned the machine on and saw that there's a water pipe in there and there was water coming out of it, but it wasn't coming out strongly enough to fill the compartments with the soap in them; It was just getting into the end of the compartments and then dropping down into the overflow, not reaching the soap at all. I figure it might be something to do with water pressure but I'm not sure what to do about that. Anybody have any advice?

If the water pressure isnt obviously low as observed at the cold tap then shut off the water supply to the machine, there should be a dedicated ball valve on the supply to the machine (or two seperate ones if hot&cold fill). Shut the valve(s) and remove the hose where its connected to the ball valve, some hoses have a filter fitted at this end, clean the filter if fitted then remove the hose(s) at the connection to the machine, all machines have a filter at this end, you should be able to pull out this little filter with a needle nose pliers and clean it, if you can not remove it just clean it in place. Try this and see what results you get. JTC

nmacc

As JTC says, the most likely cause is a blocked filter, espscially in a new installation, believe it or not.

However, you might want to check how the supply is plumbed. If you have a large foam-insulated cylinder in the cupboard with a hot cylinder on the bottom & cold storage on the top, it is faintly possible that the machine is plumbed from the top cold water storage. If it is, then there is unlikely to be enough pressure.

If that is the case, you would need to change the machione supply to the cold mains.

coylemj

OP, check if the pipe feeding the machine is kinked, if not then look at the filter.