Water Leaking From Bottom of Washing Machine | Where to Look
You put on a load of laundry last night and wake up to find the washer has leaked water everywhere from the bottom. Not a fun start to the day!
What’s worse is that a lot of newer washing machines are so complicated to fix, you may feel helpless if you’re trying to find the source of a leak.
Nonetheless, here are some parts of your washer you can quickly check if you discover a leak occurring from under the washer.
A loose or missing hose clamp
The drain hose of your washing machine should be fitted to the drainage pipe extending out of your washer. Where they meet you should see a clamp for the hose connection. Some models may have this clamp on the interior, but more commonly you can see it quite easily.
If the connection feels or appears loose, or you don’t see any kind of clamp or sealed connection at all, this could be causing the water to leak out the bottom of the washer.
In some cases, you can simply hand tighten the water hose. But other times you may need a replacement part or professional serviceman to do the job.
Broken or faulty tub seal
If the water leak is underneath the washer, replacing a part called the tub seal will often fix the issue. This is especially true if your washing machine begins to leak during the rinse cycle.
A tub seal is fitted to the top of the washing machine’s transmission. To get at the tub seal, you will have to remove the spin basket and potentially flip the washer over.
Unfortunately, it can mean a lot of disassembly work and it may be best to contact a repairman.
A clogged catch basket or filter
The catch basket in a washing machine is similar to a lint trap in your dryer. Over time it can become clogged and cause fibers to appear in your washed laundry. But it can also cause the washer to leak from the bottom!
You can find the catch basket either along the top edge of the washing machine’s drum, the top of the center column (called the agitator) of the drum, or at the end of the drain hose where there may be a removable screen you can clean.
Newer washers may not have these catch baskets.
A broken or cracked coupler
The coupler is a rubber or plastic seal between the motor and the drum of the washing machine. It’s actually supposed to break in the event of a malfunction as a way to save the actual machinery. And it’s a lot cheaper to replace!
If your washing machine is leaking from the bottom or clothes are still soaked after a cycle, a broken coupler is likely the culprit.
A faulty water pump
Leaks under the washer are commonly caused by a damaged water pump or compromised hoses connected to the pump. Usually, you will notice lots of rumbling or shaking from the machine during a wash cycle if the pump is faulty.
The water pump in a washer is generally located at the bottom of the machine. You can identify the water pump by the two large hoses connected to it.
You can visually verify if these connections appear loose or clogged.
What to Do if Your Washing Machine is Leaking From the Bottom
Washing machines can leak gallons of water at a time, and often this occurs overnight or goes unnoticed for hours. The water damage this can cause is substantial. If you don’t clean up in time, the water leak may call for extensive repairs to flooring and drywall in the future.
Never take a chance with water damage. Locate a water damage restoration company near you as soon as possible. While a flood cleanup technician is on his way, examine the aforementioned parts of your washer as best you can.
If you locate what’s causing the leak from the bottom of your washer beforehand, this can speed up the water restoration process considerably.
A good water damage restoration service will immediately extract the water that flooded from the washing machine. They will then set up dehumidification equipment to dry out the area as quickly as possible.
Perhaps most importantly, a water mitigation crew will also apply mold remediation methods to prevent any growths from occurring near your washing machine.
Leaks from the bottom of a washing machine are a major headache and common cause of major water damage. Check for the source of the leak and get water restoration professionals on-site as soon as you can.
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