How Does A Top-Load Washer Work? - Appliance Repair Tips 

These videos got me through quarantine and I’ve watched every single one 2 or 3 times over

Thank you for this informative video. I was very curious on how a washing machine really works. Good to know.

Thanks for the feedback! We appreciate it.

Thanks for the info. While some steps in your related disassembly video were not 100% accurate to my 2009 GE Profile washing machine, I was able to disassemble and locate a major issue. On my 5 yr old washing machine, the tub became unbalanced and was making a banging noise during spin cycles, similar to when its contents are unbalanced. After disassembling the agitator (very simple procedure by following this video and which everyone should do annually to inspect), the main issue was revealed: *the metal base that hides under the visible plastic agitator had RUSTED and broken loose from the tub*. Nearly 1/2 the circumference of the tub's metal base was broken/disconnected, and the *entire* metal base was corroded and rusted. The metal base, which allows the motor assembly to turn the tub, is prone to water exposure and rust. And, the upper part of the tub (plastic top section) was audibly full of water but there was no obvious way to empty it out even after pulling out the entire tub. In summary, after seeing all of the debris sitting at the bottom of the outer tub (inside of which sits the main tub where clothes go), and the horrendous odor of the stale water, it's clearly an engineering disaster. Not sure if other manufacturers have such poor designs but I would NOT recommend a GE model after experiencing this ... and having it die after 5 short years of life.

We're glad we could help!

Repair clinic you are the absolute best I love your videos so much and you do a great job explaining how things work and how to repair a 👏

you guys are great. thanks for sharing all your knowledge

love these types of videos..

Repair clinic, you are the best

awesome very well explained

this video is great and very helpful.

This video is awesome! Thank you so much!

Best video, shows how it works and how to repair

That's cool! Do you work in appliance repair or are you just naturally interested?

What an awesome video!!!!

thanks, this channel makes fixing and understanding how things work simply that anyone can fix the failure parts without the need of an expert

Hi there, I have a top loader simpson eziset 750 and the problem is the spinning. It seems to be unbalanced even I level it up, and the drumm starts hitting everything until the machine stops. What could be the failure then, the suspension rods? How can I test the problem? Thanks a lot!

Thank you 😊

The directional cogs broke on mine, at first I didn’t know the name but thanks to the video now I know thank you ^^

This could be caused by different problems. The motor could be tripping out on the overload and coming back on. The lid switch may be making intermittent contact . The timer contacts may be intermittent . It might be difficult to figure out without testing power to the motor and from the timer and lid switch when the problem is happening.

Thank you. I watched the video and now I am going to build a washing machine from scratch.

I heard “due to the risk of heart failure after repair “

Nice work

awesome video

Good

After all these years... 20 years of living... I don't know if I can attribute it to never having a see through top load washer until just recently that I realized what an agitator does. The washer I have pulls the clothes in the middle downwards which pushes the outer clothed upwards so it circulates. Before I thought it just whipped clothes back and forth, not up and down.

thenks repairs clinic

Thanks...

What part of the neutral drain causes a direct drive to spin while draining?

I replaced the drain pump in my washer and it starting working again but when it was on the spin cycle it sounded like it was going too fast and something might break. After a couple more washes the machine stopped working again. There were no loose connections. Any idea what could have happened?

I have the metal housing off my Whirlpool top load washer and looking at the outer tub (plastic) I noticed that a large stream of fine bubbles is coming from the drain outlet of the tub (connection to the drain pump hose). I never noticed this before. Is this normal? If not normal what would cause this? The pump engaging in reverse and pulling air from the drain hose? Which would be transmission I guess.

The real question - given that some models have no window and stop doing anything (including filling) if you open the lid (when it's not locked), how do you know if it's washing your clothes at anything approaching the way it was designed? [On older washers, you could open the lid while filling and even agitating, and the washer would not stop. [In fact, the safety switch was so simple that you could open the lid, press the switch with your finger, and watch the clothes spin.] With a modern washer, you can't even see if the agitator ever moves at all. Presumably, modern washers do all sorts of self tests, but, given the quality of modern software, should I trust such tests to find all possible faults?

can you do a video on how top load HE LG washers work...please.

Doing laundry at 3am and this is what comes to mind 😅😅

i think the direct drive machines' timers have a piece of metal on the other end of the knob that first closes a circuit to the temperature mixing chamber that either activates the hot or cold inlet solenoids and then the water level switch gets under pressure until the air inside pushes the switch to the left so the timer motor starts, the solenoid deactivates, and the motor spins counterclockwise so the pump doesn't let the water out and the big gear turns both directions causing the agitator to agitate. and then after the wash cycle is done, the timer reaches a point of the metal contacts where there is nothing for a few seconds and then it reaches the drain contacts which is connected to the motor the opposite direction of the wash connections which causes the pump to spin clockwise which directs water out of the tub (note: i think the neutral drain is engaged by the wash motions since on shorter cycles where there is fast and normal agitation speeds, the neutral drain mechanism hasn't fully engaged which can cause a spin drain to happen) then after a few minutes of draining the timer reaches another gap in the contacts which stops the motor and releases the tub brakes somehow. then when the timer reaches the spin contact, the motor does the drain direction again but since the neutral drain mechanism has disengaged, the basket spins as well the washer does the same things for the rinse except during the final spin, there are 2 spray rinses

My Whirlpool washer agitates but does not spin. Any guidance will be appreciated.

Thanks, I have learn a lot. Now I'm going to try to fix my washer. Single Mom

My washer is spinning but is making a noise. Do you have any videos that might help me with this?

What kind of Kenmore washer is this featured?

I remember this!

my LG washer get shock/electric current on water in the tube and on water inlet also in clothes I took when finished washing except i pull the power off from chuck,side tube made from metal.what happen?

Never knew how toploaders work, since we here in Sweden almost exclusivly use frontloaders. thank you for an informative video.

Isn't there a way most high efficincy washers lock the lid while the're running?

Banger vid

It sure does save money watching DIY project on you tube. I picked up a Washer down the street curb side. the guy said his wife wanted a new one this one started to leaked, I check the pump out it was just a loss hose. I fixed it. Now I got it set up outside using it as our mine washer re using the water threw a filtering system each time

our washer model number is not found on your website the lid switch is not so smart on our amana washer

3:00 LG turbo Drum washing machine and LG Turbo Wash: Hold my Beer

My ge double stacked washer is leaking

GE washer. goes thru wash cycles, but will not empty to go to the spin cycle. Any recommendations?

cool

Is it normal during rinse cycle that the water doesn't even fill halfway to the tub?

So do models with smaller baskets only have belts? and do the ones with larger ones only have couplers? or do some that have smaller baskets use couplers and do some that have larger baskets use belts if no thanks anyway.

My Amana top loader uses a belt to spin and I’ve had it for a few months I got it at the end of 2020 cuz my front loader broke and housing had to get us a new one and it’s getting louder and louder as the days pass by also I’m 8yrs old

Literally never seen an axially vertical washer in real life

I love you guys you just helped me save 800 dollars

My machine starts filling water automatically after pressing power button, even before selecting the required wash program and pressing start button. And that happens with cold water only, hot water works fine. Any help please, it's daewoo DWF-700

What is the problem of my washing machine if during rinsing the water not going outside?

Well this was useful in at least understanding how top load washers work. I'm trying to fix an issue where water drips from the inlet spout when the washer is off. I can shut the drip off by closing the hot water valve, so I guess it's not a huge concern right now. Wish me luck!

So when I was putting in my second load of laundry and as soon as I started it, it sounded like a band of drummers were going through my house. Idk what happened

I replaced lid switch and I don't know if connected the wires correctly. The wires on the new switch were orange and white w/orange on it. the wires 0n the washer were white and white w/orange, I hooked the wires w/ orange on them together I hope that was correct

top loader washer Frigidaire model number fftw4120sw, will not drain when it goes to drain and spin cycle

Podrían poner subtítulos. Gracias!!

Me gusta

My 10 year old Moffat washing machine is leaving oil marks around the top inside of drum and sometimes oil spots on clothes. Is it worth repair or should I go straight to a new one?

I replace my control panel on a GE Profile all the lights are blinking on the bottom but it wont turn on

I have a Kenmore washer that will spins but clothes will still be wet. Any ideas what this could be?

Guys how can the agitator spin alone and with the drum

Good overview. My own problem is a bit weirder. During the spin part of the cycle, washer shuts off for about 17 seconds at a time. Goes back on for a short time. Turns back off, etc. It drains well, spinning very fast. I've seen it agitate. Although one time I heard the motor going and I opened it and saw nothing was happening.

Begging for help here... Washer fills fine. Agitates fine. Drains fine. The drum won't spin. The laundry just clumps at the bottom, soaked. Tried to reset the motor using the lid trick. Nope. Checked the timing dial and it is seated properly. The airline to the tub is clean. The belt is tight and I can watch the motor turn it and the pillar the agitator is connected to. Lid switch works fine too. I just can't get the dang drum to spin and I can't figure out how it would to begin with. It's a GE wcxr1070a0ww.

2:04 A restricted inlet valve will need to be replaced

Well now I know how it works I almost know all the Machenes

I call the inner tub a basket.

If drain pump won't stop running what could the problem be?

Older models can use up to 40 gallons of water.

My washer has a digital inverter motor no belt or coupler.

This a ge infusor washer

DON'T JUST START REPLACING PARTS!! :) If you're having problems with overflow, wet clothes at the end of spin, the spin cycle doesn’t always engage OR your timer (cycle selector) isn’t working properly; THE FIRST THING TO CHECK is for a blockage in the water level switch pressure tube and clear it. There may be a partial or complete blockage, depending on the symptom. Following are steps to clear a blockage from the water pressure switch tube (for GE Washer GCWP1000M0WW; however same principle applies regardless of model): 1) Drain the tub completely. 2) Unplug power from the wall outlet. 3) Remove the backsplash panel to expose the Water Pressure Switch (left side). 4) Remove the front panel of the washer to expose the tub to plain view. (There are instructions on how to do this at the RepairClinic.com web site.) 5) Disconnect the lower end of the Water Level Switch Tube from the outer tub. (Use a towel to absorb any water that may run out of the tube.) 6) Disconnect the upper end of the Water Level Switch Tube from the Water Pressure Switch. NOTE: You may see dark sediment or lint near the bottom of the tube. If so, that's the blockage. If not, check the entire length of the tube for any blockage. 7) If the pressure tube cannot be cleared, then replace the tube (using OEM Part # WH41X365). Otherwise, clear the pressure tube by running hot soapy water through the tube to loosen any blockage. Blow into the tube hard on the clean end to apply greater pressure to clear the tube. 8) Once the tube is clean, reattach the bottom end of the pressure tube to the pressure reservoir on the side of the outer tub. 9) CRITICAL STEP: Once the pressure tube is attached to the Pressure Reservoir on the outer tub, BLOW very hard through the top of the pressure tube to clear any sediment and water from the pressure reservoir below. THE TUB WILL OVERFLOW WHEN FILLING IF the pressure tube and reservoir are not cleared of all debris!! 10) Reattach the top end of the Pressure Tube to the Water Pressure Switch and lay the Backsplash Panel back in place. 11) Plug the washer into power and set the Water Pressure Switch (load selector) to Small. 12) Run a test fill of the washer while monitoring the Pressure Tube and Reservoir. a. If filling stops at the small load level, then test with Large and Super settings to verify that the tub is filling properly. b. If filling doesn’t stop at the large or super level, STOP THE WASH CYCLE IMMEDIATELY! Then disconnect the Pressure Tube from the back of the Water Pressure Switch and blow hard again to clear any water or debris from the tube and the reservoir below. Then run another test fill. (You may need to drain the water from the tub first.) 13) If replacing or clearing the Pressure Tube doesn’t work, then you may need to replace the Water Pressure Switch (try that first), the water intake valve assembly or the Timer. 14) If the washer fills correctly, then run a test load or two to ensure that the water fills properly, that the washer completes its full cycle AND verify that clothes are not over-wet at the end of the cycle. 15) If this all works, reassemble the washer and BE HAPPY. You have just saved yourself $100 in parts and a $125 minimum labor service call!!

in europe theyre making a mandate to build household appliances that will be 100% rebuildable. Hmmm its about time.

a water softener is left in the barrier does not go to the laundry

Is it okay for my washing machine not to be used for a long time? Can anyone help me?

you sound like a robot lol :P

If it overfills, it could be a bad pressure switch

Top load washer is inneficent . Especially if you have a full auto one .. and theres a lot of room for part failure .

The water is cannot enter the machine. Top samsung loader

0

I don't want to buy valve inlet per year 😭 , mostly bcz dust problem.

washing machine lore

The machine can't start, the timer is just making some clicking noise at any position.

what if the agitates all the time except when spinning. water is going in at the same time but it never just fills up . it starts agitating immediatly

I dragged my washing machine up the stairs upside down because that was the easiest way to get it up there, and now the spin cycle is clunky and it leaks. did i ruin it by moving it upside down?

Model 3lsc8255eq0

that's a ge washer

Mug

I thought that opening the lid of a top loading machine while it is moving would be dangerous

oof size large

I want a transparent washing machine so I can watch the whole cycle.www.moreinspiration.com/article/5086/transparent-washing-machine?p=fully%20transparent

poorly explained what about internal mechanism

You might not get enough likes and subs buy your video explanation and animation is like a channel with 10.5 million subs

I could not be More surprised.. i would never think that people can use such a primitive thing to do theire loundry - it is like 50 years behind the european system... it is just crazy! You really waste so much water? What about the ecology? Use hot water from the tap to fill the machine? You can’t choose the exact temperature of water in the machine? It is crazy

cool