The Washer Won't Drain or Spin
- 1). If you have a front-loading washer, examine the fuse box or the circuit breaker box to find out if a fuse has blown or a circuit breaker has been tripped. With a blown fuse, the metal band going across the front of the fuse will be burned out in the middle. If a circuit has been tripped, the breaker will be in a different position from the other circuit breakers. Unless you feel more comfortable having an electrician do it, replace the fuse or reset the circuit breaker. Be sure to replace the fuse with a new fuse of the same size. Do not use a bigger fuse or put a penny in the socket to keep the fuse from blowing again because it could create a serious fire hazard.
- 2). Open a top-loading washer to find out if the load has shifted all to one side. An unbalanced load of laundry could stop the drum from spinning and draining (or make a terrific noise). Redistribute the load in the drum, close the lid and restart the washer. This problem is most likely to occur if the washer is overloaded or if you have just one or two large items in it. In the latter case, add some smaller items to balance out the load and start the cycle again.
- 3). Look for kinks in the drain hose. If necessary, straighten out the hose, reinsert it into the drain pipe and restart the washer.
- 4). Examine how the end of the drain hose is inserted into the drain pipe. The drain hose should end in an upside-down U that is inserted loosely into the drain pipe, leaving an air gap. A hose stuffed into the drain pipe will prevent the washer from draining. Adjust the drain hose in the drain pipe and restart the washer.
- 5). Turn on the faucets in the house and notice if the sinks are draining properly. If not, you may have a clogged household drain that is preventing the washer from draining. Clear the main drain with an auger. If all the other drains are working properly, try running some water through the drain pipe for the washer. If the water drains slowly or not at all, the drain pipe is probably clogged and should be cleared with a drain cleaner or an auger.
