Keeping our clothes clean is an important step in maintaining good hygiene, however in our busy days it has become a troublesome chore to hand-wash clothes. Washing machines such as Frigidaire washers alleviates that problem by washing our clothes automatically and easily.
Therefore it is important to know how to fix any problems it may encounter – this article discusses the common problems of Frigidaire washers and how to solve them.
Frigidaire washer not draining or spinning
Your Frigidaire washer may not be draining or spinning for several reasons which can be identified by checking for some symptoms. Clogged drain plug, drain pump and filter, worn out drive belt, faulty pump motor are the common reasons which prevents Frigidaire washer from draining or spinning.
Your Frigidaire washer might not be draining or spinning for many reasons, some of them are discussed below –
Not draining
Front-load
Clogged Or Frozen Drain Hose:
If your clothes happen to contain objects that do not dissolve in water such as plastic or other solid objects, they might get washed away by the water and get stuck in the drain hose. Once they accumulate, they clog the hose and prevent the drain hose from draining.
Solution:
Removing items that might clog the hose before putting your clothes into the washer is a good preventive measure, but if the damage is already done – you can disconnect the hose and clean it to unclog it.
Excessive Amount Of Detergent:
Putting an excessive amount of detergent won’t make your clothes more clean, rather it can be damaging to your washer.
Each washer has a limit of detergent it can tolerate – too much of them can cause bubbles to be stuck inside the washer and damage its sensitive internal parts.
Solution:
Check the instruction manual and note down how much detergent the washer can tolerate at maximum. Also take note of the detergent requirements for different types of clothes and stains.
Load Weight Is Too Heavy:
Each washer has a load capacity, which when exceeded – the washer cannot drain the water properly. A load too heavy may also prevent effective cleaning of each clothes and the stains or dirt may not get cleaned.
Solution:
Split the laundry load into multiple loads and distribute them to be within the load limit of your washer.
Top-load
Error Code F/02 Being Displayed:
Your washer may stop draining and the display panel may show the error code F/02 if the drain time crosses 8 minutes. Unless there are problems with the washer parts, this problem can be easily resolved.
Solution:
To remove the error code, you can press the pause/cancel button twice and check whether the pump filter and wiring connections to the pump are clearly connected.
Water Level Switch Malfunctioning:
After completing the wash, the water should be drained and the water level switch should reset. However, if it does not reset, the motor will not spin and thus later washes will not drain properly.
Solution:
Check the water level switch is connected and determine whether it is resetting as intended.
Drain Hose too low:
If the drain hose gets pushed too far down into the standpipe, it may get too low for the water to be siphoned out of the washer.
Solution:
Make sure the drain hose is at the correct position to siphon out water out of the washer.
Not spinning
Front-load
Insufficient Power:
Sometimes, lack of power can prevent your washer from spinning and that is usually the case when you connect your washer using an extension cord instead of directly plugging the washer into the outlet.
This insufficient power causes the washer to stop due to overheating.
Solution:
Plugging your washer directly to the power outlet will provide sufficient power for the washer to spin.
Unbalanced Laundry Load:
It is necessary that you keep your load balanced to properly allow the motor to spin, if the load weight is too much – the motor cannot spin freely and thus stop spinning.
Solution:
Redistribute your load evenly and keep the load weight below the load limit.
Faulty Washer Motor:
The washer motor is responsible for spinning the drum, if it is faulty or weakened from wear or tear – then the drum will spin very slowly till it stops or it won’t spin at all.
Solution:
Your washer cannot operate without its motor, therefore you need to replace it with a new one since the motor cannot be fixed.
Top-load
Broken Motor Coupler:
The motor coupler is made of plastic and rubber and mounted on the shaft of the motor. Upon use, the coupler wears out and breaks down and prevents the washer from spinning.
Solution:
Motor couplers cannot be fixed when broken, therefore you need to buy a new one and replace the old one.
Worn out spin bearing:
The basket drive or spin bearing is a component that allows the inner tub to spin inside the outer tub, if they get worn out – you will notice a loud noise during the spin cycle.
Solution:
The spin bearing can be fixed by replacing it with a new one – it is suggested that you hire a professional since the replacement process could be difficult.
Worn out clutch:
The clutch is used to ensure the washer is spinning well by maintaining proper spin speed, otherwise the washer will not spin properly. If the clutch gets worn out – it would prevent the washer from spinning well and thus may cause the washer to stop spinning.
Solution:
A washer with a worn out clutch cannot be repaired, instead they need to be replaced. You can buy them from the manufacturer and have a technician replace it for you.
Is frigidaire washer not draining and spinning a common issue?
Frigidaire washers not draining and spinning can occur for several reasons, but is that a common issue? Let’s find that out below –
Frigidaire affinity washer:
Obstacles stuck in the drain pump or damage and malfunctioning of it may be the reason why your Frigidaire is not draining or spinning.
While washing, many objects can get stuck into these pumps while draining and eventually clog the drain pump enough to prevent them from further draining any water.
While this is one critical issue, there is another issue that might prevent your frigidaire washer from draining or spinning – that is if the washer’s door lock is faulty, the washer will not function.
The door lock is responsible for ensuring that the washer door remains shut while the wash cycle is taking place, but if the door lock malfunctions or the door isn’t latched to the lock – the washer will not spin.
Frigidaire stackable washer:
In case of frigidaire’s stackable washer, a blocked drain line can prevent the washer from draining the water properly.
This occurs when insoluble debris or small pieces of clothing build up in the drainage and form clogs – they prevent the water in the washer from draining. This can be noticed earlier if the draining is taking more time than it normally does.
Another factor is the door latch on the front-loading frigidaire stackable washers where the door must be closed for the washer to detect a closed door latch and allow the washer to proceed with the spin cycle.
Besides that, dispenser drawers must also be closed to allow the spin cycle to start as well.
How do you unclog a Frigidaire washing machine?
Follow the steps below to unclog a Frigidaire washing machine:
Remove The Front Panel:
Before you start the unclogging process, make sure the washer is disconnected from the power supply. Next, in order to take out the water inside the washer – you need to open the front panel and drain the washer out of the washer.
Use a bucket and a towel to prevent spillages.
Disconnect The Washer:
Afterwards, to ensure that no residue water can flow into the washer – disconnect the water line from the washer and pull the lower edge of the panel to remove the top of the washer.
Remove The Debris Causing The Clogs:
You might be able to see the debris clogged in the hose connected to the pump and in order to clean it, you need to loosen the clamp holding the hose and remove the hose.
When the debris is visible at the end, pull it out and clean the hose as much as possible, to finish it up – you can run water through it at high speeds to clean up the remaining debris inside.
Inspect The Pump:
If no clogs are found, the problem might be in the pump and thus you should inspect the pump by unscrewing it or by replacing it with a new one.
Final Thoughts
There are a number of reasons why your Frigidaire washer could not be draining or spinning – and they are easily identifiable. Frequent causes of failing to drain or spin include a clogged drain plug, a broken pump motor, a drain pump and filter that are worn out, and a worn-out drive belt.