Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Wahing Machine Inlet Valve

Late one night, my wife and I were getting ready for bed. She had put a load in the washer and it was nearing the end of its cycle (we thought). We started hearing chimes coming from our laundry room, so she went to investigate. She came back into the bedroom and said, "It's not working...and it was flashing a code OE"

So, I went in to investigate and decided to empty the machine. As the machine tried expelling the water more was flowing in from the top. I went downstairs to the manifold and shut off the water to the washing machine. I could still hear a trickle of water flowing through the pipes, so I also turned off the valve near the machine. The machine emptied and finished its cycle.

I did some internet research and everything I found pointed to a bad water inlet valve. I pulled the top off and checked the solenoids with my multimeter. They were fine, so I pulled the water line and checked for a blockage. There was some plastic bits around the screen, so I assumed some of them got through the screen and were now blocking the valve in an open position. To check it, I went to the sink and filled up the inlet. With just that little bit of pressure, water was dripping out the other side. I went online to Appliance Parts Pros and picked up a new water inlet valve for $71 plus $12 for two day shipping. It took me 2 minutes to install. I'm running a load right now to test it.

Our laundry monster looks like Marjory.

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