Having a broken washing machine is never a good thing. After all, it’s one of the most useful appliances at home. It lessens the hard work needed to get clothes laundered, especially when compared to traditional hand washing. With it not working, even the most amazing features of any washing machine you can buy is rendered useless.

With this in mind, always a hassle when your washer is breaking down. Once this happens, it doesn’t have to end with you feeling hopeless. So before you call your repairman, learn the easy ways to troubleshoot your washing machine. Here are the most common problems you may encounter and how to resolve it:

It doesn’t turn on

About to start your washer and nothing comes up? The first to check when this situation arises is your power supply. Check if it’s plugged. As washing machines are electrical appliances, it’s important to know if it’s getting enough of it. If these are all okay, then move on to check your appliance’s motor. 

Another reason why your washer isn’t spinning could be overheating. Allow it to cool down and when there’s no improvement, move on to the timer knobs. Make sure your knobs are pointed exactly where it needs to. There are times when knobs get misaligned, so check on this by advancing the timer and restarting the washer again.

Lid switches are also a common problem for washers. Washing machines with lid switches only operate when covers are closed. Check the switch under it to see if it’s properly positioned. 

It doesn't drain

The most common reasons why your washer isn’t draining can be due to a clogged drain hose, a broken drain pump, or other malfunctions such as a disengaged drain or spin cycle. You can fix this by resetting your washing machine. Turn the power off and turn it back on after a minute or so. You can also try to reset it by opening the washing machine door 6 times. Do this within 12 seconds and after which, run a cycle without the clothes.

If these don’t work, your drain hose may need some serious unclogging. Run water through the hose by disengaging it from your machine and let the water push the obstruction out. Hot water during a cycle can also dislodge a blockage.

It doesn’t unlock

Most common with front loaders, this can happen due to a jammed locking mechanism or broken drain. An easy troubleshoot here would be to restart it, especially if it’s a digital washer. A master reset usually gets it. And if it doesn’t, run a short spin cycle to make sure no clothes got stuck on your locks. You should also check the drainage hose as it can be an effect of it being clogged.

If all else fails, immediately contact your service technician to assist you. While these troubleshooting tips may work from time to time, it’s better to find out whether there’s a bigger problem you need to address. Let a trusted technician check it for you as soon as possible and eliminate the inconvenience a broken washer brings.