How to remove the drum ribs of a washing machine
The operation of a washing machine depends largely on auxiliary parts. Thus, thanks to special protrusions located in the drum, the laundry turns over during washing, which allows the household appliance to keep things clean and wash away heavy dirt. These are the drum ribs or, as they are also called, "bumpers". They can be cast and metal, or plastic and removable.
It is the second type of spare parts that tends to loosen and even come unfastened from their place. In such a situation, it is necessary to remove the ribs of the washing machine drum for subsequent secure fastening of the elements. If you have certain tools, you can do this yourself, without the help of a specialist.
Removing and securely installing the drum ribs
Before starting work, you should prepare the necessary tools. These are:
- Construction hair dryer,
- A small drill with a thin drill bit,
- Straight screwdriver,
- Construction plastic ties at least 30 cm long.
To remove the rib, it must be moved slightly towards the open hatch door.
The next step is to create holes for new fasteners. A little to the left (about 3-5 mm) from the recess for the factory latches, you need to make marks with a marker approximately 0.5 cm long. You need four of these marks: near the middle and far latches on both sides of the rib. Now, using a compact drill, you should drill holes of the intended length.
Large construction ties should be inserted into the resulting holes on the left side of the rib so that they hang freely from the middle of the bumper. Now you need to adjust the lugs - the fixators of the bumper itself. They are located in the drum itself between the holes for the latches: their correct position is at an angle of 45 degrees. This can be done using a slotted screwdriver.
Once the clamps are set, you can begin installing the rib. The free end of the tie should be threaded through the left hole for fasteners and pulled out through the right one so that the tie goes under the drum and returns inside. Then thread its free end through the second hole in the rib, drilled on its right side. At this stage, the bump stop should move freely back and forth.
To secure the rib, it needs to be heated again with a building hair dryer for 1-2 minutes and fixed on the lugs with a “away from you” movement. All that remains is to tighten the ties tightly, “bite off” the extra “tails” with nippers and remove the sharp ends of the cuts with sandpaper. The latter is necessary so that sharp corners do not tear things during washing.
What happens if you remove one loose rib?
Having noticed that one rib in the washing machine is loose, some owners of household appliances are in no hurry to fix it or replace it with a new one. They believe that there are two more bumpers in the drum that perform their task, and therefore the absence of the third will not affect the result of the device's operation. This opinion is wrong and there are two reasons for this.
First: it is due to the presence of three ribs that the laundry is distributed evenly in the drum during washing, which means that each item is provided with the necessary care and cleaning. If one of the bumpers is missing, an imbalance occurs in the drum, items begin to bunch up in one direction and turn over unevenly. If the shock absorbers are also loose in the household appliance, such an “imbalance” in one direction will lead to the washing machine jumping during intensive operation and spinning.
The second reason is possible damage to things. The eyelets located under the rib are quite sharp. In the normal state, they are securely covered by the rib, but if the situation changes, clothes start to cling to them, which leads to holes in things.
Therefore, you should not neglect the correct and reliable fixation of even such an insignificant detail as the drum rib. Until it is fixed, it is better to refuse washing: even if one cycle of the washing machine works without damage to things and the device itself, the second one may well be fatal for your favorite clothes.
