The washing machine froze - what to do?

Was your washing machine frozen? Do not rush to panic and call the service center. First you need to calm down and start thinking logically. First of all, you need to take some actions so as not to aggravate the problem, then study typical breakdowns that can lead to freezing of the “home assistant”, then find the cause of the freezing and, if possible, eliminate this cause. As you can see, there is a lot to do, so let’s get started without delay!

In what cases can the machine freeze?

If the washing machine suddenly freezes, unplug it. There is a chance that turning on and running the washing program again will correct the situation. If turning on/off does not help, you need to take measures to remove water from the tank and dirty laundry from the drum. It's very easy to do this:

• There is a drain filter at the bottom of the machine body (usually in the right corner), open the protective cover,
• Next to the large drain plug there is a small hose with a plug sticking out,
• We place a basin under it with one hand, and with the other we open the plug located at the end of the hose and drain the water,
• After the water has been removed, you can open the hatch cover and remove the laundry.

Modern automatic washing machines are quite complex devices filled with electronics, so there can be plenty of reasons for them to freeze. Moreover, the more different sensors and other elements there are in the machine, the more reasons there may be why it freezes. Specialists at washing machine repair service centers identify a number of main reasons why a washing machine suddenly freezes.

If the machine freezes immediately after turning on, the problem lies either in the electronics, or in the hatch locking device, or in a user error. The washing machine will warn you about a user error, such as overloading the drum or choosing the wrong program. In this case , a system error code appears on the display , decoding which you can understand what was done wrong. Only after the machine generates an error will it freeze.

With the broken hatch locking device, everything is also more or less clear. If it fails and does not block the hatch, the machine will also generate an error with the corresponding code. You can make sure that the locking device is not working by trying to open the hatch. If this succeeds, the reason has been found. If the sunroof locking device works properly and the system error does not appear on the display, the problem is in the electronic control unit. What to do? How to check the serviceability of the electronic control unit?

• If the car freezes, turn off the power to it.
• We take out the cuvette for the powder.
• We unscrew the fasteners holding the control panel and gain access to the control unit.
• We arm ourselves with a voltmeter and check the resistance of all contacts of the control unit one by one, starting with the on/off button.

If the washing machine started the washing program, but after a while it froze, that is, in fact, the machine stopped during washing, then we are talking about completely different reasons for the breakdown. Here it is important to find out what exactly happened immediately before the freeze, what sounds the machine made, and at what stage of the washing process did this freeze occur?

• If you turned on the machine, set the washing program, the program started, there was a slight hissing or a quiet crackling sound, and then the machine froze - the problem is in the fill valve or in the water supply system. The machine was unable to draw water and froze, usually accompanied by an error code appearing on the display.
• If water did fill into the tank, and then after that there was a strong hum or crackling sound, some time passed, and the drum still did not start to rotate, there is a very likely problem in the engine.
• If water fills, the drum rotates, the washing process goes through completely, but when it comes time to drain the waste water and add clean water for rinsing, the machine freezes. In this case, there are obvious problems with draining the water. The cause of this may be a clog in the drain system or pump.

To verify the serviceability or malfunction of the electric motor or pump of the washing machine, you need to get to these units and measure the resistance. In most cases, to check the washing machine motor, you can get to it through the bottom of the “home assistant”. We unscrew a few screws, remove the bottom, and immediately get access to the engine and pump. We measure the resistance with a multimeter and determine whether these units work or not.

What to do with the damage found, is it worth repairing it yourself?

Finding the reason why your washing machine freezes on your own is completely different from repairing it. By repairing a washing machine yourself, you run a high risk of aggravating the problem and ultimately sending your “home assistant” to a landfill. In our opinion, savings should be reasonable. If one of the units or electronics of the washing machine breaks down, it is better to entrust it to a professional , but if it is not such a serious problem, you can repair it yourself.

For example, you can clean the washing machine hose yourself to ensure smooth water drainage. You can also, and even need to, clean the drain filter or sewer with your own hands. If the water does not drain freely, then the machine will not work. And, as a result, it will freeze. You can really save money by replacing the fill valve, because even a schoolchild can do this kind of work. What should be done?

• Remove the top cover of the washing machine.
• In the place where the inlet hose is connected, we find the inlet valve.
• Disconnect the wires, remove the fasteners and unscrew the old valve.
• We purchase a new fill valve and install it in the reverse order.

To summarize, we note that in order to answer the question of what to do if the machine freezes, you need to seek help from specialists who offer the only correct algorithm of action. However, you need to know the limits of amateur performance. You should not try to carry out complex repairs with your own hands, most likely everything will end badly. Act smart and your washing machine will be fine.