DIY GUIDE · HOME REPAIRS & HANDYMAN

How to fix a washing machine that will not drain, spin or fill yourself
An hour or two. £5–£50 in parts and cleaner, if you need any at all.

The owner's checks for a machine that will not drain, spin or fill — filter, hoses, waste height, fuse and level — and where to stop.

DIFFICULTY
Easy
part of the job only
TIME
An hour or two
half an hour to drain and clear the filter, the rest for hoses, waste height and levelling
MATERIALS
£5–£50
often nothing; a replacement drain hose or door seal at the top end
A PRO CHARGES
£70–£400
typically £125
  • Every step, start to finish
  • Checked October 2026 — sources at the end
  • Honest about when to call a pro

FIRST, THE HONEST ANSWER

Do it yourself, or get a repairer?

Do it yourself if…

  • The machine powers up but stops with water in the drum, shows a drain fault, or will not spin
  • It fills slowly, or not at all, and the tap and hose are within reach
  • It walks across the floor or bangs on the spin and you can tilt it with a helper
  • It smells, leaves grey marks on clothes or has black mould in the door seal

Get a pro if…

  • There is a burning smell, a tripped circuit every time it starts, or any sign of scorching on the plug or cable
  • The drum rumbles like gravel on the spin or has play when you rock it by hand — that is the bearings
  • The water leaks from underneath with the hoses and filter dry, which points inside the cabinet
  • The door will not release after a full drain and the safe wait, or the machine is under a guarantee you would void by opening it

Safety first

  • Unplug the machine at the wall before every check, and keep the plug out until you test. Switching off at the button is not isolation.
  • Never open the cabinet — the lid, back or front panels. Behind them are mains wiring, the heater and the motor, and the makers do not class anything there as an owner's repair.
  • Any scorching, melted plastic or burning smell at the plug, cable or socket means stop. Do not try the machine again.
  • A washing machine is heavy. HSE's lifting filter puts the guide figure for a close, low lift at 25 kg for men and 16 kg for women, and a machine weighs more than either — tilt and move it with a helper, never alone.
  • Water on the floor near a socket is a shock risk. Mop it before you touch the plug, with dry hands.

Stop here: Inside the cabinet, and anything wired

The danger is mains electricity and a heavy drum on springs. The pump, heater, motor, door lock and control board all sit behind panels that only come off with the machine opened up, and a part refitted wrongly can leave the metal case live. The makers limit owner maintenance to the filter, drawer, seal, hoses and feet in the manual; past that point, book an engineer, and if the machine is under a guarantee, book the maker's own service before anyone opens it. How to hire a washing machine engineer →

MATERIALCOVERAGEFOR THIS JOB
Washing machine cleaner or descalerOne sachet or dose per empty hot washOne dose, then monthly if you wash cool
Replacement drain hoseBought by model numberOnly if the old one is split or crushed
Replacement inlet hoseStandard threaded appliance hose, cold feedOnly if the old one is kinked, bulging or cracked at the nut
Door sealBought by model numberOnly if torn; a mouldy but sound seal cleans

Is the drain height right?

Measure from the floor to the highest point of the drain hose, and how far the hose end goes into the standpipe. The high point should sit between 40 and 100 cm and no more than 15 cm should be inside the pipe. A hose that rises to 32 cm and goes 22 cm down the pipe is 8 cm too low and 7 cm too deep: lift the loop with a clip on the back of the machine and pull the hose back until only 15 cm is inside.

These are one maker's figures; the manual for your machine gives its own, and they are the ones to use.

Read the symptom before you reach for a spanner

Water left in the drum points to the drain path: filter, sump hose, drain hose, standpipe. No water coming in points to the supply: tap, inlet hose, the mesh in the hose end. A machine that does nothing at all points to power: socket, plug fuse, door not latched, child lock or a delay timer set by accident. Start with the path the symptom names and you save an hour.

The pump filter is the first stop for a drain fault

It sits behind a small flap at the bottom front on most models, and its job is to stop coins, buttons, hair grips and fluff reaching the pump. The maker of one of the best-selling ranges suggests clearing it every month, more often if you have pets or wash heavily soiled work clothes. A machine that stops with water in it has very often caught something there.

The drain hose and standpipe decide whether it drains or siphons

A drain hose pushed too far down a standpipe can form a seal and pull water out of the drum while it is still filling; one set too low does the same. One maker gives a maximum of 15 cm of hose inside the pipe, and the highest point of the hose between 40–100 cm above the floor. If yours sits outside either figure, that may be the whole fault.

Genuine part or pattern part

If a drain hose or door seal is split, buy the part by the model number on the plate inside the door or on the back. A genuine hose costs little more than a pattern one and fits the clips first time. A door seal is fiddly but within reach of a patient owner on many models; a pump is not, because it sits inside the cabinet next to wired parts.

Cleaner or service wash

Grey smears, smells and mould in the seal come from detergent and softener left behind by cool washes. A maintenance wash with a machine cleaner, or an empty cycle at the hottest setting, clears most of it. One maker's self-clean programme runs the drum at 70°C. Do it once a month if you mostly wash at low temperatures.

Write the model and serial number on a sticker on the side of the machine now; every parts search and every engineer asks for them.
If the machine is a few years old, look up whether it has been recalled before you spend anything — registering it with the maker means you hear about a safety notice directly.

THE PART THAT DECIDES THE FINISH

Before you start — the machine and the space

Find the case that matches what the machine is doing. Each one has its own set-up, and every one starts with the power off at the wall and the plug out.

Stopped with water in the drum

The commonest call: the programme stops, the display shows a drain fault, the door stays locked.

  1. Switch off at the wall, pull the plug and leave it out until you have finished
  2. Lay towels along the front and slide a shallow tray under the filter flap; expect several litres, not a cupful
  3. If there is a small emergency drain tube beside the filter, empty through that first, a trayful at a time, before you touch the filter itself
  4. Have a second tray ready so you can swap without the first overflowing
Will not fill, or fills slowly

The drum stays dry, or the programme runs long and the machine shows a water supply fault.

  1. Check the tap behind the machine is fully open; the lever runs in line with the pipe when it is
  2. Run the nearest cold tap into a litre jug and time it — one maker wants at least a litre in seven seconds
  3. Pull the machine out far enough to see the inlet hose along its whole length without stretching it
  4. Turn the supply tap off before you undo anything at the back
Dead — no lights, nothing

The machine shows no sign of life at all.

  1. Plug a lamp you know works into the same socket; if the lamp is dead too the fault is the circuit, not the machine
  2. Look at the plug and cable for scorching, cracking or a loose sheath; any of those, and you stop here
  3. Check the machine is in a wall socket, not an extension lead
  4. Have a new 13 A fuse ready to try in the plug
Bangs, walks or vibrates on the spin

The wash is fine but the spin sounds like a fight.

  1. Empty the drum and check the transit bolts were removed — a new or moved machine with them still in will shake itself apart
  2. Lay a spirit level across the top in both directions
  3. Find a helper: the machine is heavy, and you will tilt it back to reach the feet
  4. Look at the load: one bath towel or a single dressing gown can unbalance a spin on its own
Smells, grey marks, mould in the seal

The machine works but the washing does not come out clean.

  1. Pull the detergent drawer out fully and look at the housing behind it, where gunk collects
  2. Fold back the door seal and look in the bottom fold for hair, coins and black mould
  3. Check the filter even if it drains — a part-blocked filter holds stale water
  4. Plan an empty hot maintenance wash for the end of the job
Leaks onto the floor

Water on the floor, during the fill, the wash or the drain.

  1. Dry the floor completely so you can see where new water appears
  2. Run a short rinse and watch the inlet hose nuts, the filter cap and the drain hose clip in turn
  3. Check the detergent drawer is not overdosed and frothing out of the front
  4. If the floor is wet with every external joint dry, the leak is inside the cabinet — stop

THE JOB

How to fix a washing machine, in order

  1. Isolate the machine and set up

    10 min

    Switch off at the socket and pull the plug out; leave it out until the very last step. Turn the cold supply tap off behind the machine. Move anything off the top, put towels along the front and down both sides, and set out your tray, a torch and a bowl for whatever you fish out. Read the case that matches your fault in the section above, so you know which checks you are about to do and in what order.

    • Tape a note over the plug so nobody switches it back on while your hand is in the filter housing
    • Take a phone picture of the hoses at the back before you move the machine, so they go back the same way
    • Open a window if the drum water has been standing a day; it will smell

    Mistake to avoid: Working with the plug in because the display is off. The pump and the heater can still be live at the terminals.

  2. Drain the water through the emergency tube

    20 min

    Open the small flap at the bottom front. If there is a short tube clipped beside the filter, pull it out, hold its end over the tray and remove the stopper. Let it run until the tray is two-thirds full, put the stopper back, empty the tray and repeat. It is slow because it is meant to be. Only when the flow stops do you move on to the filter itself. If your model has no tube, the filter is the drain: loosen it a quarter turn at a time and let the water come out in a controlled trickle.

    • Swap trays before the first one is full; once a tray overflows you cannot stop the flow quickly
    • Lift the back of the machine a little with a helper to tip the last water forward
    • Keep a towel wrapped round your hand; the filter cap is slippery

    Mistake to avoid: Unscrewing the filter all the way on a full drum. Several litres arrive at once, and the tray will not hold them.

  3. Take out and clear the pump filter

    15 min

    Turn the filter anti-clockwise and draw it out. Pick off the fluff and hair, then rinse the mesh under the tap and brush it with an old toothbrush. Shine a torch into the empty housing: you are looking for a coin, a hair grip or an underwire behind the filter, and at the small impeller at the back. With the power off and the plug out, the impeller should turn freely if you nudge it with a finger. Refit the filter by turning it clockwise until it is firm, and close the flap.

    • Underwires and hair grips are the classic jam; a pair of long tweezers reaches what fingers do not
    • The filter must sit square; a cross-threaded cap leaks on the next wash
    • Smear a trace of washing-up liquid on the seal ring if it is dry and grabbing

    Mistake to avoid: Forcing the filter or levering it with a screwdriver. A cracked filter housing is a part inside the cabinet, and an engineer's job.

  4. Check the drain hose and the standpipe

    15 min

    With a helper, ease the machine forward until you can see the back. Follow the grey drain hose from the machine to where it goes into the standpipe or the sink trap. Look for kinks behind the machine, where it is easy to crush the hose against the wall. Measure how far the hose end goes down the standpipe and how high its highest point sits above the floor, and compare those with your manual. If it goes to a sink trap, take the hose off the trap spigot and check the spigot is not blocked with old food from the sink.

    • A plastic clip on the back of the machine holds the hose in a loop at the right height; use it
    • A new sink trap with an appliance spigot often has a blanking disc that has to be cut out before the hose will drain
    • Run a kettle of hot water through a sluggish standpipe; grease from the sink sets in the bend

    Mistake to avoid: Pushing the drain hose deep into the standpipe so it cannot pop out. It forms an airtight seal and siphons the drum empty as it fills.

  5. Check the supply: tap, inlet hose and its filter mesh

    15 min

    With the supply tap off, undo the inlet hose at the tap end and catch the water in a cup. Look into the hose end: there is often a small mesh filter, which collects grit and scale and slows the fill. Rinse it under the tap and refit it. Check the hose along its length for kinks, bulges or cracking near the nuts; a bulging hose is replaced, not repaired. Reconnect hand-tight, add a quarter turn with pliers, open the tap and look for drips at both ends.

    • Rubber washers in the hose nuts harden with age; a new hose comes with new washers
    • The cold feed is the blue-handled tap on most installations; the machine heats its own water
    • Do not use thread tape on a hose with a rubber washer; it stops the washer seating

    Mistake to avoid: Overtightening the plastic hose nut with a spanner. It cracks the nut or the valve thread on the machine, and that valve is inside the cabinet.

  6. Check the power: socket, plug and fuse

    10 min

    If the machine was dead, plug a working lamp into the same socket. A dead lamp means the circuit: look at the consumer unit for a tripped switch, and if it trips again when you reset it, leave it off and call an electrician. A live lamp with a dead machine means the plug: unscrew the plug top, check the cord grip holds the outer sheath and the wires are tight, then fit a new 13 A fuse and try again. Any scorching, melted plastic or a smell of burning, and you stop.

    • Plug the machine straight into a wall socket; an extension lead overheats under a heater's load
    • Some machines have a child lock or a delay timer that makes them look dead; check the display before the fuse
    • If the fuse blows again straight away, the fault is in the machine and you have found your stop

    Mistake to avoid: Fitting a bigger fuse, or a bridged one, to stop it blowing. The fuse is the only thing protecting the cable, and it blew for a reason.

  7. Level the machine and check the load

    20 min

    Lay a spirit level across the top, side to side and front to back. With a helper, tilt the machine back to reach the front feet; turn them clockwise to raise and anti-clockwise to lower, a turn at a time, then lower it and check again. When it is level and does not rock when you press each corner, tighten the lock nuts above the feet so they cannot creep. Then look at how you load it: a single heavy item cannot be balanced by the drum and will bang every time.

    • On a new or moved machine, check the transit bolts in the back panel are out and the blanking caps are in
    • A machine on a floating floor or a tiled plinth may need an anti-vibration mat
    • Add two or three small items to a single towel or dressing gown so the drum can balance

    Mistake to avoid: Leaving the lock nuts loose. The feet unwind on the first few spins and the machine walks again.

  8. Clean the drawer, the seal and the drum

    30 min

    Pull the detergent drawer out by pressing the release in the softener section, take it apart and soak it in warm soapy water while you clean the housing behind it with a damp cloth and a bottle brush. Fold back the door seal and wipe out the bottom fold, where coins, hair and mould sit; a weak bleach solution on a cloth lifts black spots on a sound seal. Check the seal for splits by running your fingers round it. Then run an empty hot maintenance wash with a machine cleaner and no laundry.

    • Leave the door and the drawer ajar between washes; a closed wet drum grows mould
    • One maker suggests cleaning the drawer every four or five washes and the seal monthly
    • Wipe the seal dry after the maintenance wash, not just the drum

    Mistake to avoid: Running the cleaning wash with laundry in. The cleaner needs the full hot cycle on an empty drum to work.

  9. Test it, then put it back

    30 min

    Push the machine back with the hoses in the loops you photographed, keeping the drain hose clear of the wall. Plug in, switch on, open the tap and run a short rinse and spin with nothing in it. Kneel beside it for the first fill and the first drain, and look at the filter cap, the inlet nuts and the drain hose. If it fills, drains and spins quietly, you are done. If the same fault code comes back with the filter clear and the hoses right, the fault is inside, and this is where you stop.

    • Keep the towels down for the first full wash
    • Note the fault code shown, if any; the engineer will want it
    • Put a date on the inside of the filter flap so you know when you last cleared it

    Mistake to avoid: Pushing the machine back hard against the wall. The drain hose crushes behind it and the drain fault returns on the next wash.

The mistakes that make it worse

  • Working on the filter with the plug still in, because the display looks off
  • Unscrewing the filter fully on a drum full of water
  • Pushing the drain hose deep into the standpipe and creating a siphon
  • Fitting a bigger fuse to stop it blowing instead of asking why it blows
  • Pulling off the lid or the back to look inside

Stop here and get a washing machine repair engineer

  • The fault code returns with the filter clear, the hoses right and the impeller turning
  • The drum rumbles, grinds or has play when you rock it — the bearings and the drum assembly are an engineer's job
  • The fuse blows again at once, the circuit trips, or there is any sign of burning
  • Water leaks from inside the cabinet, or the door lock, pump, heater or motor needs replacing
How to hire a washing machine engineer →

Washing machine will not drain, water left in the drumUsually the pump filter, then a kink or blockage in the drain hose or sink spigot. Drain through the emergency tube, clear the filter, check the impeller turns, then follow the drain hose to the standpipe.
Water empties out of the drum while it is fillingSiphoning: the drain hose is too deep in the standpipe or too low. Pull the hose back so no more than the manual's figure sits inside the pipe and lift the loop with the clip on the back.
Machine fills very slowly or shows a water supply faultThe supply tap is part closed, the inlet hose is kinked, or the mesh in the hose end is blocked with grit. Turn off, undo the hose, rinse the mesh and refit.
Loud banging on the spinOut of level, transit bolts left in, or a single heavy item in the drum. Level it and lock the nuts; add small items to balance a heavy one. A rumble like gravel is bearings — stop.
Washing machine smells, grey marks on clothesDetergent and softener residue from cool washes. Clean the drawer and its housing, wipe the seal fold, clear the filter and run an empty hot wash with a machine cleaner.
Puddle under the front after a washCheck the filter cap first, then the drawer for overdosing, then the door seal for a split. A puddle with every outside joint dry means a leak inside the cabinet.
Machine completely deadTest the socket with a lamp, then the plug fuse. If the new fuse blows at once, or the circuit trips, the fault is in the machine or the wiring — stop and call an engineer or an electrician.
Door will not open at the endMost doors stay locked while there is water in the drum or for a short safety delay after. Drain through the filter, switch off, wait, and try again; never force the handle.

WHAT YOU SAVE

What it costs to do it yourself

Descaler or machine cleaner, one bottle£5–£10
13 A plug fuses, pack of four£1–£2
Replacement inlet hose£7–£10
Replacement drain hose, by model£20–£25
Total, a typical drain or fill fault£5–£50
DIY total£5–£50
A washing machine engineer charges per repair
LOW
£70
TYPICAL
£125
HIGH
£400
Washing Machine Repair price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

Most drain and fill faults cost nothing but the hour. If you need a hose or a seal, you are still well under an engineer's call-out; if the fault is inside the cabinet, the price guide band is what the repair costs.

RATHER NOT?

Washing machine engineers near you, with prices shown

The ones who cover your area, nearest first, with one score from every review. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

Run a short check wash

Watch the first fill and drain with the towels still down, then the first full wash. A dry floor after a full cycle means the joints are sound.

Keep up the owner's maintenance

Clear the filter monthly, clean the drawer every few washes, wipe the seal fold and leave the door open between washes. A monthly hot empty wash keeps the smell away if you wash cool.

Dispose of old parts and the machine properly

A split hose or seal goes in your general waste. A whole machine is electrical waste: the retailer selling you a like-for-like replacement must take the old one back free, or your council collects it as a bulky item or takes it at the household waste recycling centre. Never leave it out for anyone who offers to take it unless they hold a waste carrier registration.

Register the machine

Register it with the maker if you have not, so a safety notice reaches you, and write the model number on the side.

Fixing a washing machine that will not drain, spin or fill: questions people ask

Nine times out of ten it is the pump filter, a kinked drain hose or a blocked sink spigot. Unplug it, drain through the emergency tube or the filter into a shallow tray, clear the filter and check the impeller turns, then follow the drain hose to the standpipe.

One maker suggests once a month, and more often if you wash pet bedding or heavily soiled work clothes. Clear it straight away if the machine drains slowly, makes a grinding noise on the drain or the cycles run long.

One maker puts the maximum at 15 cm inside the pipe, with the highest point of the hose 40–100 cm above the floor. Too deep or too low and the machine siphons; your manual gives the figures for your model.

Not as a home job. It means stripping the machine down to the drum, often splitting a sealed tub, and it involves the wired parts and a heavy drum on springs. It is the classic point to call an engineer, and on many machines the repair costs close to a new one.

No. Behind the panels are mains wiring, the heater and the motor. The owner's work is the filter, drawer, seal, hoses, fuse and feet, with the plug out; inside the cabinet is an engineer's.

On the Locufy UK price guide a repair costs £70–£400 per repair, typically £125. The low end is a call-out and a simple part; the high end is bearings, a motor or a control board, which is often when people replace the machine instead.

MORE GUIDES

More DIY guides

Fixing a dishwasher that will not clean or drainFixing a tumble dryer that takes too long or will not startFixing a fridge freezer that is too warm, iced up or leakingFault-finding an oven, hob or cooker hoodRegrouting tilesPainting a roomHanging wallpaperSpray painting small items outdoors
All 90 DIY guides →How to hire a washing machine engineer →Washing Machine Repair price guide →Washing machine engineers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Beko — how to clean a washing machine's pump filter (monthly; drain through the emergency hose)
  2. Beko — common causes of washing machine problems (water flow test, inlet hose, 13 A fuse, loading)
  3. Beko — how to stop water siphonage: drain hose 15 cm into the standpipe, 40–100 cm high
  4. Beko — how to clean a washing machine (drawer, seal, 70°C self-clean)
  5. Beko — how to level a washing machine
  6. HSE — portable appliance testing FAQs: the user's visual check
  7. HSE — manual handling at work, a brief guide (INDG143): the lifting risk filter
  8. GOV.UK — WEEE regulations: free like-for-like take-back by retailers
  9. GOV.UK — dispose of household waste: electricals, the council and the recycling centre
  10. Beko spare parts shop — washing machine parts, price check October 2026
  11. Wickes — appliance hoses, price check October 2026
  12. Wickes — 13 A fuses, price check October 2026
  13. Wickes — descalers, price check October 2026