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Fisher Paykel Washer WA42T26 GW1 Water left in tub

popster
10 years ago

My Fisher Paykel WA42T26 GW1 washer has developed a problem, At the end of the (any) spin cycle it leaves a bit of water in the tub. As the tub stops, a small amount of water sloshes back into the bottom of the basket.

The pump does drain the machine and the diverter is working properly. I ran the machine with the top open to verify. (made a jig to do this)

It appears that a small amount of water is somehow kept against the side of the tub and then drops down when the spin slows down.

I'm wondering if some drainage holes in the tub are blocked. Any ideas?

I cannot at this time remove the agitator. Do I need to make a jig to unscrew the know hold the agitator in place?

Comments (14)

  • dadoes
    10 years ago

    There are no drainage holes in the basket that would be related to this situation.

    Possibly the diverter is not fully shifting to drain position, which allows a bit of the pump flow (draining the extracted water during spin) to pass to the recirculation port.

    The agitator nut shouldn't be so tight as to not unscrew by hand ... but you'll have to devise some method of attack if it is ... although the agitator does not need to be removed to deal with the diverter.

  • popster
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    OK. I will remove agitator and basket and see what it looks like. While I'm at it I will check the diverter for debris. My wife has rabbits for pets and this machine does yeoman's work with small blankets, towels,, and rubber backed throws. I will let you know what I find.

    BTW, no water comes out the diverter during spin, but that doesn't mean some couldn't be forced up the hose. Is there anything in the physical nature of the tub that could clog and prevent it from draining completely. I have heard water sloshing in the bottom at times. I don't think it was the sealed balance chamber, but am not sure.

  • popster
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    It just occurred to me that I may need to check the leveling. Sometimes there will be 3 throw rugs in the machine that set it thumping and banging. I will give some attention to see if the machine is still level.

  • dadoes
    10 years ago

    Is there anything in the physical nature of the tub that could clog and prevent it from draining completely. The tub outlet, which has a shield over it to protect against foreign objects getting into the pump, could get clogged with lint, hair, debris from the rugs, etc. The pump and diverter can also get clogged.

    The machine physically cannot spin until all the water is drained ... or enough of it to unfloat (defloat?) the inner basket so it can engage the drive cog. Spin apparently is working so there's not enough obstruction to 100% interfere with draining but the pump-out rate could be significantly reduced.

    If the basket settles to engage the drive cog but enough water is left in the outer tub due to slow drain rate to be kicked-up by the spin, then the control board should trigger a fault code by way of the water level pressure sensor.

    There are slots in the base of the inner basket under the agitator, unlikely clogging would happen there. Water extracted from the clothes during spin exits through the perforations.

  • popster
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I took off the agitator today and it had large build-up of hard crud blocking some of the bottom slots. Nasty, but not likely given then physical configuration of the tub with the drainage slots to stop the draining.

    The machine seem to stick on the rinse cycle.

    I will pull the machine, remove the tub and inspect it as well as the diverter and water pump.

    I found the two front screws to remove the top so I can pull the tub, but have yet to find the two rear screws.

    I will post picture of the crud/agitator tomorrow.

  • dadoes
    10 years ago

    but have yet to find the two rear screws. There are no rear screws involved in pulling the inner basket.

    The machine top does not need to be removed, just raised up ... have a helper hold it.
    - detach the bias spring from the left/front suspension rod
    - remove the tub cover
    - the inner basket then simply lifts out of the tub
    - it can be stuck to the drive shaft in some instances but nothing holds it to the shaft except the agitator-and-nut so keep working/pulling until it comes loose

    Chronic off-balance and excess vibrations can be caused by worn springs and dampeners on the suspension rods. Your machine shouldn't be aged enough to have that problem but depends on how aggressive are the usage habits. Precise front-back/side-side leveling isn't crucial as long as the machine is not grossly off-kilter and is stable on all four corners.

  • popster
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks for the reply. Here's where the project stands:

    I removed the basket and found nothing out of the ordinary. The sump was clear of debris. I put it back together.

    I pulled the diverter. There was some calcium deposit on it that I tried to clean a bit. All hoses were clear as well as the pump.

    Will great hope I reassembled it and gave it a try. Same problem! I unplugged it and let it stand to give the diverter wax motor a chance to be without power. I then plugged it in and immediately went to spin. The same problem, although there was not as much water.

    Again, after the spin as the drum slows to a stop, water sloshes from the side of the tub into the basket.

    Do you know how much clearence there is between the bottom of the basket and the tub.

    I'm thinking the diverter valve is not closing all the way.

    Any thoughts?

  • dadoes
    10 years ago

    Test the diverter via diagnostic mode. You can do that with the tub cover off if that'd help for a better view of any dribbles out of the recirculation port.

    You can search the Laundry Room forum for previous posts detailing diverter testing in diagnostic mode (same procedure as GWL11), or I will outline the procedure again here if needed.

    Rare possibility ... the upper balance ring on the basket is cracked and water is leaking out of it (some water may get into it through the crack during filling or spin-sprays). This would also be a factor in the off-balance situations you mention. As you may know, there are balance rings at top and bottom of the basket, half-filled with water and sealed to provide a gyroscopic balance effect during spin. The machine will not function properly if the rings are compromised. A way to confirm the proper water charge in them is weigh the basket. It should be 23.1 lbs +/- 9.7 oz.

  • popster
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Here is pic of agitator. This is after I scraped the crud loose from the slots at the base.

  • dadoes
    10 years ago

    Those slots in the agitator are not so much related to draining as to lint control. I was referring to the base/bottom of the inner basket regards to draining.

    How often do you run the machine cleaning cycle as described in the user manual?

    Liquid detergent? Cold-water washing?

  • popster
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Problem solved! I wanted to thank you dadoes for your help. I feel a bit ashamed for letting this get out of control and for not opening my eyes when I had the tub out of the machine.

    The crud built up on the outside of the drum was so thick that it had slowly blocked the slits in the drum. Thus, much of the water on the rinse and spin cycles was trapped in the drum with the clothes. This cause out of balance problem, caused the machine to sense problems due to too much weight (?), and kept the clothes wet.

    I fashioned a piece of plastic to act as the lid plunger and was able to run the machine without the lid. As the machine stopped spinning, I could see water slosh down the side of the was tub and settle in the bottom of the tub.

    The first picture shows the tub blocked by the crud.

    The second picture (next message) shows the slits in the tub cleaned after using a 3000 psi power washer with 0 degree tip! I use this setup to blast commercial crab pots clean. Notice it still was unable to clean the calcified crud from the stainless tub. Any suggestions as to what I can use to soften this crud so that I could power wash it clean?

  • popster
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Here's the tub with the slits opened!

    I feel rather foolish, but thought that this might help others with a similar problem.

    Again, thanks dadoes for your help!

  • popster
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    One last thought. I will now run Affresh every 2-3 months and will power wash at six months to see how it goes.

    BTW, we used Sears HE powder in the machine- perhaps too much of it.....

    This post was edited by popster on Sat, Jun 14, 14 at 2:28

  • dadoes
    9 years ago

    Insufficient detergent is more likely to cause mineral deposit accumulation than overdosing ... particularly since phosphates have been removed from detergents and the substituted ingredients are less efficient at dealing with hard water.

    Washing soda (sodium carbonate) is a common ingredient in powder detergents for water softening purposes but a poor substitute for phosphates ... problem is it generates a precipitate which can accumulate on the machine parts.

    Complex phosphates such as STPP (sodium tripolyphosphate) do not generate a precipitate. Since you're clearly having a problem with mineral deposits, you might consider adding a couple tablespoons of STPP to every wash for a while to see what's the effect.

    STPP can be bought at ChemistryStore.com and other sources.

    Do not substitute TSP (trisodium phosphate) which can be found at Lowe's and such (sold as a general-purpose cleaner, such as washing driveways and walls for painting prep). TSP also generates a precipitate.