Why is the washing machine drum not spinning?

In standard washing machines, things are washed in a special perforated drum, therefore, the fact that the drum of the washing machine does not spin can be found out only by the quality of washing and spinning. Most often, with such problems, the laundry is almost not washed off and is not wrung out. If you, expertly, loaded laundry, covered in powder, and upon returning you saw that the washing machine does not spin the drum - what should I do? First of all, disconnect the washing machine from the outlet, and drain the water using the drain filter (this element is located in the lower part of the front panel in the small hatch), remove the laundry and try to understand at what stage the drum stopped spinning and the rotation stopped.

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How to determine the stopping time?

The washing process may be interrupted in the following situations:

• In spin mode. If you open the drum and the laundry in it is not soapy, but wet, it means that the problem arose during the spin cycle. That is, all the necessary procedures with a washing machine were performed, but at the last stage something went wrong. Sometimes the drum spins normally during washing, and the problem occurs already directly on the spin. So, in this case, the balance of the drum is upset. Washing machines of modern models are equipped with a special system for recognizing the occurrence of unbalance. In the event of such a problem, the machine reaches spin and turns off due to the fact that the drum cannot gain the desired speed. There may be a situation when the drum of the washing machine does not spin, if things are incorrectly distributed in the container that are knocked together (for example, in a duvet cover) or insufficient load by weight.

Important! You can solve the problem without outside help - just turn off the machine and distribute the stray things evenly across the drum, and then run the washing cycle again or just start the spin cycle.

• The drum stops during washing. If when you open the top or front cover of the drum of the washing machine, things turn out to be soapy, which means that the drum did not rotate during the washing phase.

Important! Using an external force (i.e., with your hand), check if the drum is spinning at all:

1. if you managed to crank it without much effort, then still the drum did not spin during washing;
2. if the drum cannot be moved, it means that it is jammed.

In order to save money, some housewives erase everything at once, loading the drum to the maximum, contrary to all instructions and recommendations. New models of washing machines will immediately display a critical error on the screen, and if there is no such program, the machine will simply stall. Therefore, try first of all to pull out half of the laundry from the unit and start washing again. If the device starts to work as expected, then there is no reason for sadness, but if the desired effect did not happen, most likely one of the parts of the washing machine failed. Let's try to figure out what exactly could break.

Important! Depending on the model of the washing machine or during operation, the equipment may vibrate violently and even jump. Find out in our separate articles how to deal with this:

1. How to install a washing machine so that it does not jump?
2. Anti-vibration stands for the washing machine.

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Why doesn't the drum spin in the washing machine?

There may be several reasons why the washing process did not start due to the stillness of the drum. Consider the most common of them.

Belt damage

In belt-driven washing machines, a special belt is used to rotate the drum, which is stretched between the engine and the drum itself. During prolonged use, the drive belt may stretch, fray, move out of place, or simply break. This can occur both from wear and tear, and from drying out due to prolonged inactivity.

You can check the integrity of the belt when the washing machine is turned off as follows: if the drum rotates freely while rotating the hand and there is no noise from the engine, then the drive belt is damaged.

In case of a belt malfunction, it must be replaced.

Important! If the belt has fallen off, then you can install it in place according to the same principle as a chain is put on a bicycle. To check the location and integrity of the belt, remove one of the walls of the washing machine.

Useful Tips:

• If the belt is stretched or torn, then replace it with a new belt with the same characteristics so that in the near future there is no problem that the drum of the washing machine does not spin. Marking with the characteristics of the drive belt is applied to its outer surface. The marking indicates the number, size of wedges, belt length.
• Ideally, the drive belt should be tensioned like a string. If it is intended to control the degree of tension of the element, then in it one of the mounting holes is made in the form of a groove, not a circle.
• To install a new belt, remove the back of the machine, start the replacement process from the drum pulley. With one hand, hold the belt on the pulley, and with the other, gently, with a little effort, rotate the pulley until the belt is completely seated on the tank pulley.

Worn motor brushes

During operation, the motor brushes wear out and become shorter. As a result of this, the electric motor does not create the necessary electromagnetic field for the rotation of the engine. At a time when the brushes will wear off to the extent that they can no longer touch the collector, the engine stops working, which means that the drum of the machine does not spin. To solve this problem, you need to replace the brushes.

Before installing the brushes, you must:

• clean the collector from contamination;
• disassemble the washing machine motor.

You can do this as follows:

1. Remove the back of the device (if necessary, put the machine on its side).
2. Remove the fastening screws (2 to 4) to remove the engine.
3. Disconnect the engine and its wiring.
4. Remove the contacts along with the wires with the brush mark. Be sure to remember in which direction the corner of the brush is sharpened, and in a similar position, install a new one.

Important! After installing two new brushes, scroll the engine pulley and listen to how much it makes noise during operation. If a loud noise is heard, the installation of the brushes is incorrect.

5. Install the engine in the reverse order.

Important! Often, brush malfunctions are most often encountered by owners of Ariston's Hotpoint washing machines. Therefore, when choosing the model that suits you, consider this factor.

Malfunction of the electronic module

An electronic module controls the operation of all components of the washing machine. This is the so-called “brain” of the device, and if it does not give the drum a signal that it is time to wash, then the drum itself will remain motionless. The causes of breakdown of the electronic module (programmer) are voltage surges or natural wear.

Repair and checking the status of the control module can only be done by specialized craftsmen with special skills and knowledge, because during the repair process a “flashing” of the control board or its complete replacement is necessary.

Important! Self-repair of this part can lead to disastrous consequences.

Motor fault

The electric motor crashes extremely rarely, and they say about such moments: “the motor has burned out”. Such a serious breakdown can also cause the washing machine drum to not spin. A problem may arise due to voltage drops, as well as in the event that water gets into the engine.

Diagnostics and understanding whether a breakdown has occurred here can be done as follows: if the washing machine works as usual with an empty drum and knocks plugs when loading laundry, then in this case the starter or rotor winding breaks. So - the engine will not spin the drum.

Important! Such a breakdown must be repaired, but a complete analysis of the device with subsequent diagnosis and, possibly, with the replacement of the entire electric motor will be required. In such cases, it is better to contact the specialists in the service center, especially when the washing machine is on warranty service.

Bearing failure

If during the rotation of the drum by hand it does not budge or rotates very, very tightly, accompanying movements with a rattle and creak, then the cause of the breakdown is damage to two parts of the washing machine: the stuffing box and the bearing.

The seal is a sealing seal that protects the bearings from water. During operation, the integrity of the oil seal is violated, and water seeps into the bearings, which can flush grease from them and lead to corrosion. Damage to the bearings causes the drum to “wedge”.

Important! To eliminate the breakdown, it is necessary to replace the bearings and stuffing box. Changing parts yourself is quite difficult. This requires a complete disassembly of household appliances with a drumTherefore, it is better to entrust the troubleshooting process to a professional master.

Filter clogging

The reason that the drum of the Indesit, Samsung, Bosch, Zanussi, Ariston, LG washing machine does not spin may be a clogged filter, since in the event of a breakdown, the washing machine performs an emergency stop and stops the washing process.

In this situation, the machine itself is often blocked and it becomes very difficult to open the door. You can fix the problem and clean the filter yourself. For this:

1. Carefully read the instructions for the model of your washing machine, which shows the location of the filter, and the process of extracting this part.
2. Before dismantling the filter, cover the floor next to the washing machine with rags, as water may spill from household appliances during use.
3. Sequentially disassemble the unit to the location of the filter, take it out and clean of scale, dirt.
4. Replace and reassemble the instrument.

Important! In some cases, you can get to the filter by opening the decorative panel, which is located in the lower part of the housing, and to remove the filter, just turn the handle located on its front wall counterclockwise.

Foreign object in typewriter

Very often, during washing from pockets of clothes, various small objects get into the drum, which, being between the tank and the drum, violate the normal rotation of the parts.

To make sure that a foreign object is a problem with the rotation of the drum, try spinning it manually. If the drum does not rotate, then a piece of clothing or a small part is stuck between the drum and the tank. To locate a foreign object, slowly roll the drum by hand and light a flashlight through the openings.

You can remove a foreign object by removing the heater and, through the hole obtained, remove the item. You can use hooks made of wire and magnets for this purpose.

Important! If a foreign object is stuck on the side or top, then in order to remove it, you need to disassemble the tank itself.

Arbitrary opening of the leaflets of the drum

In models of machines with vertical loading, situations may arise in which the flaps of the drum open directly during the washing process. Although the design of the valves excludes their unauthorized opening, but this situation is not uncommon.

The worst situation that can lead to arbitrary opening of the valves is the destruction of the tank and the deformation of the drum. In such situations, as a rule, the flaps open easily.

Severe drum damage can prevent the machine from unlocking, which means that you need to consult a specialist to correct the situation.

Important! If your washing machine cannot be repaired, or its cost is almost the cost of a new one, then it's time to choose a new technique. On our site of useful tips you will find descriptions of the best models of washing machines of various types:

• Rating of washing machines with dryer.
• Best Top-loading Washing Machines - Rating.
• Rating of washing machines in quality and reliability.

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Other possible causes of malfunctions

If none of the above situations applies to you, check out what else there may be reasons why the drum of the washing machine does not spin:

1. Engine capacitor. On older models of washing machines, the capacitor may be defective. It has the shape of a cylinder and looks like a noise filter. The part is located near the engine or in the upper part, inside the housing of household appliances. If the capacitor fails, the engine will not work, and accordingly - the drum will not rotate. In this case, it is necessary to replace the capacitor with a new one.
2. Engine coil tachometer failure.
3. Pressure switch malfunctioning.
4. Blocking pressure in the system.
5. There is a problem with the pump. If the water does not drain normally, then the drum may rotate poorly at high speeds.

Important! If the belt is not damaged and unbalance is excluded, then the nature of the cause of the breakdown is deeper, and it is quite difficult to find it yourself without a specialist diagnosis.

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Stock footage

The reasons why the drum does not spin in the washing machine are many, and improper operation or use of poor-quality detergents can lead to a problem. During operation, be sure to follow the recommendations of manufacturers of household appliances and carry out the washing process according to the instructions. We hope that the information in the article will help you diagnose and determine the cause of the breakdown, and maybe fix the situation yourself. And let your household appliances work for many years without creating problems!