noisy water drain pump in a FL---what does it mean?

[passatdoc]

Hey folks, I have a Frigidaire 2140 purchased March 2006, hence 5 1/2 years with excellent performance until now.

Over the weekend, I did several loads of laundry while working in the garage. My laundry area is located in the garage, so I can hear the noise(s) the machines make. What caught my attention was that the noise made by the water pump (the one that drains the machine) was 2-3 times as loud as usual for both loads. The machine appeared to cycle at the normal interval times (i.e. drain did not "stick") and all cycles completed normally, and clothes had the usual degree of moisture after final spin.

The pump operates during final spin. Normally, the noise created by the spinning drum obliterates the pump noise, but this time I could hear the pump above the noise of the spinning drum.

I did two loads this morning and now the pump sounds normal, the same volume as it used to be, and both cycles completed normally.

Anyone know what this might mean? I don't know whether there is a coin trap in the machine or how to access it---I have read other posts here that the 2140 and 2940 have coin traps but that they are not user-accessible (unless you know how to take apart the machine). Could the louder than normal noise last Saturday have had something to do with foreign debris caught in the pump that then cleared itself? I didn't hear any clanging or metallic sound, just the usual sound (grinding noise, like a quiet garbage disposal) but three times normal volume. Water seemed to pump out normally and clothes were the usual level of dryness.

I'm baffled. Do pumps on their way out sometimes vary in noise level? Or could this have been debris that cleared? Thanks in advance for your answers/help.

 

[joe_in_philly]

It could be that something was caught in the pump, but it has since passed through. Or maybe the pump is getting near the end of its life. There is a trap that is accessed by taking off the bottom front panel of my washer - perhaps your washer is the same. I have never found anything in the trap, however. It is supposed to catch large items like buttons that could cause the pump problems, not little things such as lint.

I had an issue with the drain pump on my Whirlpool made Kenmore HE3t washer. After about a year, the pump worked fine but sounded much louder. I had it replaced under the service agreement, and keeping the original pump as a backup. The new pump was quiet at first, then was just as loud as the original, if not more so. It worked for about 4 years, then it actually started to get quieter - worked intermittently, then stopped working completely. I put back the original pump and it lasted about 3 years longer. It too got quieter before it stopped working. The newest pump has remained quiet, although it is supposed to have been redesigned. I believe the original pump was of a defective design.

Perhaps someone with more knowledge of pumps can chime in.

 

[passatdoc]

Do you know how much the pumps cost? Is this a reasonably priced item? Splitting the work between two pumps seems to have extended your machine's life, but then again you had it replaced under warranty. So far it was noisy twice on Saturday, but then quiet on the last two cycles today.

 

[yogitunes]

I have a 2940 that gets loud about every 2 years, and gets replaced under warranty, have no idea as to why it does this, Normally I don't hear the machine until the final spin, bu as of this very second its running, and I can tell when the pump turns on......fortunately I have a 10 year warranty, so its covered.....but still works fine, noise or not, so who knows how long it will actually last, but once I start hearing it I call for service......

check around for prices for a new one, they can vary......

 

[passatdoc]

I heard it more during the drain after each rinse. It would start out sounding kind of normal, but then get louder gradually. By the time most of the water had drained (based on hearing no more water flow through the exhaust hose), it was about three times as loud as normal. Because I was listening for trouble during final spin, I could (barely) hear the pump over the drum whine, but I don't think I would have noticed it had I not been privy to the increasing volume of the pump during each drain phase. Otherwise seemed to work normally. I only hope it was just something caught in the pump that broke free and not a sign of impending doom.

 

[rp2813]

My Affinity is three years old and the pump has been loud for most of that time. Lately it has developed an occasionally gravely sound.

 

Now that the door is sagging to the point one must lift it to snap it shut, and now that there's a scraping noise from behind when doing heavier loads, I'm going to call to get all of those things fixed under the extended warranty.

 

[combo52]

FRIGIGDARE FL AND TL WASHERS & DRYERS

Are by far the most troublesome and cheaply built laundry appliances in the USA. Followed closely by GE. While many from both of these brands  are good to even great performers I just can't see any reason why folks like us would ever buy these junky laundry appliances WE SHOULD KNOW BETTER.

 

I always look for good performance, with good LONG Term durability coupled with easy minor and major repairs. And always skip the extended warranty, if you have to buy an extended warranty to feel good about buying a particular appliance you are buying the wrong appliance. And if you think that you can not afford repairs on an appliance that you are buying you are buying too expensive an appliance for your income. Statistics show that less than 1 in 10 people get a good deal with an extended contract and they almost always guarantee inferior service with it taking extra trips to get anything fixed correctly.

 

[joe_in_philly]

To answer your question, my pump was around $100. I found it some $30 less on amazon than if I ordered it from from Sears or Whirlpool. You may want to research the best deal on you machine's pump so you are ready to order one if it stops working. I am not very handy, but was able to remove my washer's front panel and replace the pump. It did come with installation directions.

Here is the link to my pump-obviously your washer is a different brand and will use a different pump.

http://www.amazon.com/Whirlpool-Clo...BDL6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314236902&sr=8-1

 

[rp2813]

John, make no mistake.  I have learned my lesson with regard to Frigidaire anything.  At the time we purchased, we had left a very capable Duet pair behind at our previous home and were restricted to a standard footprint in our new laundry room, and only Frigidaire offered large capacity in a cabinet that would fit.  I would not have gone with Frigidaire otherwise.

 

[arbilab]

I bought a Frigi FL in 1998, knowing nothing of the brand reputation, just that it had a window and Maytag Neptune didn't. Guess what? 13 years on, the Frigi works fine, while the Maytags from the same time were--- well I was going to say 'dogs' but that would disparage dogs and I like dogs.

Nothing except perhaps transport ships and airplanes is made to last today. Shameful really, since we know HOW to do it and choose NOT to.

 

[peteski50]

Frigidaire!

My Mom has the 2140 for over 6 years now and is very pleased with it. I know 3 other people that have Affinities and are very happy. My friend Louis has the newer version of the Affinity and he is very pleased. The only people I know that have had problems were from the origional units with bearing problems. But to myself these are the best styled FL units in that they get right to the point and the cycle times are quick compared to other FL machines. I wish they would make a combo unit.

 

[passatdoc]

Did several more loads last night, including a heavy load of six new bath towels, and no problems whatsoever re: pump noise.

Joe in Philly advised looking for a pump to have on hand "just in case", RepairClinic carries it for $98 and there is a four minute video to guide the owner. Doesn't look too complicated, except that I have a dryer stacked on top of the washer, so I would need to enlist a friend to help me unstack and later restack it.

Other than the increased pump noise on two loads (and it seems to have disappeared), there have been no issues with this washer or its matching 1442 dryer in their 5 1/2 year service life. In retrospect, I wish I had bought one model higher, the 2940, because it has Auto Temp Control and variable delay timer. Without ATC, my 2140 uses cold water line water for a Cold wash, which is really too cold for anything except in the hottest part of summer; if it were mixed with hot water to assure 65-70 F, then I'd use Cold washes more frequently.

I use the delay wash fairly frequently, but originally I thought it was a gimmick when I purchased in 20006. 2140 has a fixed eight hour delay, so if you want the washer to start up at 04:30, you have to set it up at 20:30 the night before. It would be nice to have a six hour (or less) delay for when I come home at 23:00 and want to set up a load to run and complete before I wake up at 05:30. We now have smart electric meters in our area and I think the time is coming when the local power company will charge different rates based on time of day, so I see delay wash as being an even more valuable feature in the future.

 

[westie2]

The pump and the trap (elbow hose) is under the front panel on the right side. Thehose to the pump from the drain has the pinch type clamps and are faily easy to take off but a PIA to put back on. Ours had a rattle and was semi blocked (was one of the Purex 3 in one sheets)a button was the rattle causing noise with the sheet causing a semi plus. Also got 45 in coin out. I have a big sign on the wall No Purex sheets and check and double check the pockets.

Was a five minute job to take off but a 20 minute job getting it back. Very small space even with needle nose. I have fat fingers a slimmer finger would be easier to work with it.

The two screws that holp the panel are at the bottom and you have to pull out the washe and tilt back and use block to help hold it up. Our washer and dryer are stacked too.

Do this first before you go buy a new pump.