Twin tub won't drain/spin and emits loud sound HELP?

[summerluvin_ca]

I need some help to figure out what this could be, and if i can quick fix this myself because I've been scrubbing the clothes using washboards.

I bought a twin tub (bradford brand which is made in japan) and posted here earlier in the year. It worked wonderfully up until a month or so ago, when all of the sudden it refused to drain the water from the wash basin, it just flooded over into the spin dryer. It also would not spin out and emits a very loud noise when i turn the dials to drain or spinner. The wash basin still works though!

Can anyone help? Maybe you've encountered a similar issue? video links? something PUHLEASE?

thanks for any help you can give me.

 

[ronhic]

I'd suggest that the pump may be blocked or the drain hose kinked.

 

At the very least, it is one of the first places I would start and if you have a fairly good amount of wind in you, get the sink end of the discharge hose and blow with all your might down it - that may be sufficient to help dislodge something...

 

...make sure there is a small amount of water in both the spin can and the wash tub so you can hear if anything bubbles....

 

[summerluvin_ca]

Must be something else.

Thanks Ronhic, I did what you said and blew with all my might (my goodness that could read very badly ! LOL) and bubbles came out of both sides. The water that has been sitting in the spinner came up through an overflow within the wash tub.

So there doesn't seem to be a blockage, but it still will not work. What could possibly be making such a sound?

Has anyone done anything with pumps on a twin tub? or any video's of what I should be looking for? I'm thinking it may be something with the pump.

 

[arbilab]

Blocked pump effluent makes a CHANGE to the pump sound but it does not make a "loud noise". This must almost certainly be a mechanical fault in the pump. But I do not own this model so I can't suggest what it might be.

 

[74simon]

To clarify things - when you try to spin, does the spin can run as normal, or has it stopped working too?

 

I'm not familiar with these machines and how the pump works, but if you can get to the pump (most twin tubs have an access panel at the back that unscrews) there are a few things you can check.

 

once you've found the pump, check to see how it is driven. Belts or pump tyres can come off, snap or lose tension, but as you've mentioned noise, I suspect the pump may have seized - check this by trying to turn the pump pulley by hand, if it doesn't turn freely, then there's your problem!

 

If it is stiff or stuck, you might be able to work it free. Spray a bit of WD-40 or similar along the pump shaft, into the pump body, and then leave it a bit before trying to free it off. Try to waggle the pump pulley back and forth, firmly but not too hard as forcing it could cause damage. If that doesn't work, spray with more WD-40, and maybe leave it overnight if necessary. If you're successful, check the pump to see if there is a small hole on the pulley end for oil, if there is, add a few drop of light machine oil like 3 in 1.

 

Hope some of the above helps!

 

[gizmo]

Any chance of a photo please? It would help us identify what the actual manufacturer is. Bradford will be a local brand name, the machine will be a Toshiba, Sanyo, Hitachi or Panasonic most likely.

Most Japanese twinnies are pretty much the same any way. It will have a pump with a VERY small motor, and they get easily jammed with a bit of lint, grit or other foreign matter. It is usually easy to pull the pump out and check it out. It is integral pump/motor on one shaft, there is no belt or pulley.

Disconnect the machine from the power.
remove the back access panel.
Find the pump, it will be an electric pump. It is probably attached to the back wall of the washer, right at the bottom. Chances are it will have a fan on the pump motor, to keep the motor cool. It might be a metal fan with 4 or 5 blades, or it might be a plastic disc with vanes around it.
Try turning the fan by hand, to see if the pump is stuck. It should turn VERY easily, if it is at all stiff, the motor won't be able to turn it. These motors have no guts at all, they will stop turning with just a little accumulated lint in the pump, or accumulated dust, fluff and grease on the exposed parts of the pump shaft. If the pump is covered in strands of hair, floor fluff and so on, you can clean it off with a brush and try again. If it is stiff and hard to turn but looks clean, you may have to open the pump up to clean it out. Most Japanese pumps are easy to open up - remove the three or four spring clips around the edge, remove the cover and use one hand to hold the fan still while you unscrew the impeller inside the pump - just turn the vanes of the impeller to unscrew it off the shaft. Could be right or left hand thread.
You are likely to find a little wad of lint / fibres / grit wound around the pump shaft behind the impeller. remove the junk, check the shaft now turns freely, then reassemble and test.

Sometimes the bearings get grit in them, you can try to spray some lube into them. They will be simple bronze bushes, not ball bearings. Sometimes pulling the impeller in/out quickly (it will have a bit of play, maybe a few mm) will dislodge the grit.
When the pump turns over very freely, it should work.
Unfortunately if the pump has been left jammed and still operated, it may have cooked.

Often just turning the pump fan by hand is enough to free it up and get it working, I have done that successfully several times over the years.

Good luck and don't forget to disconnect the power first.

chris

 

[gizmo]

Can you either record and post the noise, or at least describe it for us?

A loud HUM is likely to be a jammed pump.
A really loud angry BUZZZ is more likely to be a stuck / damaged solenoid (if it has one) or something more serious.

 

[summerluvin_ca]

i will attempt to locate my camera charger and try to get at the machine. i've taken the panel off already. it is definately a loud and angry machine right now.