Often people find themselves in a situation where they need to stop the washing machine. The difficulty is that after activating the program, the door of the equipment gets jammed and it is impossible to open it. To make a forced stop, you need to follow the rules.
- Sometimes situations arise when you need to leave the washing machine.
Is it possible to stop the washing machine while washing?
After starting, the machine goes through a full washing cycle. But sometimes the process needs to be interrupted. Equipment manufacturers have provided for a similar situation, so you can pause the wash or stop it completely without any problems.
When an emergency stop may be needed
You will need to stop the equipment if:
- through carelessness, valuables (money, important documents) or dangerous things (coins, buttons, nails) that could damage equipment parts got into the drum;
- drum is overloaded;
- the equipment froze;
- electricity is turned on and off if there is a risk of damage to the motherboard;
- the water supply was cut off.
- An emergency stop is needed if the water supply is cut off.
Ways to force stop washing
Owners of such household appliances have 2 options to solve the problem: pause the washing process or exit the program completely.
Temporarily stopping the program
Temporary stop is carried out using special commands on the control panel. Most models have a Pause button. On some machines, it is enough to press “Start” and the operation of the equipment will pause.
Full
There are several ways to disable equipment (the choice depends on the type of model):
- Some machines have a "Stop" or "Off" button.
- Unplug the power cord.
- You can stop washing using special buttons.
Emergency situations
There are many emergency situations that require stopping equipment. In this case, it is important to act carefully so as not to damage the machine software.
The electricity went out
Sudden power surges and power outages can negatively affect the operation of equipment. There is a risk of damage to the board and other components, and software failure. Therefore, in such a situation, it is better to disconnect the washing machine from the power supply.
In most cases, after turning it back on, the wash will start from where it left off.
If we are talking about older models, then most likely the cycle will start from the very beginning.
The washing machine is frozen
Sometimes the software malfunctions, causing the equipment to freeze. The washing machine stops working and, despite the display being on, does not respond to pressing the buttons on the control panel.
The only option in this case is to disconnect from the power supply. The hatch may remain locked. In this case, you need to wait 10-20 minutes until the door makes a characteristic click. If there is water left in the drum, it is better to drain it before opening.
If you need to go somewhere
If you go somewhere, it is not necessary to interrupt the operation of the equipment, because after the end of the washing cycle, the machine will turn off on its own. But if you are worried that there may be a power outage or another emergency situation, you can pause the device. Upon returning home, you need to press “Start” again and the machine will continue to work.
Another option is to long press the Start button. This will help to completely turn off the equipment and turn off the display.
But after reactivation, most likely, the washing program will start again.
The nuances of stopping the washing process in machines from different manufacturers
If an emergency shutdown is necessary, it is better to study the instructions that came with your equipment. The machine can be turned off in different ways (see table).
| Equipment manufacturer | Brief instructions |
| Samsung | After stopping the program, you must first drain the water (use the emergency drain button for this), because otherwise the hatch will not open |
| Beko, L.G. | First you need to press the “Pause” button, wait until the drum stops completely, and then disconnect the equipment from the power supply. After 5-10 minutes, the hatch lock will turn off with a characteristic click. |
| Atlant | For emergency unlocking, you need to use a special cable. It is located next to the drain filter |
| AEG/Electrolux | If you have equipment from this manufacturer, then just click on “Pause”. The hatch unlocks automatically as soon as the water temperature in the drum drops below +50°C |
| Bosch | Some models from the manufacturer have a function for additional loading of laundry, so stopping the wash is easy. Simply press the “Start” button again, after which the Yes command will be displayed on the screen, the drum will stop and the door can be opened. |
Actions in case of problems
It is not always possible to simply open the drum or restart the program after stopping the wash cycle. You need to understand how to behave if problems arise.
How to open if there is water left in the drum after stopping
After an emergency stop or program failure, water often remains in the drum. For top loading machines this is not a problem as you can simply remove the laundry and spin it by hand. But if the equipment is horizontally loaded, then after opening the hatch, water will flow out onto the floor, so you need to drain it first.
- If there is any water left in the drum, it needs to be drained.
There are 2 ways to do this:
- Start the “Drain” or “Spin” program. In this case, the machine will drain the water itself. This will not work if the equipment is frozen or there are some things inside the drum that need to be removed immediately.
- Drain the water by hand. No more than 10 liters are collected in the drum. You just need to place a bucket or basin, carefully unscrew the drain hose and lower it into the container.
The door is jammed
Sometimes, after stopping the equipment, the hatch does not open. Do not immediately try to open the door by force.First, wait 10-30 minutes - perhaps the lock will be removed on its own.
If you are sure that the hatch is jammed, then you can use several methods:
- Some models of machines are equipped with a special emergency cable. Most often, it is located on the bottom panel, next to the filter. The cable is easy to see, because it is made of bright yellow or orange plastic. You need to pull it so that the hatch opens.
- If the lock on the door has a latch, then you can try to open the mechanism with an elastic cord. First, you need to wrap the hatch with a cord in a circle, then carefully pull it so that it presses on the latch. This method will not work if the lock on the door is of a different design or if we are talking about a top-loading machine.
- Using a thin spatula. The tool must be carefully inserted between the body and the door in the area of the lock, and then press on the latch. This method is considered dangerous, as it can lead to a breakdown of the mechanism.
- Remove the top cover of the machine by unscrewing the bolts. After this, access to the lock will open - press the latch and open the hatch.
Additional recommendations
Do not use emergency stop methods of the machine too often. If you periodically disconnect the equipment from the power supply during the washing cycle, this will lead to failures in the program that you will not be able to fix on your own.
If the household appliance often freezes and gives errors, then it is better to call a technician, as this indicates the presence of breakdowns.
Do not try to disassemble the washing machine yourself, open the door by force, unscrew the parts - this can break the device.
