The washing machine froze - what to do?

Freezing of washing equipment is one of the most unpleasant and unpredictable breakdowns. In this case, do not panic and immediately contact the service center. You may be able to fix the problem yourself. Next, we’ll find out what to do if the washing machine suddenly freezes.

Main reasons

When your washing mashine freezes, the first thing you need to do is disconnect it from the power supply. Perhaps the situation will improve after re-enabling and restarting the program. If this procedure does not help, then you need to drain the water from the machine’s tank and remove the laundry to be washed from the drum.

To do this you need to do the following:

• find the drain filter. To do this, you need to open the special lid in the lower corner of the washing machine.
• near the large drain plug there is a small hose plugged with a plug.
• You need to place a container under this hose, and then pull out the plug at the end of the small hose.
• Drain the water from the drum;
• Open the hatch cover and then take out all the laundry.

Modern washing mashines are quite complex. They are literally crammed with electronics.

According to experts, there are several main reasons why a machine may freeze:

1. Drum overload;
2. Wrong washing program selected;
3. Malfunction of the washing mashine hatch closing system;
4. The drain system is clogged;
5. The fill valve is broken;
6. There is no water in the machine;
7. Motor and pump malfunction;
8. Electronics malfunction.

We are looking for the cause of the malfunction

Often, when the washing machine freezes, system errors do not appear on its display. In this case, it is impossible to run self-diagnosis. Consequently, it is much more difficult to determine the malfunction that has occurred. When troubleshooting, you will have to rely on your own logic and recommendations from specialists.

If the drum is overloaded or the washing program is selected incorrectly, the washing equipment will warn you about this. In this case, an error code will appear on its display, which can later be deciphered and the cause of the malfunction found out.

It is also not difficult to detect a breakdown of the UBL. In this case, the hatch does not lock and the corresponding error code appears on the washing machine display. You can try to open the hatch. If you fail to do this, then the reason is in the hatch locking device.

Hatch locking device (UBL) for a washing machine

If the UBL is working properly, and no error code appears on the machine display, then the control unit is broken.

To check its status, you must perform the following steps:

1. When the machine freezes, first of all you need to disconnect it from the network;
2. Remove the detergent container;
3. Remove the control panel. To do this, you need to unscrew the fasteners holding it in place. As a result, access to the electronic control unit was gained;
4. Check the resistance on all contacts of the electronic control unit one by one. For this you will need a voltmeter. You need to start checking with the power button.

When checking resistance, you must also inspect the contacts. There should be no oxide or carbon deposits on them.

If the program started and after some time the machine froze, then the reasons for the malfunction in this case are completely different. It is necessary to find out what happened before the washer froze, what sounds it made. It is also important to determine at what point the freeze occurred.

1. After turning on the washing machine, selecting and starting the program, a quiet crackling or hissing sound appeared, after which the equipment froze. In this case, the fill valve or water supply system is faulty. The washing machine froze because it was unable to draw the required amount of water. If such a breakdown occurs, the corresponding error code appears on the machine display.
2. The appearance of a strong crackling or humming sound after filling the tank with water. If the drum of the machine does not start after some time, then the motor may have broken down.
3. The machine freezes when draining dirty water or adding clean water to rinse clothes. In this situation, a malfunction has probably occurred related to the drainage of waste water. The pump may be broken or the drain system may be clogged.
4. In order to check the serviceability of the pump and electric motor of the machine, you must first get to them and then measure the resistance. You can get to the washing machine motor through its bottom.
5. We unscrew several fasteners and remove the bottom of the machine. The electric motor and pump will be accessible after this procedure. Then you need to check the resistance using a multimeter and find out whether the parts being tested are working or not.

Is it worth fixing the problem yourself?

In most cases, repairing a washing machine yourself is quite difficult.It should be borne in mind that if you repair it yourself, there is a risk of aggravating the problem.

You can also replace the fill valve yourself.

This is done as follows:

1. Remove the top cover of the machine;
2. Find the fill valve. It is located at the connection point of the inlet hose;
3. Disconnect the wiring and remove the fasteners;
4. Remove the old fill valve;
5. Install the new valve and perform all steps in reverse order.