washing machine fills with water overnight

[Rob Latham]

Just recently I've noticed that water ends up in our washing machine's tub while the machine is off. The leak, if that's what it really is, is slow enough that I don't notice it until quite a few hours have passed.

I'm going to shut off the water supply to first the hot, then the cold to narow down where the leak might be. Once i've got that figured out, what's next?

In a way, if the problem was with the external hoses, that would be a lot easier. Since the problem appears to be internal to the washing machine, is this going to be a challenging repair?

Thanks ==rob

[CJT]

That probably depends on how easily you can find replacement parts (probably the fill valve, but possibly an electrical problem).

If it's a name brand, fairly recent, and there's a local distributor, it might not be too bad.

It's clean water, right?

[Rich Greenberg]

If indeed, water comes in when the machine is off, that isolates the problem quite well. Both the hot and cold hoses have a solinoid valve on them which is located quite close to where the hose enters the machine. May even be mounted on the rear of the machine. Determine if its the hot or cold, and replace the corresponding valve.

[TH]

You should ALWAYS turn off the water unless you want to clean up 1000s of gallons from the floor when the hoses rupture.

[Joseph Meehan]

This might be a good time to buy a flood protection device. There are some designed to be attached directly to the plumbing. They have a button to turn them on when you want to use your washer. It then stays on for a limited time, then turns off. It will protect you if a hose breaks or if you have an internal failure of the inlet valve, which appears to be your problem.

[mm]

I'll vouch for that. I'm glad I was home when it happened. If it had run for 8 hours, or 2 weeks, it might have filled up the bsaement to the 7 foot level. Or the 9 foot level if the basement window didn't break out.

I bought new hoses clad in stainless steel mesh, but is it true that even that can burst eventually?

I'm also interested in what Joe Meehan said, which I hadn't heard of before.

Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let me know if you have posted also.

[Matt]

How much water?

[Appliance Repair Aid]

Hi,

Sounds like new fill valve time....

If the fill valve is not 100% shuting off, it can weep/dribble in some water all of the time.

The fill valve is where the hot and cold hoses are attched to the washer.

jeff. Appliance Repair Aid