No COLD water in washing machine?

[LouB]

Friend says she now can not get cold water from her machine. Since she is renting I am hoping there is an easy(?) fix:-)) Any ideas?

Real ideas not idiotic remarks, thanks

Lou

[Lp1331 1p1331]

Assuming it does have CW at the faucet, the CW hose could be kinked shut, crud could be plugging the screen at the inlet valve in the machine, the machine's inlet valve itself could be bad, the water temperatire selector or associated wiring could be bad. All just guesses without being there. Larry

[Charlie]

Easy stuff first. Is the shut off valve for the cold water turned on? If it is turn it off and isconnect the cold water hose from the washer. turn the valve on again. (aim it into a bucket ) and check for water coming out when the shut off is turned on again. If no water coming out check for clogged filters at both enda of the hose. If water comes out of the hose then it is most likely the the valve on the washer. If the owner is good to work with have them repalce the valve. If the owner is uwilling, changing the valve is not a big job. get the machine make and model and call appliance part shop and get pricing. Might be cheaper on line but delivery time is a factor.

Charlie

[DerbyDad03]

I do not mean this as an "idiotic remark".

If she is renting, is she also renting the machine?

If so, she should call the landlord - not just because it's the landlord's responsibility, but if the attempted repair causes more damage, she could be liable for a new machine - or at least subject to a major finger-pointing hassle.

That said, if it were my machine, I'd turn off the water to the machine, remove the cold hose from the back of the washer and turn the water back on - with the hose in a sink/bucket of course.

If there's water coming out of the hose, then perhaps the solenoid for the cold water valve is broken or if it's a fairly modern machine, some electronic control circuitry could be bad.

Again, I do not mean this as an "idiotic remark", but you didn't give us any information as to the type or vintage of the machine so it's kind of hard to be any more specific.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Do you really think we give a crap that you don't want remarks? You probably excluded many of the people that would also give a sensible reply in addition to an idiotic remark.

[trader4]

Most likely it's the solenoid valve. After checking that water is available at the end of the hose and that the screen on the washer connection, if there is one, is not plugged, next step is to find out if there is voltage on the solenoid when cold water should be filling. If there is voltage, then the solenoid valve needs to be replaced. They aren't very expensive and relatively easy to do.

But, per other comments, if the machine is part of the rental, they should just call the landlord.

[hibb]

We have hard water around here and the time that happened to me it was because lime had built up in the screen where the hose connects to the shutoff valve.

David

[JIMMIE]

Same problem became a huge pain.

I disconnected the hose and turned on the spigot. OK Checked the screen. OK Checked for voltage at the solenoid valve OK Replaced the solenoid valve, still had the same problem.

Back to square one

Replaced the spigot, problem solved.

I never really troubleshot it anymore but I think the spigot had a loose washer. The spigot worked OK when you turned it on and off manually but I think the all-at-once action of the solenoid valve caused the loose washer to seal against the valve seat.

Jimmie

Jimmie

[mm]

This is a fairly common problem these days. It's the result of global warming.

Not much she can do except work for the enactment of the climate change bill.

[terry]

Lou, being a smart person, has probably already checked the cold water bib and cold water hose, anyway? Checking for clogging and/or debris? BTW solenoid valves often have have screens in them too!

Would recommend to check the cold water solenoid or the wiring to it. Can do that (although he probably already knows this?) by swapping hot/ cold hoses.

If cold water with hoses swapped then goes into the tub when machine is set to hot or mixed then it is MOST LIKELY the cold solenoid valve. Or the wiring or switch controlling it. Since solenoids do occasionally burn out. I've seen maybe two or three in the last 50 years or so, it's more usually the hot ones that go open, I'd opt for checking the cold water solenoid coil.

Solenoid valves are pretty simple to disassemble and it may be possible to just replace the coil.

The last repair we had to do on our 'dishwasher, by the way, was replace the coil of the (hot water in this case) solenoid water inlet valve. They are all much the same and the coil from another used one is often a perfect fit.

If it's wiring (unlikely) or switches (slightly more likely) it's pretty simple for anyone with basic electrical knowledge to troubleshoot.

That remark about 'renting' is unclear! But in the mean time if the user does need to use the machine the cold hose could be used to run some cold water into the open top of the washer while it is filling with hot; or it could be used to fill the washer with cold water and then supervise the rest of the washing cycle adding cold water manually until machine is fixed.

Or with hoses swapped it would at least be possible to wash with COLD only while the machine is set to HOT and allow it to go through it's whole cycle. Used washing machines not very expensive anyway.

[Red Green]

mm wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Couldn't resist huh MM? :-)

Everybody excels at something. My idiodic remarks would be:

Is it plugged in? Did someone steal the cold water hose while no one was looking? Bill paid? Does anything get water? Didn't say she was not getting hot water. Is hot water coming out of cold line?

[ransley]

When my water was slow I pulled the hose attached at the machine, there was a recessed filter in the machine it was clogged. If machines are part of the rental let the landlord do it or let him know, you break it you might pay.

Try posting at althvac for a professional polite non idiotic real response, thats where all the good repairman are, they help fix everything at althvac. Nice bunch of polite guys. Did you try turning on the water.

[DerbyDad03]

re: althvac Nice bunch of polite guys

He said no idiotic remarks. ;-)

[Tony]

I don't know the laws in different states, but way back in the 70's in PA the renter was responsible for all repairs under $100. That amount may have gone up? Or maybe there is no such law in your state? In PA even with that law, the landlord often took care of such problems rather than have some half assed fix it guy come in and screw things up.

[trader4]

I really can't imagine that there was ever any such law in any state. A rental situation is a private contract between two parties. Having the state involved in detemining who's responsible for repairs creates a whole series of problems and I don't see what problem it's trying to solve. Does the tenant then have the right to climb on my roof to make the a repair? Who has liabitity if they fall? Suppose I don't want an idiot tenant to make any repairs themselves or to choose a half-assed guy they want to fix things? Who can determine in advance what a given repair will cost? Suppose they call a repairman to fix a washing machine and upon getting there, it costs $200? Suppose you happen to live in a house that has a couple of $100 repairs a month? Does the tenent then pay $200 every month? As a landlord, could I then say to my tenant, the front steps need to be painted, you have to do it because it's less than $100? Next month, I tell them the walkway needs to be power washed.

Clearly there are some rental situations where it's agreed between the parties that the tenent is responsible for certain maintenance items. A common example would be cutting the grass or snow removal.

=A0In PA

[Stormin Mormon]

That's a real reply, to an idiotic usenet post. You were very gentle, all considered.

[Stormin Mormon]

This is one of the few free speech zones left, so I'll just finish eating my dinner, and step outside for a good ripper of a fart.

[Stormin Mormon]

Dear Jimmie,

Dear Jimmie,

You know, that sounds like it would have been nearly impossible to diagnose.

[Stormin Mormon]

This is a fairly common problem these days. It's the result of global warming.

CY: Wrong, it's the fault of Republican obstructionalism.

Not much she can do except work for the enactment of the climate change bill.

CY: Work for hope and change.

CY: Have Al Gore come and fix it, or B. Hussein Obama.

[ransley]

Who said he knew of those nice guys