 yahtzeePremium
join:2000-12-03
Richmond, VA | What to check for a tiny leak in a 18month old washer? We have a Maytag Bravos XL washer that we got from Home Depot in October of 2011. My wife noticed that there was a small (1/4 cup) amount of water under the unit today...the hoses are fine and they arent leaking at all (stainless steel). What else should I check? Maytag only has a one year warranty (which blows) so I am trying to avoid a trip charge if I can...Thanks in advance.
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 alkizmo
join:2007-06-25
Pierrefonds, QC
kudos:1 | Did you buy it with a credit card? Credit cards tend to have an added warranty on all purchases (double manufacturer's warranty up to a year extra). |
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lutful... of ideasPremium
join:2005-06-16
Ottawa, ON Reviews:
 ·TekSavvy DSL
| reply to yahtzee
said by yahtzee:there was a small (1/4 cup) amount of water under the unit today...the hoses are fine and they arent leaking at all (stainless steel). What else should I check? Just a hunch. On some washer models, there is a separate valve and small plastic hose to dissolve the detergent. That could be leaking but you will need to open the top to check it. |
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yahtzeePremium
join:2000-12-03
Richmond, VA | reply to alkizmo
Home Depot credit card and then paid it off.
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yahtzeePremium
join:2000-12-03
Richmond, VA | reply to lutful
Open the top as in remove screws and remove the assembly or open the lid?
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1 edit | reply to yahtzee
Clear water is hard to trace.
This is what I would do to trace a leak in my dishwasher.
Take off the lower kick plate so you can see under the dishwasher.
Start/run and empty load.
Once the water is full and just starts to wash...open the door and add several drops of food coloring or a simple package of koolaid (add your own sugar type) bright red color or dark blue.
Then let it run for a bit and discharge the water and stop the cycle.
This should help you locate the drip/leak.
This may be as simple as a door gasket getting dried out and not sealing, but until you trace the leak it will be hard.
Best of luck.
Edit
washer...dishwasher...clothes washer...same difference right  |
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BobAccount deleted
join:2012-07-22
New Jersey | reply to yahtzee
Make sure the drain hose is attached all the way around. We had the hose become loose from the elbow that goes in the standpipe, and water started leaking from that point. |
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 leiboldPremium,MVM
join:2002-07-09
Sunnyvale, CA
kudos:6
·SONIC.NET
| reply to yahtzee
A quarter cup is not a lot of water. Is there any chance this might have been condensation (high humidity / cold washer) ? I know it is a low probability but I want to throw out the idea that it may not be a defect before you start disassembling the washer in search of a leak that doesn't exist.
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yahtzeePremium
join:2000-12-03
Richmond, VA | reply to lutful
Interesting findings tonight...after my wife ran a load earlier and told me about it I came here....After the comments here I went snooping with a light. Had her hold the washer on it's side and it appeared to have water droplets slung down the back left corner...It's near where all of the hoses join. Check all hoses into the elbows and everything....all snug. In fact, it looks spotless in there (it is only 18 months old). I started a light load of wash and noticed that it appeared to sling water around the inside square enclosure of the washer (which is obviously exposed to the ground).....no hoses are loose, the load ran fine but that little bit of water still came out of the bottom...see pics above....I dont mind making a service call but wasn't sure if there was anything else to check.
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lutful... of ideasPremium
join:2005-06-16
Ottawa, ON Reviews:
·TekSavvy DSL
1 edit | reply to yahtzee
said by yahtzee:Open the top as in remove screws and remove the assembly or open the lid? The manual (and youtube videos) will show how easy it is to remove the control panel cover and tilt the whole front cover of the washer to expose the guts. It is actually not that difficult because I did it once and I am a total kludge when it comes to fixing mechanical stuff.
However, please check for simple condensation as leibold  suggested first and if that is not the root cause, then proceed to the colored water test before opening the cover.
For the color test, if leaked water is still clear, and there is no wetness around main hose, it is most likely that valve/hose for dissolving detergent.
*** I did not see your photos before writing this reply. You should definitely do the color test and check if the water droplets on the washer body are clear or colored. |
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 PeeWeePremium
join:2001-10-21
Madera, CA | reply to yahtzee
Is that green color on the clamps corrosion from getting wet or something else?
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| reply to yahtzee
said by yahtzee:I started a light load of wash and noticed that it appeared to sling water around the inside square enclosure of the washer (which is obviously exposed to the ground).....no hoses are loose, the load ran fine but that little bit of water still came out of the bottom
Check the exploded parts diagram for the location of the anti-siphon aka vacuum breaker. I just had a similar issue with my ancient Maytag ... nuisance water dripping but no great threat. It was a $10 part.
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yahtzeePremium
join:2000-12-03
Richmond, VA | reply to lutful
I guess I am confused with the water test....the inside back of the enclosure is wet with droplets...not just one area....Based on what I see the only thing colored water would do is to give better visibility on the water that I already know exists...
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yahtzeePremium
join:2000-12-03
Richmond, VA | reply to PeeWee
Not corrosion....just the color of the clamp.
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lutful... of ideasPremium
join:2005-06-16
Ottawa, ON Reviews:
·TekSavvy DSL
| reply to yahtzee
said by yahtzee:only thing colored water would do is to give better visibility on the water that I already know exists... If the water droplets are still clear, you know some valve/fitting/hose that distribute incoming clear water to the detergent basket or top of washer drum is leaking.
If the water droplets are colored, some valve/fitting/hose on the water exit path near the bottom is leaking. It is also possible that some colored water is spraying out from top of drum during rapid spinning. |
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yahtzeePremium
join:2000-12-03
Richmond, VA | Thanks. Seems odd that water would get thrown around the outer part of the tub as it's totally exposed through the enclosure to the ground. I'll give this a shot. Thanks.
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yahtzeePremium
join:2000-12-03
Richmond, VA | reply to lutful
So check this out.....attempting the food color test and before I can even get the tub filled up I notice something...When the water is coming into the basket it looks like it's hitting the spinning top part...water is definitely going behind it...question is, is there an enclosed section around the basket that the extra runoff water goes to?
»www.darylwatkins.com/washer.MOV
Last question, when putting the food coloring in do I put it in the fill, wash, rinse or spin? It's a HE washer so the tub never actually fills and surrounds the clothes.
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 AVDRespice, Adspice, ProspicePremium
join:2003-02-06
Onion, NJ
kudos:1 | reply to lutful
said by lutful:said by yahtzee:there was a small (1/4 cup) amount of water under the unit today...the hoses are fine and they arent leaking at all (stainless steel). What else should I check? Just a hunch. On some washer models, there is a separate valve and small plastic hose to dissolve the detergent. That could be leaking but you will need to open the top to check it. it could be clogged too, don't know your specific model, but, on my Duet, the detergent drawer pulls out, and it is easy enough to clean it.
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| reply to lutful
said by lutful:said by yahtzee:Open the top as in remove screws and remove the assembly or open the lid? The manual (and youtube videos) will show how easy it is to remove the control panel cover and tilt the whole front cover of the washer to expose the guts. It is actually not that difficult because I did it once and I am a total kludge when it comes to fixing mechanical stuff. It's the putting it all back together part that doesn't quite work out |
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yahtzeePremium
join:2000-12-03
Richmond, VA | reply to AVD
Just watched an entire fill, wash and rinse cycle....I put blue water in just as it finished filling. Never saw any blue water. The only time water came of the bottom of the washer was during the rinse cycle. The washer gushed water into both the bleach dispenser (which there was none in) and the fabric softener dispenser (also didnt have any in). As it shot water into it both of them seemed to overflow and that's when the water came out of both bottom corners of the washer....now what?
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