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🍁 Conçu pour les foyers canadiens — rédigé selon les codes canadiens et les règles provinciales. N’est pas destiné à un usage hors du Canada.
ÉBAUCHE — cette page n’a pas encore été révisée par un professionnel licencié. Aperçu éditorial seulement.

Washer won't drain or spin

A drum full of water looks worse than it is. Most of the time this is a handful of coins and lint in a filter you can reach from the front — free, and about fifteen minutes.

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In Canadian homes, the most common cause to rule out is the drain pump filter — the coin trap behind the small door low on the front of a front-loader. Coins and lint collect there until water can't get through. Unplug the machine first and have a towel and a shallow pan ready: water will come out. Most owners have never opened this door; it's built for exactly this job.

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visibilityHow to check

warning Water will come out — that's normalThe trap sits below the drum's waterline, so opening it releases whatever the washer couldn't drain — sometimes several litres. Unplug the machine first, open the cap a quarter turn at a time, and let the pan fill in stages. If kneeling in front of a slow-draining trap isn't your idea of a Saturday, an appliance technician does this in one short visit.
  1. Unplug the washer. Water and electricity share this job, so the plug comes out before the trap door opens.
  2. Find the small access door low on the front — usually a corner flap you can pop with a flat screwdriver or a coin. Behind it is a round cap (and on many models a thin rubber drain tube).
  3. Lay a folded towel down and set a shallow pan under the door. If there's a drain tube, uncap it into the pan first; otherwise turn the round cap a quarter turn at a time, letting water run out in stages. A drum-full takes a few pan trips — go slowly.
  4. Once the flow stops, unscrew the cap fully and pull the filter out. Coins, lint mats, hair pins, or a sock here point to the blockage you're looking for.
buildtowelbuildshallow pan schedule15 min

handymanHow to fix it

Drain the trap slowly into a shallow pan, pull the filter, clear out the debris, rinse it under the tap, check the pump impeller behind it turns, and screw the cap back snug.

  1. With the machine unplugged and the trap drained (see the check steps), pull the filter out and clear everything off it — lint mat, coins, pins.
  2. Rinse the filter under a tap and scrub the lint out of its mesh with an old toothbrush.
  3. Shine a light into the open housing and gently turn the pump impeller (the small plastic fan) with one finger. It should turn with light, slightly notchy resistance. A jammed or missing blade points to the pump section of this page.
  4. Screw the cap back in until snug — hand-tight plus a nudge, no tools — close the door, plug in, and run a rinse-and-spin. Watch the trap door for drips the first time.
schedule20 min savingssouvent gratuit

visibilityHow to check

  1. Pull the washer forward enough to see behind it — walk it corner by corner rather than dragging, so the hoses stay attached.
  2. Follow the drain hose from the machine to the standpipe or laundry tub. Look for a section crushed against the wall, folded over itself, or pinched under a foot.
  3. Check where the hose enters the standpipe: it should go in about 15–20 cm and sit loosely, with air around it. A hose shoved to the bottom or sealed with tape can airlock or siphon the drum.
buildAucun outil schedule5 min

handymanHow to fix it

Straighten or re-route any kinked section, and seat the hose no more than 20 cm into the standpipe with an air gap around it — never taped or sealed — so it can't siphon or airlock.

  1. Straighten any kinked or folded section and re-route the hose so nothing presses it flat when the washer slides back.
  2. Lift the hose out of the standpipe and reseat it 15–20 cm deep, resting loosely in the pipe's hook or guide. Leave air around it — no tape, no snug fit.
  3. Run a rinse-and-spin and watch it drain before pushing the machine all the way back.
schedule10 min savingssouvent gratuit

visibilityHow to check

  1. Open the lid or door and look at the load. One duvet, one bath mat, or all the towels wound into a single lump on one side is the classic picture.
  2. Think back to the failed cycle: banging, walking, or violent shaking before it quit points here — the washer protected itself rather than spinning up off-balance.
  3. Check the machine sits level and all four feet touch the floor. A washer that rocks corner-to-corner trips balance protection on loads that would otherwise be fine.
buildAucun outil schedule5 min

handymanHow to fix it

Spread the load evenly around the drum — pad a single heavy item with towels — check the machine sits level on all four feet, and run a rinse-and-spin.

  1. Untangle the load and spread it evenly around the drum. If it's one heavy item, add two or three towels to balance it.
  2. If the machine rocks, screw the feet in or out until it sits solid, then snug the lock nuts. A carpenter's level on the lid gets it close enough.
  3. Run a rinse-and-spin. If a balanced load on a level machine still shakes violently and quits, stop repeating the experiment — that pattern points to worn suspension, a job for an appliance technician.
schedule10 min savingssouvent gratuit

visibilityHow to check

report Unplug before the cabinet opensBehind the console and cabinet panels are terminals that carry full household voltage whenever the machine is plugged in — and a washer's chassis is a damp environment. Pull the plug before removing any screw, and keep it pulled until every panel is back on. If opening up the machine isn't something you want to do, a lid switch is a quick, inexpensive diagnosis for an appliance technician.
  1. Free checks first: close the lid or door firmly and listen for the click; on a front-loader, watch for the door-lock light on the panel. Drains fine, never spins, no click, no light — the switch is the prime suspect.
  2. Unplug the washer. Then open the console or cabinet panel that hides the switch — on most top-loaders the console tilts up after two screws; front-loader locks sit behind the door boot's retaining ring. Your model's service sheet (often taped inside the cabinet) shows which.
  3. Unplug the switch's wiring connector and test the switch with a multimeter on continuity: closed lid should read closed (near zero ohms), open lid should read open. A switch that reads the same both ways has failed.
buildmultimeterbuildscrewdriver schedule25 min

handymanHow to fix it

With the washer unplugged, open the console or cabinet, unplug the old switch assembly, fit the exact matching part for your model, and test on an empty rinse-and-spin.

  1. Order the switch or lock assembly for your exact model number (sticker inside the door rim or on the back panel). These are model-specific — close doesn't count.
  2. Unplug the washer, open the same panel you opened to test, and photograph the wiring before touching it.
  3. Unplug the connector, unscrew or unclip the old assembly, and fit the new one the same way — connectors only fit one way, but the photo settles any doubt.
  4. Close everything up, plug in, and run an empty rinse-and-spin. The click (or lock light) should be back, and the spin with it.
schedule40 min savings$25–80
Lid switch / door lock assemblyMatch your washer's model number — sticker inside the door rim or on the back panel
gavel Vérifiez d’abord votre province AB: permis au propriétaire · BC: permis au propriétaire · ON: permis au propriétaire · PE: permis au propriétaire · QC: permis au propriétaire
Cord-and-plug appliance repair with the unit unplugged; not fixed wiring, so provincial electrical licensing (ESA in ON, RBQ/CMEQ in QC) does not apply. REVIEW: confirm no province treats owner appliance repair differently.

visibilityHow to check

  1. Listen at the start of a drain cycle. A steady hum with no water movement points to a jammed or failed pump; a pump that's completely silent points instead at the lid switch or controls.
  2. Unplug the machine and drain the trap into a shallow pan (see the coin trap steps — same access door).
  3. With a flashlight on the open filter housing, turn the impeller — the small plastic fan — with one finger. It should turn with light, slightly notchy resistance. Jammed solid, spinning with zero resistance, or missing blades all point to the pump.
buildflashlight schedule20 min

handymanHow to fix it

report Water and wiring: unplug first, drain firstThe pump bay holds water even after the trap runs dry, and the pump's connector carries household voltage when the machine is plugged in. Pull the plug and drain the trap completely before disconnecting anything. If tipping a machine back or working half-blind behind a panel doesn't appeal, this is a routine visit for an appliance technician — the part is cheap and the labour is short.

Unplug and drain the machine, open the access panel, photograph the hose clamps and wiring plug, swap in the matching pump, and run a rinse-and-spin while watching for leaks.

  1. Unplug the washer and drain the trap fully into a pan. Towels down — the pump bay keeps a surprise reserve.
  2. Open the access panel per your model's service sheet: usually the lower front panel on a front-loader, or tipping the machine back against a wall (get a helper) on a top-loader.
  3. Photograph the pump, then release the hose clamps and pull the hoses, unplug the wiring connector, and unscrew or twist the pump off its mount.
  4. Fit the matching pump the same way — clamps snug and seated, connector clicked home — and reinstall the panel.
  5. Plug in and run a rinse-and-spin with the towels still down, watching the pump area for drips before you push the machine back.
schedule60 min savings$40–120
Washer drain pump assemblyMatch your model number — pumps look alike, but mounts and connectors differ
gavel Vérifiez d’abord votre province AB: permis au propriétaire · BC: permis au propriétaire · ON: permis au propriétaire · PE: permis au propriétaire · QC: permis au propriétaire
Cord-and-plug appliance repair with the unit unplugged; not fixed wiring, so provincial electrical licensing (ESA in ON, RBQ/CMEQ in QC) does not apply. REVIEW: confirm no province treats owner appliance repair differently.
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Pourquoi la liste est dans cet ordre

Nous ne classons pas seulement selon la probabilité. Nous classons comme le ferait un bon artisan honnête : éliminer d’abord les causes gratuites, sûres et courantes. C’est pourquoi les vérifications peu coûteuses passent avant les réparations chères — et pourquoi tout ce qui est dangereux reçoit un arrêt net plutôt qu’un encouragement. Cet ordre existe pour vous faire économiser, pas pour vous vendre quelque chose.