Washing machines are one of the most indispensable appliances in our homes. Especially if you have a large family and too much laundry to wash . But have you ever wondered about how your washing machine works and what’s the inside of it?
So, find out more about how your washing machine works, how you have to maintain it properly and how to fix if it breaks down.
Firstly, meet the parts of your washing machine
The washing machine mechanism is quite simple actually. First, it fills the machine with water, sloshes your clothes in the soapy water for a while, rinse and spin to partially dry your clothes. The drum which fills up the machine with water, is the main component of a washing machine. The washing machine has an inner and an outer drum. An inner drum is where you put your clothes. It rotates when you touch it and there are holes in the drum. The outer drum is invisible when you look inside of your washer. It is water tight and hold water while the inner drum rotates. It prevents the washer from leaking . These hollows allows the water to come in and wash the clothes.
These two drums are one of the most important parts of your washing machine, but there are other parts which equally important for your washing machine. These include:
- Agitator: An agitator is a paddle in the middle of the inner tub and allow to turn the clothes around in the soapy water.
- Paddles: Paddles help move and slosh the clothes around during a wash cycle.
- A programmer: A programmer is a mechanical or electronic control mechanism which controls the washing machine making the parts of the it go through a series of steps to wash, rinse and spin drying.
- Thermostat and heating element: Thermostat and heating element controls the water temperature and heats up the water to the desired temperature.
- Valves and pipes: These allow the clean water in and dirty water out of the washing machine.
- Pump: A pump removes the water from the drum after a washing cycle.
Why Do The Washing Machines Break Down?
Washing machines can break down because of several different reasons. But there are two main reasons which is quite common. The first is that you may not use or maintaned your washing machine properly. And the second is that one of the washer’s parts may breaks down.
The most common parts which break down:
- The motor: When you overuse your washing machine, the motor of the washer may fail. In this situation, the motor may overheat and stop working. When this happens, you can wait for your machine cool down and restart it again. However, if the motor of your washer overheats regularly, it may be the sign that your motor goes bad. It needs to call a repairmen before it is too late.
- The pump: As the pump is made of plastic, it can break or leak easily which causes water to drain out onto your floor. A blockage can also happen in the pump, causing the water can’t circulate.
- Hose: A clogged house may be another reason fort he breakdowns. The water does not drain as it should. The first thing you can do is to locate the hose and check if there are any clogs. When you locate the hose, remove it, clean the hose with some water and loosen the blockage.
- The gaskets: The gasket’s job is to prevent water from any leaking. When it wears out, the water begin to leak.
Except from these parts of the washing machine, there might be other reasons to your washer break down.
Overloading: Washing machine drums has their own capacities. And when you exceed this capacity, it may cause a break down in your washer.
When your washing machine is unable to spin or agitate, it may be sign that you are overloading your washing machine. Remember adjust your load when you wash your clothes.
Oversudsing: Using hot water in your washing machine can make use of less detergent. And, using cold water require too much detergent, causing to oversudsing. To fix it, try to reduce the amount of detergent you use. This should fix the problem.
How Can You Extend The Life Of Your Machine?
Recommended regular maintenance:
- Keep your washing machine clean: Clean your washer dispenser and the interior of it regularly. Also, clean out the door, drums and gaskets.
- Don’t overload your washer: Adjust your load each time you wash your clothes.
- Check the hoses occasionally: Inspect your hoses once a month and make sure there no fractures or cracks.
- Choose the right type of detergent: After you read your manual carefully, chose the right type of detergent which your washing machine requires. Avoid using too much detergent also. It can residue in your washing machine.
- Don’t forget your clean clothes in the washer: When you leave your clothes in the washing machine for a long time, it can cause mold.
The washing machine programs
The washing machine programs allow you to chose how you want to wash your clothes, especially in fully automatic washing machines. There are several programs such as delicate wash, pre-soak or colour wash. If you want to wash your clothes in a certain temperature or you are washing with a certain fabric, then you can chose one of the programs which will help you.
Why do washing machines have so many programs?
A washing machine is a machine after all and don’t know what it’s got to do unless you tell it. It can only control the amount and temperature of the water. So, there are different programs which you can chose and tell your washing machine what to do, how to wash your clothes. It makes your life easier by offering you these programs which each one of them uses a different working mechanism.
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