Washing machines generally fill up with water, agitate your clothing, and then spin to get the water out of your clothing. But what should you do if your machine has filled with water and agitated — but has stopped before the spin cycle? There may or may not actually be anything wrong with your washing machine. It could just be a case of operator error. Follow these steps to narrow down and hopefully solve the problem.
1. Redistribute the clothing.
If there are too many clothes on one side of the machine, the machine may not be able to spin effectively. The off-balance weight can trigger a safety mechanism that prevents the machine from even attempting to spin until the weight is re-distributed. So, try picking up and re-distributing the clothes, and then starting the washing machine again. If you have a large item like a comforter or sleeping bag in the washing machine, you will have to carefully spread it out in the washing machine rather than leaving it bunched up on one side.
2. Check the drain hose.
If re-distributing the clothing does not trigger the machine to start spinning, take a look at the washing machine drain hose. Is it clogged with lint and pet hair? It is placed in a way that it is unable to drain? If the hose is unable to drain, some washing machines will not spin, since doing so would make a big mess. Clear the drain hose — possibly with a hanger — and see if this fixes your problem. If the hose is badly blocked, you may need to remove it, buy a new one, and clamp the new one into place. This is fairly easy to do, and if you buy a new washing machine hose at the hardware store, it will typically come with instructions.
3. Level the machine.
Look to see if perhaps your washer is off-balance. If one side is sitting lower than the other side, this might be preventing the machine from spinning. You can level the machine just by placing wooden shims on one side.
If even leveling the machine does not trigger it to spin properly, then you need to call a washer repair company. There may be a problem with the machine's electrical wiring, causing it not to respond to the component that is telling it to spin. An expert can diagnose and repair this problem with ease.