I think everybody can relate to having a few missing socks after doing years of washing cycles. But where do those lost socks end up?
Socks are probably one of the most common items that repair engineers remove from washing machines and account for a huge number of washing machine blockages.
We are going to take a look at every place where a sock can get stuck in a washing machine.
The drain pump filter
The drain pump is responsible for pumping out the water between and at the end of wash cycles.
Appliance manufacturers fit drain pump filters so that your machine can catch any unwanted objects that might make it out of the drum.
If you’ve recently lost a sock or two in the wash, this is the best place to start your search.
Because socks are so thin and come in all kinds of sizes, they’re the perfect candidate to slip through the gap between the door seal and the drum.
Once they’ve made it through the drum, they can then travel down the pipes and get caught in the filter.
If you think a sock might be stuck in your washing machine, you should remove it as soon as possible to avoid further damage to the machine.
Stuck inside the drum
So, we have talked about the drain pump filter but what if they don’t make it that far? Well, a lost sock might be stuck on the inside of the drum.
Because the inside of the drum is so large and the sump pipe is narrow, it’s not a guarantee that a sock makes it through the drum.
The problem with getting objects stuck in a washing machine drum is that it can be really hard to retrieve them.
Your best to get something that’s stuck in the drum out is to remove the heating element and hope that you can fish it out. Your only other option is to split the drum in half.
Lodged in the dispenser hose
Because your washing machine goes into a fast spin cycle at the end of a wash, it’s possible that a sock could get thrown up into the dispenser hose.
The dispenser hose is what connects the detergent drawer to the drum. You can’t see it without taking the lid off of the machine.
A good indication that a sock is stuck in the dispenser hose is that your machine will leak when filling up. This is because the water can’t get through the detergent drawer at the start of a wash.
Although it’s more common to find something stuck in the drain pump filter, don’t rule out the dispenser hose because it does happen.
The drain sump pipe
When we mentioned the drain pump filter earlier, we talked about the pipes between the drum and the pump. These are called sump pipes and have a ball filter at the top of them.
The filter is designed to catch large items which could cause big problems if they come into contact with the drain pump impeller.
It’s actually more difficult to remove a blockage from the sump hose than the drain pump because you have to use tools to gain access.
If you remove the filter from your washing machine while there’s water in the drum, you should typically see a flood of water pour out.
When the sump pipe ball filter is blocked, you would typically see a lot less water streaming out.
In between the rubber door seal
If you’re missing one of your favourite socks and the other one is getting lonely, you might want to check the obvious places first.
If you’ve never had a good look inside your washing machine, you’ve probably never noticed the gap in between the front and back of the door seal.
Items like small pieces of clothing and coins often get trapped in the door seal and are hard to see when you’re removing the clothes from your machine.
Whilst you’re checking if your lost sock is trapped, you might want to give the rubber seal a clean whilst you are there.
It’s actually quite important to both check your pockets and check for lost items after a wash cycle to prevent the seal from getting damaged in the future.
Keeping on top of any blockages and lost items is one of the things you can do to extend the life of your washing machine.
