What has caused blockage in drain hose pipe?
My 10yr old Zanussi FL1084 recently packed up (wouldnt drain). Fixed the problem which was 2 things (related). The Pump had died, and the pump outlet pipe was very blocked with grey deposits (also on inlet side). Looking at this deposit it isnt greasy and I dont think its limescale (doesnt look like kettle limescale anyway).
I am now thinking it is wash powder deposits (presumeably undissolved). Have been using persil non-bio tablets with Calgon tablets (v hard water area). Mainly 40 degree washes with some 60 washes.
I am thinking is this because 2 tablets is too much for this 4.5lb capacity machine at low temps (not fully dissolving)? Would wash liquid / liquitabs help? Would going back to powder help? What about using 1 tab instead of 2?
These deposits also blocked my drain pipe a couple of years back and are hard to clear as pretty solid (caustic soda wouldnt clear had to chip away with screwdriver)...... So I want to avoid.
Any ideas? Thanks.
Solution Summary
AI-generated from this discussion
This thread was marked as solved. Here's a summary of the problem and the fix, generated from the discussion below.
Blocked drain hose with grey deposits on Zanussi FL1084
- The problem
- A 10-year-old Zanussi FL1084 stopped draining. The owner found two related issues: a failed pump and heavy grey deposits blocking the pump outlet pipe, with similar deposits on the inlet side. The deposits had also blocked the household drain pipe previously and were described as hard, solid and not obviously greasy or like normal kettle limescale.
- Likely cause
- The strongest diagnosis in the discussion is detergent-related build-up caused by over-softened water and/or poor detergent dissolving and rinsing. The accepted reply suggests that using detergent tablets at the hard-water dose together with Calgon tablets may have made the water too soft, which can reduce detergent dissolving properly. Frequent 40°C washes may also have contributed. The exact composition of the grey deposit was not confirmed.
- What fixed it
- The accepted advice was to review detergent use rather than add more. Suggested changes were to use the correct detergent dosage, consider stopping the extra anti-limescale tablets if they are unnecessary, and prefer traditional washing powder unless the machine is cold-fill or has poor water pressure, in which case liquid detergent may dissolve better. Using an extra rinse option on all washes and carrying out a maintenance/service wash were also recommended. The exact successful prevention method was not confirmed.
- Checks to try
- Pump found failed
- Pump outlet pipe found heavily blocked with grey deposits
- Deposits also seen on pump inlet side
- Owner mainly used 40°C washes with some 60°C washes
- Owner had been using Persil non-bio tablets with Calgon tablets
- Accepted reply noted possible over-softened water from detergent plus anti-limescale tablets
- Parts or tools mentioned
- Drain pump
- Persil non-bio tablets
- Calgon tablets
- Washing powder
- Liquid detergent
2 Answers
If water is too soft, it can affect a detergent’s dissolving ability, and the rinsing efficiency of the washing machine. If your water isn't especially hard, and you use a good quality detergent as well as using the correct dosage for hard water (washing machine detergent contains water softener) and then add anti limescale tablets, which also soften water, you could get water that's too soft for washing and the detergent may not dissolve properly.
As for which is best? I personally think good old fashioned washing machine powder is best. We were happy enough with it for decades, until washing machine detergent manufacturers started trying to come up with innovative ways of getting ahead of the competition. We then had, liquid detergents, then tablets, then tablets with liquid pouches etc. etc. Most of these products are aimed at our lazy side. They seem more convenient to use. They save us several seconds etc. None of them claim to wash any better, they are just more convenient to use or store, and we usually pay extra for convenience.
However, cold fill washing machines can have problems dissolving some powder detergents thoroughly, so liquid could be better there, the same applies if you have very low water pressure which leaves un-dissolved powder in the soap dispenser.
Also, if you have an extra rinse option I would leave it selected for all washes which would help.
This may be of interest, particularly the section about doing a service / maintenance wash - What happens when you only use 40° washes?
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I have several articles on washing machine detergent over on my main Whitegoodshelp site here -
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