Has My Door Seal Gone?
I haver a Hoover VTS 715D21X/1-80 washing machine.
Wife rang me yesterday in work to tell me the washing machine has gone and there were soapy suds everywhere.
I come home drained and took the top and back off. Put the machine back on and sure enough after 5 min soapy suds coming from under the machine to the back (I suspect this is more to do with the angle of the floor). I then switched it off, drained again and put it on its side and looked under neath. where you ahve a concreate weight at the top there is also one at the front just under the door. This was soaked and had water running down it. Am I correct in assuming this is most likely a door seal gone? My reasoning is that it is soapy water and the only thing above this (other than the door) is pipes for fresh water.
Secondly occasionally we get a leak from the drain on the front and when I open it there is something in there, I remove and all is OK again. But it is getting worse, it takes less and less for it to act blocked and then leak, if I am taking the front off anyway to replace a door seal is there anything I can do to help the front drain?
Thanks,
Nathan
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.
Hoover VTS 715D21X/1-80 leaking soapy water from front underside
- The problem
- A Hoover VTS 715D21X/1-80 washing machine was leaking water with light foamy patches from underneath, appearing around the front concrete weight below the door. The owner suspected the door seal. A separate recurring issue was leakage from the front drain/pump filter area when coins, stones, fluff or similar debris were present.
- Likely cause
- The discussion ruled out excessive foaming and pointed to a normal water leak from higher up in the machine. The accepted advice was to inspect the door seal for holes or detachment and also check the plastic outer drum for obvious cracks or holes. For the front drain leak, the strongest suggestion was obstruction from debris, possibly combined with a pump filter seal that was no longer sealing as tightly under pressure.
- What fixed it
- Recommended action was to inspect the door seal carefully and check whether it had come away from the drum, and if no damage was found, inspect the plastic outer drum for visible cracks or holes. No sealant was recommended for fitting the new seal. For the front drain leak, the advice was to clear debris from pockets, clean the pump filter seal, refit the filter firmly, and replace the pump filter if needed. The exact repair was not confirmed.
- Checks to try
- Observed leak was water with white foamy patches rather than excessive foam
- Door seal was inspected and no cracks or rips were seen
- Advised to check whether the door seal had partially detached from the drum
- Advised to inspect the plastic outer drum for obvious cracks or holes
- Debris found in the front drain/pump filter included money, fluff and stones
- Parts or tools mentioned
- door seal
- pump filter
Safety: Further diagnosis should be carried out by a suitably qualified appliance engineer.
9 Answers
How much soap suds were there? Was it just a leak with soap suds in the water or was there a lot of soap suds? The latter could just be over-foaming as in What causes too much foam in the washing machine? If it's the former then you would need to carefully examine the door seal inside to see if there are any holes in the sides or if the door seal has somehow become partially detached from the drum. You may need to take off the front panel if it comes off to check for cracks or damage to the front of the plastic outer drum. This guide helps with advice for finding a leak and links to other useful articles 5 essential repair tips when faced with a washing machine leaking
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Its not pure foam, lots of water with white foamy patches (kinda like the sink after you leave it for a little while). I.ve bought a new door seal anyway (as the old was mouldy). I will have a look at the plastic drum casing. I am assuming on the plastic drum casing any issues would be obvious?
It sounds like a normal leak then. Soap suds in the water suggest the leak is from higher up as the soap suds float on top. If you can't see any holes in the door seal make sure you check the drum for cracks or holes. It should be obvious if there are any.
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Hi,
I have the new seal now so will be putting that on tonight. When you was normal leak? Can you clarify please?
Any ideas on this please:
No problem. I meant just a normal leak, as opposed to a leak caused by excessive foaming. If for example way too much detergent or some washing up liquid (it happens) was added to the drum the foam would be so excessive it would pour out of the soap dispenser and steam vent. When you mentioned soapy water I needed to determine which type it was. Please report back what you find.
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Fair enough. No It is not a foam issue as we have always used capsules and never had any issue.
The old seal looks fine, no cracks or rips or anything as far as I can see, just plenty of mould. There was one section about 2 o'clock as you look at the machine where it seals against the drum that looked like it was missing part of the lip the metal gasket clip goes over (but it was not ripped or anything just a prefect cut out). But when I looked at the new one it has it too, not sure why though. Do you know a goos sealant to use? Or is there no need to use one?
Any ideas on?
Nathan
No sealant necessary at all. If there's no holes it shouldn't be leaking unless it's partially come away from the drum at the back. What is this "something" that's in there? Is it stuff that shouldn't be in the machine or fluff and bits of cotton etc?
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Yeah the something has been money, fluf, stones. It is just odd that it never used to leak as often. It would leak before after say some money and maybe stone and gunk and now all it takes is 3 little stones. It seems to be taking less and less to make it leak. I was wondering if there was something I could do?
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Edit: Just to confirm I am now talking about the front drain plug.
You need to make sure people stop leaving junk in pockets Seriously though, coins can write off a washing machine. They can get punched right through the plastic outer tub. Maybe the seal on the pump filter isn't as tight and extra pressure caused by obstruction causes leak. Try to make sure whoever puts clothes in drum checks all pockets, clean the seal round the pump filter and make sure it's on firmly. You could always buy a new pump filter if necessary.
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