Hotpoint WM742 - lights flashing / won't drain
Hello,
Would appreciate any help. It's just out of its 2 year guarantee and I want to make sure I've tried everything reasonably possible before splurging my wages.
During its spin cycle the machine has stopped running and all horizontal lights are flashing fast.
Manual says turn it off, wait a minute, turn it back on again, no joy. it just makes a gurgling sound.
I have checked the commons faults page: the filter is clear and water won't drain out if I take out the waste pipe and lower it to the floor. Only thing I'm not sure about is whether or not the pump is working. Is there a simple way to check? When you turn the machine back on it just gurgles, either sounds like its trying and failing to pump the water out or trying to spin and can't. Though if I run it on another wash setting it spins fine during the wash phase but stops again when it comes to the drain down.
Thanks
Sam
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.
Hotpoint WM742 flashing lights and not draining traced to blockage in sump hose
- The problem
- Hotpoint WM742 stopped during spin/drain with all horizontal lights flashing rapidly. Resetting did not help. The machine made a gurgling noise and would spin during the wash phase, but stopped again when it came to drain down. The filter was reported clear, and lowering the drain hose did not empty the drum.
- Likely cause
- Confirmed blockage in the water path between the drum and pump/filter, most likely in the black rubber sump hose. This was supported by the fact that only a dribble came out of the filter while several litres remained in the drum, indicating the water could not reach the pump/filter freely.
- What fixed it
- The remaining water was manually removed, the machine was tipped onto its side, and the black rubber hose from the drum outlet to the pump/filter was felt and opened by undoing its retaining clamp. An obstruction was found and cleared. A board replacement suggested elsewhere was not needed.
- Checks to try
- Machine disconnected from the mains and reset attempted
- Filter checked and found clear
- Drain hose lowered to floor and water did not drain out
- Observed only a dribble from the filter despite several litres still in the drum
- Squeezed the black rubber hose from drum to pump/filter and felt an obstruction
- Parts or tools mentioned
- Wood blocks
- Tray
- Retaining clamp on the sump hose
Safety: Disconnect from the mains before inspection. Further diagnosis should be carried out by a suitably qualified appliance engineer.
5 Answers
When you turned it off did you disconnect it from the mains? if the filter is clear it must have pumped all the water away OK. Otherwise water would have flooded out when you removed the filter.
Need Professional Help or Spare Parts?
Hi Andy,
It's now fixed!!
To answer your question: I did disconnect it from the mains. When I took the filter it was dribbling out whilst there were still a few litres in the drum.
In case anyone experiences the same problem (and gets told by Hotpoint it's going to be £129 to replace the board), here's what I did:
Scooped out the bulk of the water. Let the rest drip out of the filter (took hours - I chocked the machine up with wood blocks so I could get a decent sized tray underneath). Tipped the machine onto its side and when I squoze the girthy black rubber tube running from the waste hole of the drum to the pump and filter could feel something inside. Screw off the retaining clamp around the rubber tube and get your fingers mucky.
Thanks anyway Andy
Thanks for the update Sam. Yes if you had mentioned that when you took out the filter before, water was only dribbling out whilst there was still a few litres in the drum, I would have instantly told you had something substantial blocking the water - most probably inside the sump hose, most probably a sock or similar :-)
Need Professional Help or Spare Parts?
I've just had the same problem - fails during rinse/drain cycles and flashes the horizontal lights (extra rinse, easy iron, etc.), but my machine drains just fine. I've checked all hoses, the filter, and when I put it in a rinse/drain cycle it fills up with water and drains, but will randomly stop and flash those lights, so there's no blockage.
Can't even get hold of Hotpoint - their phones just say they're too busy and hang up. It's a Hotpoint FML 842 and only 18 months old, its. Time for a new non-Hotpoint machine?
Hello Aidan. It is possible that the pressure system is blocked so the washing machine refuses to spin because it thinks there is still water in the drum when there isn't. However that's just one possibility out of many. It might be worth having a look at this article here though Pressure system how it works and what can go wrong
Need Professional Help or Spare Parts?
Your Answer
Sign in to share your expertise and post an answer.
Related Questions
Hotpoint F7 E2 Fault
1 answer • 1 reply
My Bosch washing machine is stuck on 33 minutes remaining
1 answer • 1 reply
Bosch washing machine door lock accidentally triggered with the door open – how I reset it
0 answers • 2 replies
Cant identify the correct replacement carbon brushea
0 answers • 2 replies
LG washing machine making intermittent noise — video link included
1 answer • 4 replies