Solved
Indesit

Indesit Minute leak

BUbures
Asked almost 7 years ago 9,794 views
0

Model XWD71452:- aged about 3/4yrs

Very small leak coming from the front left of machine

Looking underneath, no pipes or pump - on the other side

Door Seal looks OK, no splits visible

But I can see a water stain at the bottom of a lump of concrete just below where its bolted/Fixed

Cant see above that fixing

All I can think of is the Door Seal or the Drum

Any idea where that could be coming from, as I am baffled

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.

Indesit XWD71452 small leak traced to outer drum area behind left concrete weight

The problem
A 3-4 year old Indesit XWD71452 had a small leak from the front left side. The door seal looked intact and there were no obvious leaks from hoses or pump underneath.
Likely cause
Leak from the outer drum, probably a crack or damage hidden behind the left concrete balance weight. The discussion also supports foreign objects such as nuts, bolts or screws left in pockets as the probable cause of the drum damage.
What fixed it
The leak was traced to water dripping from the drum area behind the left concrete balance weight. Advice given was that proper access would require removal of the drum assembly or front/weight if possible, to locate the exact damage. If accessible, a hairline crack might be repairable; if the damage is a hole or inaccessible, a new drum would be needed. The exact repair was not confirmed.
Checks to try
  • Door seal visually checked with no splits seen
  • Underside checked and no obvious leak from pipes or pump on that side
  • Dispenser area checked and found dry
  • Full wash cycle run with tissue/kitchen roll under the front left to confirm active leaking during fill/wash
  • Dispenser jets cleaned with a stiff brush
  • Water traced to the drum area behind the left concrete balance weight
Parts or tools mentioned
  • Kitchen roll/tissue
  • Torch
  • Stiff brush

Safety: Further diagnosis should be carried out by a suitably qualified appliance engineer.

Cause identifiedGenerated 4 Aug 2026 · AI summaries can make mistakes — read the full thread below.
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11 Answers

Accepted Answer
0
WH
WhitegoodshelpVerified Engineer
Answered almost 7 years ago

There could be a small crack halfway up the outer drum somewhere that might be difficult to see. It could be behind the concrete weights. If the water is coming from the dispenser you should be able to detect water just under it or see it dripping.

Whitegoods Help — appliance repair expert and forum host.
0
CH
Charlie
Answered almost 7 years ago

Quite common for them to leak from the dispenser, usually water marks visible where the hopper cover joins the dispenser base and normally happens at the rinse stage. Take the lid off and put it on a rinse and you should see it starting to drip. Quite common when the water jets get blocked or partially blocked, so you can either remove the dispenser completely, separate it and give it a good clean or alternatively I've heard others have success by drying it off and putting a bead of silicone along the join. Failing that the hose underneath can sometimes rub on the edge of the cabinet

0
BU
bures
Answered almost 7 years ago

Thanks for that clue, never thought of the dispenser being the culprit

I will give that a look

0
BU
bures
Answered almost 7 years ago

Unfortunately the Dispenser is bone dry after filling drum and rinsing etc Ideally I would like to take off front cover inc door, to get a better view of where the leak is coming from

But on this model, I cant see any fixing screws at the bottom

0
CH
Charlie
Answered almost 7 years ago

When you say it was bone dry, was there water on the floor and nothing obvious at the dispenser ? Or did it not leak at all while you were testing it ? Unfortunately the front doesn't come off on this model

0
BU
bures
Answered almost 7 years ago

Charlie,

(a) The dispenser all around was bone dry, I filled the machine with water - nothing

(b) Then I put a sheet of tissue under the machine on the front left side, run the machine for a full wash cycle, but after a couple of minutes, the tissue was wet the size of a 50p piece

So that would be the filling up with water cycle. - that conflicts with (a) of course

(c) I have also cleaned the jets under the lid in the dispenser with a stiff brush and turned down the water pressure slightly

I am convinced it`s the dispenser somewhere

(d) The next move is to run the machines on another full washing cycle this time with the top cover removed, a torch and plenty of tissue - hopefully that should get me somewhere

I will let you know how I get on

0
BU
bures
Answered almost 7 years ago

Found it

For the umpteenth time I pulled out the machine because today, the leak was worse at it saturated kitchen roll I placed underneath

The water is coming from the drum and dripping from behind the concrete balance weight on the left side

Oddly enough I can feel a fixing bolt on the right side with my hand but nothing the side of the leak.

As the front cover cannot be removed, how on earth do you get to the concrete fixing bolts at the front when they are recessed

When the machine was manufactured, am I right in thinking the complete assembly was lowered into the case and then bolted up ?

So then are we talking about removing the entire assembly out of the top of the case ?

Thanks to all for your patience in helping me solve this problem

0
WH
WhitegoodshelpVerified Engineer
Answered almost 7 years ago

Hello. The entire assembled outer drum will be lowered into the casing. To find the leak you would need to either take the entire drum out or take the front off (if possible) and remove the concrete drum weight. If it's a hairline crack you might be able to repair it providing it's in an accessible place Can you repair a plastic outer drum in washing machine?

But if the crack turns out to be a hole, or it's in a place that can't be repaired you would need a new drum. This damage is almost always caused by coins or similar left inside pockets. If you find a crack and want to repair it you need to try and find what caused it and make sure there isn't a coin or similar inside the drum. It make have made its way into the sump hose or pump filter.

Whitegoods Help — appliance repair expert and forum host.
1
BU
bures
Answered almost 7 years ago

I appear to be the culprit causing the drum damage

When I mentioned the possible causes of damage to the drum to my wife.

She said although she always checked my works overralls, sometimes missing the odd nut, bolt and screw she finds in the drum after taking out the washing to iron.

Whoops !

0
WH
WhitegoodshelpVerified Engineer
Answered almost 7 years ago

I would try to argue only 49% of the blame. 51% goes to them who put the laundry in the washer with the offending objects in pockets

Whitegoods Help — appliance repair expert and forum host.
0
BU
bures
Answered almost 7 years ago

I like it, I will tell my wife when she is in a better mood, wwhen she has retrieved the handtowl which has found a permanant home under the WM

Just out of interest I assume the rest of the Indesit Group such as Hotpoint all have spot welded cases

Are there any Manufacturers that still use the traditional screws to fix the front and back covers

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