Self Clean drain pumps on Washing machines
Hello Andy, Have you heard of these self clean drain pumps on washing machines - I dont know which Hotpoint it was that I have had in the past but I am pretty sure one of the 'features' in its marketing blurb was that it had an auto-clean drain pump (presumably you did not need to empty out the drain filter regularly and that the pump cleaned itself?)
Just wondering do you know how that would have worked and wonder why not all washing machines then come these days with self cleaning drain pumps then?
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.
"Self-cleaning" washing machine drain pumps appear to be a marketing term rather than a distinct repair issue
- The problem
- The discussion asked what a 'self-cleaning' drain pump on some Hotpoint washing machines actually is, and why all machines do not use them. No specific appliance fault or breakdown was reported.
- Likely cause
- The accepted reply says there is nothing obviously different about these pumps and suggests 'self-cleaning' may simply refer to machines without a user-accessible pump filter, or to pumps that are less prone to jamming. Other comments state they would still be vulnerable to obstructions such as coins or bra wires.
- What fixed it
- No repair was carried out. The strongest supported conclusion is that 'self-cleaning pump' is mainly a marketing description, not evidence of a pump that truly cleans itself. The thread also notes that some Hotpoint machines had a hidden removable filter in the sump hose, which could collect fluff and cotton and require cleaning, but no exact repair outcome was being sought or confirmed.
- Checks to try
- Accepted answer notes the pump did not appear different from ordinary pumps
- Original poster recalled a Hotpoint with no front-access pump filter
- Original poster recalled removing the sump hose and finding a removable white plastic filter with holes in it
- Filter reportedly contained fluff and cotton
- Parts or tools mentioned
- drain pump
- pump filter
- sump hose
- white plastic filter
- ping pong plastic white ball
Safety: Further diagnosis should be carried out by a suitably qualified appliance engineer.
5 Answers
Hi Andy. I've heard the term "self cleaning pump" many times, I don't think they are anything new. If you have a look at this link you can see that they don't look any different to any other pump - Self-cleaning pumps.
I don't know whether they use the term self-cleaning when they are fitted on a washing machine that has no pump filter? But never noticed anything that could be described as self-cleaning about them. My suspicion is that they are not supposed to jam easily, and may eject many obstructions but as far as I'm aware there's nothing special about them at all.
Need Professional Help or Spare Parts?
I don't know of any pump that can deal with a bra underwire, or could get rid of and therefore clean itself of a 1 pound coin that got jammed inside. If no filter was fitted, then anything like a coin would constantly bash into the revolving pump impeller, the impeller would toss the coin back out, but the coin would just get sucked back in over and over again. The pump could never get rid of it.
Need Professional Help or Spare Parts?
I think one of my Hotpoint's with a 'self cleaning' pump that had no access to a pump filter behind the kick plate at the bottom of the washing machine still did have a pump filter , I seem to recall having to tip the machine back and taking the sump hose off and there being the usual ping pong plastic white ball but also in the sump hose was a removeable white plastic filter with holes in it and had fluff and cotton on it and I had to clean it out and pop it back in
Aye that was a ridiculous idea Hotpoint had, and as far as I know the only ones who ever did. A pump filter that customers don't even know exists, and most people have no access to - that regularly clogs up with lint and cotton from towels etc.
Need Professional Help or Spare Parts?
that weren't silly though in some respects here 2 reasons why my thinking:
1.) if you put a "end user serviceable" filter on the front of the machine it ruins the aesthetics of the look of the machine (i for one think washing machines look better without the filter showing at the bottom of the machine or 'hidden away' behind a removeable plastic kick plate fascia)
and 2.) well if you hide away the pump filter where most end users cannot get to it easily most, when the machine no longer drains properly, will have to call out an engineer to fix it ... and if its out of warranty - well 😉
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