If washing machines are regarded as one of the biggest timesavers in all of domestic living. Then how about the combination Washer-Dryer?!
We discuss a collection of common faults that arise with washing machines on the washing machines page, but there are a few unique problems that only the ”combo” can have. As I mentioned on the home page, although this creation is basically a washing machine with a clothes dryer in the same body, the complications of incorporating two jobs in the one shell might not be readily apparent to the uninitiated.
Washer-dryers are basically intended for use in locations where there is either insufficient space for separate washing machine and clothes dryer or there is no simple way to vent the hot air from a clothes dryer directly to the outside. A perfect example would be an apartment.
Love them or hate them, many people agree that, although there have been improvements to their design in recent years, they are not as efficient as two dedicated machines hence we get more calls for washer dryer repairs.
To save repetition, I will only list the faults that are unique to the combo. Faults that are shared with washing machines and clothes dryers that can be found on their pages are:
Can’t switch on the washing machine
The washing machine tub/drum is not turning
The washing machine won’t spin
The washing machine won’t drain or empty
There is a leak from the washing machine
The washing machine is shaking violently
The washing machine is smelly
The washing machine is stuck mid-cycle
The washing machine is making a very loud noise when the drum is turning.
Clothes are not drying.
The motor is running/dryer is getting hot but the drum is not turning
There is an unusual noise coming from the dryer
1) WASHER DRYER WON'T SWITCH OVER TO DRYER MODE
a) This washer dryer repair is mentioned on our home page, but I think it is worth restating here. This can often be caused if the machine has not drained properly. For the dryer to work efficiently the load must have been drained and spun before switching over. The causes of the machine to still be full of water can be found under “the washing machine won’t drain or empty”
2) THE CLOTHES ARE NOT DRYING
a) The dryer inside a washer-dryer is likely to be a “condenser” dryer. This means that, instead of hot air being blasted through the laundry to carry moisture away from the clothes, there is a condenser system. In this scenario the clothes are heated, and the steamy air from this process is passed through a condenser/heat exchanger where it is cooled and turned back into water by cold water i.e. “condensed”. It is then carried away by the drain pump through the drain hose.
b) The brief description of the process above shows that there are more steps that can go wrong. As with any dryer, there will be a heater element that can have failed. In some washer dryers, there can be two such elements. If just one fails, you might not be aware of it because the dryer does still heat to a certain point.
This is not an exhaustive list of possible problems we see with washer-dryers, (see faults that are common between these machines and washing machines and clothes dryers), but it includes the more common ones we see. Please contact us for help and advice.
CALL US AT FREDERICK APPLIANCE REPAIRS FOR URGENT ATTENTION (301) 683-5959