blandy Posted August 20, 2021 Moderator Share Posted August 20, 2021 2 hours ago, robby b said: Wow thank you Blandy for your long post! When I unscrewed the water-in tube last night only about half a small teacup of water came out (when I held the tube upside down). The lights do turn on and the machine makes familiar noises but then goes a bit crazy after a few minutes, changing the temperature by itself, stopping and then beeping a bit madly till I turn it off. 2 hours ago, robby b said: the screw is smaller than the one in Genie's photo, has a round head and it's inside a nut. And it doesn't have just one slot, it has a 'cross slot'. I wonder if it's the nut that needs turning 90°. I don't have any tools and it's hard to get to and to see. :s But the letting agency have just told me their maintenance guy will have a look when he can attend. You're welcome. From the above posts, it sounds a bit like 2 things: Firstly, the nut and cross head screw - that won't be a shut off valve, or at least it's highly unlikely. (edit - reader it turns out from photos sent, the "nut" isn't a nut, it is actually the valve top). Secondly, "the machine makes familiar noises but then goes a bit crazy after a few minutes, changing the temperature by itself, stopping and then beeping a bit madly" - that might be because there's some residual water in there, but no inflow, so it causes it to do that. You'd expect (normally) the water inlet tube to have mains water pressure through it, so the "half a cup of water" that came out suggests there's no flow of water through it. Have you looked at the other end of that tube? It may be that it connects to a copper pipe which has a shut of valve on it (with the lever or single notch screw valve) that we've discussed. I think that's pretty likely to be the case. Did you say the machine is in the kitchen? typically under the sink there will be some plumbing (copper pipes) feeding hot and cold water to the taps. When a washing machine is fitted a feed is taken from the cold (and sometimes hot) tap to be taken to the washing machine. That feed (s) will have a shut off valve on it (them) so that the washing machine can be removed without water going everywhere. Here's a picture of mine You can see the blue shut off valve and the lever is in line with the pipe - meaning open. I would expect you to have similar, and perhaps it is sideways (off). Report back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted August 20, 2021 Moderator Share Posted August 20, 2021 3 minutes ago, Genie said: If only a dribble came out then the mains are not connected. It would have fired out like fireman’s hose if it was fully open. Somewhere it’s blocked off. You’ll need to sort that if you persevere with this washing machine, or a new one. Maybe if you follow the pipe back there could be a tap, possibly underneath the main kitchen sink. This - I've just posted the same. What we don't know is why it's shut off - maybe because the last tennant had left and so the flat was unoccupied for a bit and it was done for safety, or maybe because there's a machine fault - but then you'd expect the machine ot also be unplugged and perhaps a note left to say "faulty, do not use" or something. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robby b Posted August 20, 2021 Author Share Posted August 20, 2021 8 minutes ago, blandy said: You're welcome. From the above posts, it sounds a bit like 2 things: Firstly, the nut and cross head screw - that won't be a shut off valve, or at least it's highly unlikely. Secondly, "the machine makes familiar noises but then goes a bit crazy after a few minutes, changing the temperature by itself, stopping and then beeping a bit madly" - that might be because there's some residual water in there, but no inflow, so it causes it to do that. You'd expect (normally) the water inlet tube to have mains water pressure through it, so the "half a cup of water" that came out suggests there's no flow of water through it. Have you looked at the other end of that tube? It may be that it connects to a copper pipe which has a shut of valve on it (with the lever or single notch screw valve) that we've discussed. I think that's pretty likely to be the case. Did you say the machine is in the kitchen? typically under the sink there will be some plumbing (copper pipes) feeding hot and cold water to the taps. When a washing machine is fitted a feed is taken from the cold (and sometimes hot) tap to be taken to the washing machine. That feed (s) will have a shut off valve on it (them) so that the washing machine can be removed without water going everywhere. Here's a picture of mine You can see the blue shut off valve and the lever is in line with the pipe - meaning open. I would expect you to have similar, and perhaps it is sideways (off). Report back The trouble is there is no blue lever or any lever on my tube, I wish there was. :< I wonder if it broke off or if the landlord deliberately took it off (he pays the water rates, by the way, which is worrying me). I've tried to send a photo but my phone or Villatalk say "file size too big" to be sent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted August 20, 2021 Moderator Share Posted August 20, 2021 4 minutes ago, robby b said: The trouble is there is no blue lever or any lever on my tube, I wish there was. :< I wonder if it broke off or if the landlord deliberately took it off (he pays the water rates, by the way, which is worrying me). I've tried to send a photo but my phone or Villatalk say "file size too big" to be sent. please see pm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted August 20, 2021 Share Posted August 20, 2021 10 minutes ago, robby b said: The trouble is there is no blue lever or any lever on my tube, I wish there was. :< I wonder if it broke off or if the landlord deliberately took it off (he pays the water rates, by the way, which is worrying me). I've tried to send a photo but my phone or Villatalk say "file size too big" to be sent. I tend to upload images here -> https://imgbb.com then post the link it generates into my message, and the picture appears. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted August 20, 2021 Moderator Share Posted August 20, 2021 OK. We're getting somewhere! Quote What do you think? :s The two tubes from my machine are the two coming through the round hole in my wooden kitchen 'cabinet' or whatever it's called. I guess the one with the blue nozzle must be the clean water-in tube and the larger, corrugated one the dirty water out tube. But you see , there's no lever anywhere. We can see under the sink the blue collared flexible cold water pipe that is T'd off from the cold water pipe for the sink. We can also see the shut off valve, which does not have a lever on it - the lever is missing, presumed broken. That valve is almost certainly in the off position from all you've written. We don't know why it's off - so we need to be a little careful Do you have any pliers? If you do, then the thing to do is to turn the silver end piece sticking out just above the blue collar through 90 degrees (probably anti clockwise). Before you do that, make sure the hose is connected properly at the machine end. Make sure that if you hear water leaking you immediately move the valve back to where it was. We don't know if it was off because the hose leaks, or the machine leaks, or because... Report back, please. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted August 20, 2021 Share Posted August 20, 2021 As Blandy said, it looks like the lever has snapped off (not a surprise, sometimes they can be really stiff. As soon as you start turning it with pliers you’ll hear the water rush through to the washing machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robby b Posted August 20, 2021 Author Share Posted August 20, 2021 https://ibb.co/x2Mr39R https://ibb.co/XZphDB2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted August 20, 2021 Moderator Share Posted August 20, 2021 1 minute ago, Genie said: As Blandy said, it looks like the lever has snapped off (not a surprise, sometimes they can be really stiff. One other thought - while usually the shut off for cold water is a 90 degree thing, sometimes people use radiator type shut offs in the wrong place, and there are more like a tap, where they have a wheel that maybe will move more than 90 degrees. But either way it needs opening by turning anti-clockwise (from above). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Davkaus Posted August 20, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted August 20, 2021 2 hours ago, rjw63 said: I've never known something as boring and shit as a washing machine be so interesting I'm unreasonably invested in the outcome of this, but I think I'm going to stop reading to avoid spoilers for the movie adaptation. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted August 20, 2021 Share Posted August 20, 2021 2 minutes ago, Davkaus said: I'm unreasonably invested in the outcome of this, but I think I'm going to stop reading to avoid spoilers for the movie adaptation. When the flat is inevitably flooded I’m waiting to post “ah, ok, that’s why they closed that pipe off”. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robby b Posted August 20, 2021 Author Share Posted August 20, 2021 16 minutes ago, blandy said: OK. We're getting somewhere! We can see under the sink the blue collared flexible cold water pipe that is T'd off from the cold water pipe for the sink. We can also see the shut off valve, which does not have a lever on it - the lever is missing, presumed broken. That valve is almost certainly in the off position from all you've written. We don't know why it's off - so we need to be a little careful Do you have any pliers? If you do, then the thing to do is to turn the silver end piece sticking out just above the blue collar through 90 degrees (probably anti clockwise). Before you do that, make sure the hose is connected properly at the machine end. Make sure that if you hear water leaking you immediately move the valve back to where it was. We don't know if it was off because the hose leaks, or the machine leaks, or because... Report back, please. So is the silver end piece immediately to the right of the blue collar (with the little nut and little round screw on top)? Or is it the big octagonal nut further to the right, just before the bronze tube starts? Sorry! I'm a DIY ignoramus. :< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted August 20, 2021 Share Posted August 20, 2021 (edited) Maybe wait for @blandy second opinion, but I’d put some pliers on those flat sides and try and rotate it I think the screw in the top just holds the blue plastic lever on (which has probably snapped off). Edited August 20, 2021 by Genie 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted August 20, 2021 Moderator Share Posted August 20, 2021 14 minutes ago, robby b said: So is the silver end piece immediately to the right of the blue collar (with the little nut and little round screw on top)? Or is it the big octagonal nut further to the right, just before the bronze tube starts? Sorry! I'm a DIY ignoramus. :< The circled thing, yeah. your pics is not a good angle to see the screw you mention - I can't see if it's the screw that held the (missing) lever in place or if the whole silver bit is the valve - but using the pliers try and grab the outside of that silver bit circled and turn it anti clockwise and report back edit - as genie said it's the valve that needs turning, if the silver thing is just a screw, then that's not the bit that needs to move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robby b Posted August 20, 2021 Author Share Posted August 20, 2021 (edited) 17 minutes ago, blandy said: The circled thing, yeah. your pics is not a good angle to see the screw you mention - I can't see if it's the screw that held the (missing) lever in place or if the whole silver bit is the screw - but using the pliers try and grab the outside of that silver bit circled and turn it anti clockwise and report back Ah, that silver bit at the top in your blue circle is the little screw... I've already completely unscrewed that, gradually, and replaced it with my fingers easily. Nothing happened, no water or water sound. It sits in a little gold nut below which sits on a silver, larger kind of nut. I'll send a close up photo... I could buy pliers and have a Frank Spencer tribute moment or see if the agency's maintenance man visits by Wednesday (If he doesn't then I think I'll get Currys to fit a new machine the week after next. And then I can blame an inevitable biblical flood on them, haha). :s Edited August 20, 2021 by robby b Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted August 20, 2021 Moderator Share Posted August 20, 2021 This is what we're trying to do - here's on old shut off valve from my plumbing spares box excuse the sideways pics, but the first two show the valve open and the last shows how it works inside (partially closed). It's not the retaining screw that needs to move, but the actual gubbins which goes inside the piping that the screw attaches to, if that makes sense. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robby b Posted August 20, 2021 Author Share Posted August 20, 2021 https://ibb.co/FHbrJqv Closer up: a little silver screw on top, a gold nut below and a bigger, silver nut at the bottom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted August 20, 2021 Moderator Share Posted August 20, 2021 6 minutes ago, robby b said: I think I'll get Currys to fit a new machine the week after next. No. Really. First we need to know why the existing one is not working. If it's a water pipe problem, then you'd be wasting money. First find the problem, then fix it. It might be the water is off because the machine broke, but it might be the machine has no water (well it definitely doesn't) so misbehaves. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robby b Posted August 20, 2021 Author Share Posted August 20, 2021 1 minute ago, blandy said: No. Really. First we need to know why the existing one is not working. If it's a water pipe problem, then you'd be wasting money. First find the problem, then fix it. It might be the water is off because the machine broke, but it might be the machine has no water (well it definitely doesn't) so misbehaves. OK. True. I was just thinking that if there's a water pipe problem maybe Currys can fix it and then install a new machine. I guess my landlord should get any water pipe problem fixed, I'm just afraid he'll say no, that he won't allow a washing machine anymore. I'm on the first floor so I wonder if there may have been a flood which damaged the flat below at some point. I have to go through the agency as I don't have the landlord's details (no phone number, email address or home address), I guess I should be patient, this could take weeks, maybe longer than a month, if the maintenance guy isn't free any time soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted August 20, 2021 Moderator Share Posted August 20, 2021 On 20/08/2021 at 13:22, robby b said: Closer up: a little silver screw on top, a gold nut below and a bigger, silver nut at the bottom. Perfect. With pliers or mole grips you need to clasp around the brass part with the t wo flat sides to it and turn 90 degrees acw. BEWARE as I said before - we don't know if the pipe or machine have a fault and leak water, so be ready to close the valve again if there's any sign of a leak Do like in this pic - and like genie posted earlier . 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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