Top Load Washer - Wet Clothes Concerns

It can be disappointing and frustrating to find that your clothes are still wet at the end of a wash cycle. If this happens with your Top Load Washer, this is typically caused by an out of balance (OOB) condition. There are actions you can take to help proactively prevent this occurrence as well as correct this if it does occur. We are providing this information below.

Cabinet Strikes Sound

If your Washing Machine is making loud striking noises, it is likely due to the load not being balanced inside the machine. The sound you are hearing is the tub moving and hitting the side of the machine cabinet due to this imbalance. If this sound occurs, and sometimes when the sound does not occur, the machine will detect an out of balance (OOB) condition and go into redistribution automatically. The machine will do a few things to let you know that it has entered redistribution.

Spin Lights

If the spin light is no longer solid and is flashing instead, this indicates the machine has entered redistribution.

Redistribution

During redistribution, the Washing Machine will slow down, stop, add water to the tub, and then agitate or “wash” the clothes. At this point, your clothes are clean and the only remaining steps are to remove the water from your clothes. The machine will look like it is "washing" your clothes, what it is actually attempting to do is move the clothes around to a more balanced position in the tub. If the redistribution process is unsuccessful, the machine may try redistribution again (depending upon the model it may try multiple times) before ending the cycle early and leaving the clothes wet.

Manual Redistribution

You can pause the redistribution or stop it entirely by pressing pause or power, respectively. The machine may take a moment to stop and unlock the lid. Once you have manually moved the clothes into a more balanced position, you can run a drain and spin cycle. If you did not hear any cabinet strikes but your clothes are wet, you should perform a manual redistribution prior to running a drain and spin cycle.

Rinse and Drain and Spin

If your machine has a Deep Rinse option and it is selected when you select a Drain and Spin cycle, it will perform a rinse cycle prior to the normal drain and spin cycle.

Using Deep Rinse

If your Washer has a Deep Rinse button, this function can be used to add additional water if you have articles that tend to get out of balance. Certain wash cycles, like Bulky Items, will turn this feature on automatically. However, it can be turned on manually, if desired.

Starting Loading

The way you load the Washer at the start of the cycle can impact the occurrence of an out of balance (OOB) wash load. If you load the Washer in a balanced method at the start, it is more likely to be balanced when it attempts to spin. The best way to achieve a balanced load is to load dry items evenly and loosely around the outside of the basket, filling in towards the center on larger loads. Load around the agitator or infusor into equally distributed areas such as quadrants. On infusor models, do not place large items such as sheets, blankets, or towels across the infusor. The center of the infusor and/or agitator cap should be visible prior to starting your laundry load. Remember that different types of clothes absorb different amounts of water. For example, towels and delicates will absorb very different amounts of water. If they are in the same load (this is not recommended for a variety of reasons), this can cause a major imbalance once they are wet.

Here Is a Video on How to Properly Load Your Washer

Video - Clothes Not Clean - Set Water Level

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Leveling of the Washer

If the Washer is not level, this can cause an increase in OOB occurrences. In order to level your Washer properly, you will need to level it both front to back, and side to side. The exact procedure varies for different Washers. Follow the directions for leveling the Washer in the Owner's Manual for the specific model you own.

Here Is a Video on How to Level a Top Load Washer

Video - Leveling a Top Load Washer

Drain Hose Installation

The Washer drain hose should not be installed more than 6” down into the standpipe and should not be snug to allow for airflow back around the hose. If the standpipe or the end of the drain hose is too low, this will cause syphoning which will remove water from the Washer and cause poor wash performance along with an increase in OOB occurrences.

Here Is a Video about Installing/Replacing the Drain Hose on Your Washer

Video - Washer Drain Hose Installation

Here Is a Video about the Washer Filling and Draining at the Same Time and Proper Drain Hose Height

Video - Top Load Washer Fills and Drains at Same Time

Water Line Installation

The Washer requires that both the hot and cold water valves be supplied with water. If you want to only supply tap cold water, or only have tap cold water available, it is still required to hook up a hose to the hot water valve. This will help ensure that enough water enters the tub and provides adequate wash performance and a reduction in OOB events. If you have low water pressure at the Washer, it can cause poor wash performance and an increase in OOB events. A service technician can run a water pressure test for you to see if the water pressure is appropriate for your Washer.

Here Is a Video on How to Install the Hot and Cold Water Hoses on Your Washer

Video - Installation of Hot and Cold Inlet Hoses for Washers

Repair Service Recommended

If none of the actions listed above resolve your issue, service may be necessary. For service, please schedule a repair appointment with Bodewell.