Re: How to Repair a Semi-Automatic Washing Machine Drain Plug

over merienda yesterday, my wife complained to me about the washing machine - when washing, she notice that there is still water coming out of the water drain plastic tube. i told her i'll check it today. early this morning i started on working with the washing machine ... when testing the washing machine, there was indeed some water leakage even when the drain is in close position.

possible cause of leakage:
1. the cable to close/open the drain plug might be broken or loose.
2. something blocking (e.g. small pieces of cloth twines that bundled over time, in tagalog we call it 'himulmol') the drain plug preventing it from closing properly.
3. the spring is no longer effective in holding down the plug in close position.
4. rubber plug is already broken.

in my case, i thought it was only #2 but after cleaning the rubber plug and the plastic drain pipe, it was still leaking when i tested it. i disassembled the drain assembly again and inspected the rubber, it's ok, no holes or tear in the rubber. then i inspected the spring, i then realize that it was broken at the area inside the rubber, reason why i did not notice it in the first place :-).

went to marbel hoping to find a replacement spring as my wife will do the laundry this sunday. lucky for me, i found one hardware/DIY shop that sells it after a long search. i just told the saleslady the drain plug of our washing machine is leaking and she readily replied that they do have the spring but not the rubber plug. she said that a lot of people buy the spring as it always break or easily loose it's tension. at just P40 a piece, i bought 2 pcs to keep one as a spare. they call the spring as a 'drain plug spring' (see photo 02 - the long spring is the new one)

Below are the steps to take in repairing the drain plug:
1. open the plastic access panel cover at the back of the washing machine by removing all of the screws.
2. you will immediately see the drain plug assembly at the lower portion of the washing machine (see photo 01).
3. use an adjustable pliers to open (counter clockwise) the plastic cover of the drain plug. avoid putting too much pressure when turning the cover as it's made of plastic.
4. once open, slowly pull the drain plug assembly out. you can now also remove the metal pin that holds the cable to the assembly. note, there are 3 holes in the assembly where you can place the metal pin, remember the position, normally it's the middle hole.
5. clean the rubber plug (inside and outside). the plastic thing in the middle can be removed from the rubber plug so that you can clean the inside properly.
6. once all clean, put the plastic thing inside the rubber plug, and then put the new spring inside the rubber plug. the plastic thing should be inside the spring.
7. put the drain plug assembly back into the drain pipe. make sure that everything fits properly.
8. before screwing back the plastic cover, connect the cable pin (put it in the same hole) to the top of the plastic thing of the drain assembly.
9. close the plastic cover by turning clockwise. do not put too much pressure (use adjustable pliers) when tightening the cover as it's made of plastic.
10. before closing the plastic access panel, test to see if the drain plug is working properly - no more leak when in close position. put some water in the tub up to the M (meduim) water level position. wait for 30 minutes and check if the water level is still the same. if it's lower, then there is still a leak in the drain plug. you need to re-check everything again.

hope this info helps ... cheers

Boo!