Bosch Exxcel Washer Dryer - Not Draining

[simonpayne]

I have a bosch exxcel washer dryer, around 4 years old.

It has been getting stuck at the end of the cycle on 1 minute on most cycles, but always works on super quick programme with no problems.

Over the weekend, even the super quick is failing to drain the water away, with water sat in the drum.

The filter is clear.

Out of curiosity, I disconnected the waste pipe from its normal drain point (it is normally connected to the u-bend of the waste pipe from the kitchen sink). The trap and pipework are clear, and and although there is a bit of gunk on the inside of the hose - it appears to be clear.

The sink drains very rapidly - i.e. if I fill it and take the plug out it is free draining, so I dont think this is the problem.

I then placed the hose in a bucket on the floor and ran the normal cycle - and hey presto - it completed the cycles without stopping/hanging.

Could it be the pump ?- I am wondering if placing the hose in the bucket allows the pump to discharge more freely - I did notice that when the drum discharged quite a lot of the grey gunk lining the waste hose was flushed out. Also if the bucket is on the floor then presumably the pump requires less effort to discharge to water?

Would it be better to have a dedicated waste outlet rather than inlet boss on side of sink waste? Should be an issue since it has worked fine for 4 years

Or is it something else?

I ran the machine on 90 deg C cycle as well, and there is no issue with heater.

I

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Water will always drain into a bucket unless there is a large physical blockage such as a sock. Lowering the hose into a bucket is the method for getting water out of the machine when it won't pump it out. Go through the troubleshooting guide for washing machine that wont drain out the water which includes checking there isn't an obstruction inside the spout connected to the drain hose at the u-bend.

[simonpayne]

Water will always drain into a bucket unless there is a large physical blockage such as a sock. Lowering the hose into a bucket is the method for getting water out of the machine when it won't pump it out. Go through the troubleshooting guide for washing machine that wont drain out the water which includes checking there isn't an obstruction inside the spout connected to the drain hose at the u-bend.

I didnt use the bucket just to get the water out. I ran a full programme with the bucket in place (as stated on original message). With bucket in place cycle completes, when connected to waste outlet it doesnt.... The outlet is fine, its been taken apart - no blockages, again, as originally stated.

Ive been through the guide, cant find anything that matches my issue.

I think I will swap the pump as I can see no other obvious and cheap solutions to the issue, unless anyone has any other ideas.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

That's what I mean simon, the bucket is used to remove water when the washer wont pump it out because it just gravity drains out. Therefore a washing machine with a jammed pump, or any fault stopping it draining (apart from the aforementioned large obstruction) will still drain the water if the hose is put into a bucket. Therefore doing so only proves there's no big blockage physically stopping the water from getting out but still leaves all the other possible faults.

[simonpayne]

That's what I mean simon, the bucket is used to remove water when the washer wont pump it out because it just gravity drains out. Therefore a washing machine with a jammed pump, or any fault stopping it draining (apart from the aforementioned large obstruction) will still drain the water if the hose is put into a bucket. Therefore doing so only proves there's no big blockage physically stopping the water from getting out but still leaves all the other possible faults.

I understand what you are saying - however, the pump isn't jammed and isn't discharging under gravity - isn't that the idea of a pump ? - i.e. you are not reliant on gravity. When the pump kicked in the water gushed out. When the pump switched off there is no discharge. If it were purely discharging under gravity, I would have expected a much slower discharge. Incidentally, I sat the bucket on a chair as well, to see if the head of water made any difference, and it didn't - it came out at the same rate. I watched 2 cycles of washing being done, and emptied about 8 buckets of water periodically as each time the programme emptied the drum of water. I still cant understand why it creates a problem when connected back to the sink trap.

I'll run the machine tonight to see if it is still hanging when connected to the waste outlet. I also suspect I'll bite the bullet and buy a pump as it is relatively cheap - there is a video on espares, it appears to be straightforward to swap (famous last words!!).... If we were talking a part £100+ I would probably scrap it....

Thanks again.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

If you put the hose into a bucket it would normally start to lose water through gravity drain. If you put the bucket high enough though it won't. If it pumps out fine into a bucket on a chair surely that shows there's nothing wrong with the washing machine? If when connected to the u-bend it fails again the fault must surely be a blockage somewhere after the drain hose in the plumbing? The most common cause of such a blockage is a small blockage in the plastic spiggot or tube you connect the hose to on the u-bend.