Water Seeps Into Drum Overnight

[Curious]

My wife complained of an intermittent fault on our washing machine, whereby the clothes were wet on removal from the machine. Mrs G. explained that it only happens if the washing machine is left to run overnight . So now Im suspecting the inlet valves. I dried the whole area around the detergent drawer and within a few minutes detected a drip !!

So it cant be anything else other than the valves, right? Also Ive often wondered why the hot water pipe never gets warm during a fill. Does this machine take in cold water only and heat it? Or does it only use the hot supply for high temperature washes? Sorry for the long post. Great web site and very useful !!

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

This sounds like it may well be one of the water valves not shutting off properly. If you think you know which one it is you should be able to buy one here 4Washerhelp spare parts & Accessories

Most wash programmes fill with hot and cold water simultaneously. Cold water pressure is usually much higher than hot. Also, hot water cools quickly in the pipes from the cistern to the washing machine, so it has to run a while before any hot water comes through. Combine these facts with the fact that modern washing machines take very little water in on a wash and you get a situation where the hot water in a UK hot water cylinder is hardly even used on all but hot-fill-only programmes (most washers only hot-fill-only on Whites) This is why most washing machine manufacturers now make cold fill only washing machines.

(Related: Cold fill washing machines)

Finally: Another cause of washing machines filling with water when not in use is water running down into the washing machine from the sink if the drain hose is connected to the sink u-bend - Washing machine fills with water overnight or when not in use

[Curious]

There is water visible in the drum after being left for a few days or sometimes even overnight. During the next few days I will close the valves on the supply pipes whilst the machine is not being used to determine which is the faulty inlet valve. Many thanks for your reply.