What has caused blockage in drain hose pipe?

[iwhite3]

My 10yr old Zanussi FL1084 recently packed up (wouldnt drain). Fixed the problem which was 2 things (related). The Pump had died, and the pump outlet pipe was very blocked with grey deposits (also on inlet side). Looking at this deposit it isnt greasy and I dont think its limescale (doesnt look like kettle limescale anyway).

I am now thinking it is wash powder deposits (presumeably undissolved). Have been using persil non-bio tablets with Calgon tablets (v hard water area). Mainly 40 degree washes with some 60 washes.

I am thinking is this because 2 tablets is too much for this 4.5lb capacity machine at low temps (not fully dissolving)? Would wash liquid / liquitabs help? Would going back to powder help? What about using 1 tab instead of 2?

These deposits also blocked my drain pipe a couple of years back and are hard to clear as pretty solid (caustic soda wouldnt clear had to chip away with screwdriver)...... So I want to avoid.

Any ideas? Thanks.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

If water is too soft, it can affect a detergent’s dissolving ability, and the rinsing efficiency of the washing machine. If your water isn't especially hard, and you use a good quality detergent as well as using the correct dosage for hard water (washing machine detergent contains water softener) and then add anti limescale tablets, which also soften water, you could get water that's too soft for washing and the detergent may not dissolve properly.

As for which is best? I personally think good old fashioned washing machine powder is best. We were happy enough with it for decades, until washing machine detergent manufacturers started trying to come up with innovative ways of getting ahead of the competition. We then had, liquid detergents, then tablets, then tablets with liquid pouches etc. etc. Most of these products are aimed at our lazy side. They seem more convenient to use. They save us several seconds etc. None of them claim to wash any better, they are just more convenient to use or store, and we usually pay extra for convenience.

However, cold fill washing machines can have problems dissolving some powder detergents thoroughly, so liquid could be better there, the same applies if you have very low water pressure which leaves un-dissolved powder in the soap dispenser.

Also, if you have an extra rinse option I would leave it selected for all washes which would help.

This may be of interest, particularly the section about doing a service / maintenance wash - What happens when you only use 40° washes?

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

I have several articles on washing machine detergent over on my main Whitegoodshelp site here -

http://www.whitegoodshelp.co.uk/?s=detergent