Fabric conditioner slot full of water and product

[Faxanadu]

Hi everyone, I hope you can help. I own an Indesit integrated washer dryer (IWDE146). It’s been serving me well for the past four years. Lately, I have noticed that the fabric conditioner slot remains full of water / half dissolved conditioner after every wash. The liquid simply sits in there. Sometimes it leaks out of the machine as it gets too full. In the past, I have fixed this issue by cleaning it, unclogging any possible blocked areas, and putting it back. This time around, I have followed the same procedure, cleaned it thoroughly, however water still sits within the slot, with fabric conditioner doesn’t seem to disssolve. I was wondering if you had a recommendation as to how to fix this issue. Thanks very much in advance.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Hi. It looks like there is a cap missing that should fit over the tube at the back?

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Here is my article on the subject , which explains how it should work fabric softener compartment full of water

[Faxanadu]

11 minutes ago, Whitegoodshelp (Andy) said:

Hi. It looks like there is a cap missing that should fit over the tube at the back?

Hi Andy, thank you for your reply and helpful link to your guide. There is indeed a blue part, could this be the cap (pic attached)? I’ve only just removed it to take the pictures (and also to see if water would go away with cap off). Cap has always been on and problem arose nonetheless. I have cleaned the tray recently, removing every blockage I could see, every spot of mould. In the past, this helped sort the issue right away. this time around, the overfilling doesn’t seem to have been resolved, despite me cleaning the tray and blue part #puzzled

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Hi. Yes that’s it. With the cap on properly it shouldn’t be possible for water to be left in the compartment unless it’s just a mm or so left. Please read my article which explains it all and also try the under a running tap test it describes. 

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

However, if all the water drains out properly under the tap test, and it’s not pure water left, and is half dissolved fabric softener, then the problem is more likely to be very poor water pressure not flushing the softener out properly, or maybe the water isn’t being flushed into the softener compartment. 

[andyr12345]

@Faxanadu - you could try cleaning the hole with a small pipe cleaner brush or straightened out metal clothes hanger hanger .

@Whitegoodshelp (Andy) - is water pressure detrimental to pushing the fabric conditioner down? - dont the container part just fill up with water , then dissolves the fabric conditioner liquid with water and then syphons down the hole rather than gets pushed down with force of water? 

 

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Hi Andy. The water should flush/force the softener out so that it spill over the sides and start off the siphoning, which drains the pure water that should be left. 
 

If the water pressure is very poor the softener, which is much thicker and heavier than water may stay sunk at the bottom. Or it will just never clear all the softener dregs at the bottom, which will become cloggy and stick in the base. 
 

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

If the water pressure is good enough it should force all the softener out over the top, so than only pure water siphons up and out of the tube. 
 

If you imagine the water just trickling in,  and leaving fabric softener in the bottom, then at the end you will get softener siphoning up the tube, which can cause the tube to get clogged. 

[andyr12345]

5 minutes ago, Whitegoodshelp (Andy) said:

Hi Andy. The water should flush/force the softener out so that it spill over the sides and start off the siphoning, which drains the pure water that should be left. 
 

If the water pressure is very poor the softener, which is much thicker and heavier than water may stay sunk at the bottom. Or it will just never clear all the softener dregs at the bottom, which will become cloggy and stick in the base. 
 

ah yeah right I see - there are 2 solenoids for cold water inlet, one for detergent compartment and one solenoid for the fabric conditioner , is it possible that the fabric conditioner  solenoid is not opening fully or blockage between solenoid to soap drawer pipe or does that not generally tend to happen?

[Faxanadu]

20 minutes ago, andyr12345 said:

@Faxanadu - you could try cleaning the hole with a small pipe cleaner brush or straightened out metal clothes hanger hanger .

@Whitegoodshelp (Andy) - is water pressure detrimental to pushing the fabric conditioner down? - dont the container part just fill up with water , then dissolves the fabric conditioner liquid with water and then syphons down the hole rather than gets pushed down with force of water? 

 

Thanks, I can try that. I have used a cotton bud. By hole, do you mean this one inside the blue circle? Thank you

Edited April 19, 2022 by Faxanadu

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Yes it is Andy, although it’s relatively rare because if there is a solenoid just for the fabric softener, which is common, then as it’s only ever energised once per wash it’s usually reliable. 
 

 

[Faxanadu]

33 minutes ago, Whitegoodshelp (Andy) said:

However, if all the water drains out properly under the tap test, and it’s not pure water left, and is half dissolved fabric softener, then the problem is more likely to be very poor water pressure not flushing the softener out properly, or maybe the water isn’t being flushed into the softener compartment. 

.Could it possibly be that it’s down to a specific brand of softer now we may have used, that is perhaps thicker than other brands, and doesn’t dissolve very easily? Water pressure has been the same, since when I moved into this flat, four years ago, same washing machine. I wouldn’t say it’s super, but I have a hot water cylinder in the flat, which certainly helps with water pressure. No water pressure issues in the shower or in the kitchen sinks.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

1 minute ago, Faxanadu said:

.Could it possibly be that it’s down to a specific brand of softer now we may have used, that is perhaps thicker than other brands, and doesn’t dissolve very easily?

If the water isn’t flushing into the softener compartment with enough force then a thinner softener would fair better. 
 

What happens when you’ve cleaned it all out and put the cap on, and you put some softener in - only up to the line - and then hold it under the tap or pour cold water into it from a kettle?

The softener should all splash out over the top and then when you stop pouring, the remaining water should siphon out up the central tube. 

[Faxanadu]

17 minutes ago, Whitegoodshelp (Andy) said:

If the water isn’t flushing into the softener compartment with enough force then a thinner softener would fair better. 
 

What happens when you’ve cleaned it all out and put the cap on, and you put some softener in - only up to the line - and then hold it under the tap or pour cold water into it from a kettle?

The softener should all splash out over the top and then when you stop pouring, the remaining water should siphon out up the central tube. 

I’m gonna have to try this test over the weekend. Unfortunately, the way my washing machine is fixed it’s not super easy to get the detergent tray out. I’d need to unscrew the door first which is a pain in the neck. Will try Sat and report back! 

[andyr12345]

I think I read somewhere that the 'concentrated' thick conditioner should be mixed with water first before putting into the fabric conditioner compartment - the non concentrated fabric conditioner will be pretty runny and not thick so wont need watering down (well apart from what naturally occurs in the fabric conditioner compartment when it fills up with water) but obviously the concentrated fabric conditioner should do more washes in the same size bottle (which is what its marketed as) but of course it should be diluted down. - think of juice concentrate where you have to dilute it with water ... well the same with the concentrated fabric softener ... although I bet most people dont dilute it and just put the concentrated as is into the fabric softener compartment in the soap drawer the same way they have always put the softener in (ie the thin normal non concentrated softener thats been out for years)

Hot water cylinder will make no difference to pressure as nearly all washing machines will be cold fill inlet in the last 20 years I think and even if the machine had a cold and hot fill inlet at the back the solenoid for the fabric conditioner will be on the cold water side anyway regardless.

 

[andyr12345]

This is the way i thought it worked by syphon? so it filled up/mixed the fabric conditioner with the water, then tipped over the top of the hole in which then syphonage takes place until it empties all the contents of the mixed fabric conditioner exiting at the back/bottom end of the soap drawer at which stage the syphoning stops and when you open the drawer no water or softener should be left in the drawer at all ? - I think thats how it normally works. 


 

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

15 hours ago, Faxanadu said:

Unfortunately, the way my washing machine is fixed it’s not super easy to get the detergent tray out.

The soap dispenser should ideally come out easily for cleaning, but you can do the same test with a kettle of water and the drawers still in situ.

I describe the under the tap test because it’s easy to do once you’ve had it out to clean it. 

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

15 hours ago, andyr12345 said:

 

I think I read somewhere that the 'concentrated' thick conditioner should be mixed with water first before putting into the fabric conditioner compartment

 

If that’s the case, then not doing so would be likely to cause the constant clogging I described before.