Washing machine not spinning? Five things to check before you ring anyone

A washing machine that fills, washes, drains and then just sits there with a drum full of soaking wet clothes is one of the most common calls I get. It's also the one where I most often end up telling somebody they didn't need me.

So before you book anything — with me or anyone else — here's what's worth checking. Five minutes now might save you a call-out charge.

Switch it off at the wall first. Not the button on the front, the plug. Every one of these checks means putting your hands somewhere they shouldn't be while there's power going in.

1. Is the load unbalanced?

This is the big one. Modern machines won't spin if the drum isn't loaded evenly, because a heavy wet lump on one side at 1400rpm would walk the machine across your kitchen floor. It's a safety feature, not a fault.

One towel, one duvet, or three pairs of jeans all bunched together on one side will do it. Open the door, pull everything out, shake it loose, spread it round the drum and run a spin cycle on its own. If it goes, that was your problem.

2. Has it actually drained?

A machine won't spin on a full drum. If there's water sitting in there, the problem isn't the spin at all — it's the drain, and that's a different job.

Nine times out of ten it's the filter. There's a small hatch behind a flap at the bottom front of the machine. Get a shallow tray and some towels down first, because more water comes out than you'd think, then unscrew the filter and have a look. Coins, hair grips, bra wires, buttons, a surprising amount of general fluff. Clean it out, screw it back in properly, and try again.

Worth doing every few months anyway, whether it's playing up or not.

3. Is the drain hose kinked or too high?

If somebody's moved the machine recently — a new kitchen, a new floor, or just pulling it out to clean behind it — the hose at the back can end up trapped or bent. Pull the machine out gently and look at the run of it. It wants a clear path with no sharp bends, and the outlet shouldn't be sitting too high up the wall.

4. Does the door lock properly?

Listen for the click when you shut it. If the machine won't start a spin cycle at all and the door light is behaving oddly, the interlock may have gone. That's a genuine fault and it's a part, not something you can fix at the sink — but it's a cheap part and a quick job, so don't let anyone talk you into a new machine over it.

5. Can you hear the motor trying?

Put your ear near it during what should be the spin. If you can hear it straining, humming, or turning slowly and giving up, that's usually the carbon brushes on the motor worn down, or a drive belt that's snapped or slipped. If you hear absolutely nothing, it's more likely electronic.

Either way you're into parts and a spanner at that point. But knowing which noise it's making tells me a lot before I've even set off, so mention it when you book.

When it is worth calling

If you've been through all five and it still won't spin, it's a real fault and it's almost certainly worth repairing. A set of brushes, a belt or a door interlock on a decent machine costs a fraction of replacing it, and there's no sense putting a working washing machine in a skip over a part that costs less than a weekly shop.

The exception is drum bearings. If the machine has been roaring like a jet engine on spin for months and now won't spin at all, that's bearings, and on a lot of modern machines the drum is sealed so the whole thing has to be replaced. On an older or cheaper machine that's usually the point where I'll tell you straight it's not worth it.

If you're not sure which it is, send the booking form through with the make, model and what it's doing. If I can tell you it's a five-minute fix you can do yourself, I will.

More on washing machine repairs, or have a look at the areas I cover.