Washer dryers offer the speed and convenience needed by modern households to complete the tedious, and often daily, task of cleaning and drying clothing. Although they may save time in the long-run, washer dryers are, in fact, the least reliable of all the large kitchen appliances; a symptom of combining the function of two machines in one. As a result you may find yourself shelling out extra cash on your washer dryer more more often that you'd like.
Problems with washers dryers are often more complex to fix than those encountered by a stand-alone washing machine or tumble dryer. Some of the ailments afflicting them do need to be tackled by a professional plumber. There are, however, a few minor repairs that you can and should complete yourself. With the right tools to hand and the correct replacement parts purchased, you could save a fortune on costly call-out charges and have the satisfaction of being a DIY genius.
Washer dryer owners commonly complain that their machine repeatedly leaks water when in use. This could be symptomatic of a larger problem, although nine times out of ten simply replacing a door seal that's been made ineffective by limescale and grease build-up solves the problem. New seals can be purchased from any major DIY store, just be sure to note down the make and model of your machine to ensure the right fit. Line up both a Philips and flat-head screwdriver and a plastic cable and you're ready to begin working through these easy instructions.
1. Find the plastic retaining clip that holds the existing door seal in place around the drum of the machine. This will be on the interior side of the door, hidden by the rubber lip. Remove and set aside.
2.Find the two screws on the inter-lock mechanism of the door, usually set to the right hand side. Unscrew and set aside.
3. Removal of the washer dryer's frontage is begun by finding the two large screws at the back of the machine that keep this section fixed in place. One is found at either side; unscrew these and set aside. You can now lift the main front panel across the machine off completely.
4. Take out the machine's soap drawer (the box found on the front where washing powder or liquid is added.) Removing this will expose two hidden screws; unscrew and set aside.
5. The front section of the machine that displays its operating instructions can now be lifted off easily.
6.There is now only one piece of the front panel to left remove. You will find four more screws holding this panel on; two at the top and two behind the kick plate. You can now lift the remaining piece away.
7. Find the machine's drying duct. This is a rectangular shaped opening to the right hand side of the door seal. Unplug this by sliding the door seal off it.
8.Release the inner retainer of the door seal (now the only thing holding it on) by wedging your flat-head screwdriver into its clip. Once this is done, the entire faulty door seal can be pushed off and thrown away.
9.Take your new door seal and place it up against the drum of the machine, checking that it's in the right position by lining up its built-in vent with the drying duct you have just disconnected. Push the opening of the drying duct through the vent in the new door seal and use a cable tie to hold it firmly in place.
10. It should now be easy to feel the door seal's interior lip around the machine's drum. Once this is done, you can quickly the machine's inner retainer back in place.
11. Screw the door inter-lock mechanism back in and repeat with the front and top panel. Replace the soap drawer.
12. The last thing you need to do is feed the outer lip of the new door seal around the exterior of the drum and put the retaining clip back on the secure.