What Does the Bottom Corner of Washing Machines Do?

That little cover on the bottom right of the washing machine is called the drain pump. Those who are interested in technological home appliances may be wondering about the purpose of putting the cover there, asking “what does this do?”.

This place, which we can call a drainage, water or drainage pump, can sometimes absorb our small personal belongings that we forget in the pockets of our clothes. So what exactly is the function of this pump?

In fact, the dirty water in the washing machine is discharged thanks to this pump.

We can say that this is a place where waste water is stored. You need to clean this pump regularly every month because if the drain pump fails, the machine can malfunction. Inside this section, there is also a filter, resembling the blue tool at the front in the image above. In fact, when you poke around the cover, you can usually find your lost sock stuck in that filter. Here the pump is located behind this filter.

Cover of the drain pump

You should never open this door while the washing machine is running. As soon as you open it, it floods everywhere. Sometimes, when the pump malfunctions, the water in the washing machine cannot be completely emptied or the program you put in the washing may suddenly stop. As you can see, the pump inside this small cover is an important mechanism for the operation of the machine.

So how do some small objects get caught in the drain pump?

The sock in the picture stands in the gap between the gasket and when the machine starts, it falls from that gap and goes to the discharge pump through the channels.

There is a gasket between the perforated section called the tub and the cover section inside the washing machine. There is a gap between the gasket. When too much laundry is thrown into the machine, some small clothes or items, such as socks, stick to the pine as the weight of the machine will also increase. Since the E machine is also working, it rotates rapidly on the one hand and these small objects can sometimes get stuck between the gasket. As the device continues to work, it causes the stuck items to go deeper.

Thus, these objects pass through the drain hose through the channel inside the machine. They eventually get stuck there. This situation may lead you to ask questions such as “where is the one of my sock” when you empty the machine.

If your laundry comes out of the machine unsqueezed even though you have turned on the spin programme, it means it’s time to check the drain cover.

You can check for accumulated water by placing a basin under the hose on the left. If you open the cover of the water pump directly without checking there, the floors may get wet.

In such a case, you need to open that small cover under the machine and check if there is any blockage in the filter inside. The filter actually acts as a kind of protection, as it is designed to catch the above-mentioned objects so that the pump is not damaged. Situations where these objects accumulate excessively in the filter cause the pump to stop moving.

In fact, if your washing machine is making muffled and loud noises like zombies in horror movies, it may be due to a malfunction in the drain pump.

In classical design washing machines, the filter is inside the pump cover. You have to be very careful when removing and cleaning the filter because they are quite fragile. In addition, you need to turn the pump cover counterclockwise to open it, because some people may think that the cover cannot be opened because they do not know this. After cleaning the filter, you need to remove the main hose of the pump and clean the blockage, if any.

You need to open the bottom right round cover by turning it counterclockwise.

If there is no problem with the filter, but your machine is still malfunctioning, you can look at the pump with a flashlight and see if something is entangled in the impeller. Sometimes the detergent and softener used can also damage the part where the water pump is located and corrode it. In other words, if there is a problem with your machine, the reason may not always be objects such as buckles, money and bra straps attached to the filter in the drain pump. Of course, this does not apply to washing machine models that do not have a filter and are designed to clean themselves.

If the problem is not resolved after applying these simple solution suggestions, it would be beneficial to contact the technical service of the place where you bought the machine. Well, have you ever lost one of your socks to the machine before? You can share your thoughts with us in the comments.

Sources: In The Wash, Better Homes, YouTube