I've had this portable washer since 2020 and for about US$50/year, I have got my money's worth. A self-service laundry would have been as much per month and I'd have had to pack up all my clothes and make a plan, as opposed to doing it as needed like I do now. Alas, 5 years on this washer isn't spinning or agitating. There are any number of things it could be. I've already had to make some other repairs, bypassing reed switches to be specific, so I've already been inside this washer.
Testing
I'm not an appliance repair technician, so take that as you will.
Parts
Drum belt
The drum belt connects the washing machine drum to the motor. It might have a real name, but this is what I'm calling it.
- It looked to be in great condition; there was no tearing or cracking.
- It did not slip when manually turning the motor shaft.
The drum belt was in good working condition.
Motor run capacitor
The motor run capacitor energises the auxiliary coil to creating a rotating magnetic field. Being a reversible motor, it is used in conjunction with an interlocking relay to allow the motor to spin in one direction or the other by switching which side you attach the hot AC leg to.
Check out the video at the bottom of the page for an explanation of how reversible, single phase motors work with start and run capacitors.
- Appeared to be in good condition; there was no bulging.
- Rated for 26μF±5%; tested using a multimeter at 26 μF.
The run capacitor was in good condition.
Motor
The motor is a reversable motor attached to the bottom of the suspended basin assembly.
- I don't know what I'm looking for, but nothing looks obviously wrong.
- The motor shaft turns like you'd expect when disengaged from the drum.
- The motor will not turn when engaged with the drum.
I was pretty sure the motor was in good working order.
Conclusions
All of these parts seemed to be in good working order, so I felt like it had to be related to the drum itself.
Repair
I didn't see an corrosion inside or outside, but when I tried to spin it while disengaged I could feel the drum is completely seized. I simply kept working at it until it started spinning freely.
My new apartment has very hard water, so I'm going to descale it and – hopefully – this problem won't continue. Otherwise, I might need to disassemble and inspect the insides of the drum.
