Washer Guide
Washing Machine Won't Spin or Drain
Here's the thing most people don't realize: a washer that won't spin and a washer that won't drain are usually the same problem. Most machines won't spin until they've drained the water out — so a drain fault shows up as a stalled, soaking-wet load that never spun.
That's good news. It means you start in one place: the drain.
Start at the drain pump filter
On a front-loader, there's a small access panel at the bottom-front hiding the drain pump filter. It catches coins, lint, hair clips, and the occasional sock — and a clogged one stops the machine draining, which stops it spinning.
- Lay down towels and have a shallow tray ready — more water comes out than you'd expect.
- Unscrew the filter slowly to release the water, then clear out any debris.
- Check the impeller behind it spins freely by hand.
Then work outward
- Check the drain hose for a kink behind the machine, and that it isn't jammed too far down the standpipe.
- Run a spin-only cycle with an empty drum — if it spins fine empty, the earlier fault was likely an unbalanced or overloaded load.
- Listen during the drain step: a pump that hums but moves no water is failing or jammed.
- On top-loaders, a worn drive belt or a failed lid switch will also stop the spin — the machine won't spin with the lid sensed open.
When it's not a simple clog
If the filter and hose are clear and it still won't drain or spin, you're into the drain pump, the lid switch or door lock, the motor, or a control fault — and on many machines an error code points the way (an LG OE, a Samsung drain code). Those need a meter to confirm, so that's the point to book a technician rather than keep re-running cycles on a full tub.
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