The Virtual Repairman's Appliance Help

[schifferle]

Hi!

First, we would like to thank you – several years ago you saved us a bunch of money by quickly telling us how to repair our built-in microwave. (It was only a fuse!)



Now, we have another domestic challenge. Our 15 year old Kenmore clothes washer is intermittently filling correctly and then only filling very slowly.
Initially, it was the hot water only which would slowly dribble in, and now it is also happening with the cold water, but that is intermittent. At first, we thought it was the water inlet valve in the washing machine, until our 16 year-old daughter showed us how to restore the flow by shutting the water off and then on again at the built-in faucet attachment (shut-off valve) for the washer.



It appears the valve in the wall is faulty – when fiddled with (i.e. the valve shut off, then on again with the washer sometimes shut off & turned on again ) the water flows normally, and then will fail again later in the rinse cycle & must be fiddled with to resume normal flow (only the cold, the hot always dribbles in slowly no matter what is done). Although I have repaired domestic faucets when they were dripping, this is one of those quick-throw on-off washer faucets, and I do not know how to fix this. Short of calling in a plumber, we are once again asking for your help.



Thanks,

Pete and Sandy Schifferle

[Virtual Repairman]

The shut-off valves at the wall are referred to as "bibb faucets" in the plumbing world. All that is required to replace them is knowing which size water pipe that they are attached to in the wall. The normal sizes for the incoming pipe is 1/2", although 3/4" is used in some cases. Most faucets simply unscrew from the pipe by using a couple of pipe wrenches, one to stabilize the feed pipe, the other to unscrew the faucet. Only faucets which are brazed onto copper piping will you NOT be able to change, as this requires a torch & lots of other skills.

The replacement faucets are at the Home Depot or Lowes. I recommend shutting off the water, removing one of the faucets and taking it down with you for a perfect match. Do not buy the ones with a short throw left or right. Buy the faucet with a regular wheel that can adjust the flow a bit better if needed.

After replacing the faucets, the issue should clear up, but you can also replace the water inlet valve on the machine very cheaply if needed.