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Old 03-05-2021, 04:28 PM
 
Location: Shawnee-on-Delaware, PA
7,932 posts, read 7,278,111 times
Reputation: 16053

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We have a new Maytag washer, purchased in August 2020. Made in USA which is why I bought that unit.

This morning I noticed it suddenly started draining, even though no water in it. It was last used yesterday for two loads of towels. We used the "Deep Water Wash" setting with hot water, which is recommended for towels. I have unplugged it numerous times, but it always goes right into "drain" mode. Controls don't respond but it you move the drum, the draining stops momentarily before starting again.

I have a service call in, the guy is coming Monday. But in the meantime is there anything I can do to check it out? It sounds like a faulty sensor, like what happens with cars all the time now. Should I begin expecting electronics problems with household appliances now, that I can't fix or troubleshoot?

The Maytag 800 number person said they recommend putting the unit on a separate circuit. It's on a circuit with a sump pump and a dehumidifier both of which have not run in quite a while. Still, they say they recommend the separate circuit. We bought the unit at Home Depot and they installed it. Supposedly the "separate circuit" thing is part of the installation instructions.
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Old 03-05-2021, 04:47 PM
 
23,513 posts, read 69,899,087 times
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Likely the load sensor or control board. If it stopped at all, you ruled out any pump relay being stuck.

It is common for a washer to have a dedicated circuit, but not strictly required. Since both those other devices have significant inrush current on starting, I would probably add the circuit along with whatever odd add-ons, like an extra outdoor socket might be wanted, to make the job worth the electrician's time and call-out.
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Old 03-07-2021, 05:14 PM
 
Location: Shawnee-on-Delaware, PA
7,932 posts, read 7,278,111 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by harry chickpea View Post
It is common for a washer to have a dedicated circuit, but not strictly required.
Thanks, I'll probably call my electrician to add a new circuit for the washer.

Funny though, that I bought my house from a family of electricians (my current electrician is one of them) and I inherited the setup from them. Although I supposed washers in the old days didn't have electronics in them.
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Old 03-07-2021, 05:38 PM
 
23,513 posts, read 69,899,087 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jtab4994 View Post
Thanks, I'll probably call my electrician to add a new circuit for the washer.

Funny though, that I bought my house from a family of electricians (my current electrician is one of them) and I inherited the setup from them. Although I supposed washers in the old days didn't have electronics in them.
LOL! That is more common than not. There isn't a whole lot of incentive for someone who does a task all day long to come home and do the same task at home. I'm sure the basics were taken care of, but other than that - "I know how to reset a breaker, no need to add a circuit until it becomes a problem."

Oh yeah, if you have one coming out, have a whole house surge protector installed at the same time. Great one-time insurance for keeping electronics safe.
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Old 03-08-2021, 08:21 AM
 
Location: Shawnee-on-Delaware, PA
7,932 posts, read 7,278,111 times
Reputation: 16053
So the tech came out this morning, and found no codes. He said there may be a vacuum issue in the drain that is causing the machine to think it has to drain. One useful thing I found out from the tech, is that the phantom drain cycle can be turned off by holding down the reset button for 15 seconds rather than unplugging the unit.

When the Home Depot guy installed the unit he attached the hose to the drain pipe with a zip-tie and said I wouldn't need plumber's putty because the zip-tie would hold it in place. That may be true about holding the pipe in place but as soon as the machine drained water, it shot up out of the drain! The drain is a couple inches higher than the unit and it's U-shaped, so water blasted into it backs up.

That being said, I can stick a thin piece of PVC tube through the plumber's putty which will let air escape and defeat the vacuum, while keeping water from shooting out, as long as it's high enough. Modern times.
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Old 03-08-2021, 09:02 AM
 
Location: Virginia
10,044 posts, read 6,309,362 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jtab4994 View Post
So the tech came out this morning, and found no codes. He said there may be a vacuum issue in the drain that is causing the machine to think it has to drain. One useful thing I found out from the tech, is that the phantom drain cycle can be turned off by holding down the reset button for 15 seconds rather than unplugging the unit.

When the Home Depot guy installed the unit he attached the hose to the drain pipe with a zip-tie and said I wouldn't need plumber's putty because the zip-tie would hold it in place. That may be true about holding the pipe in place but as soon as the machine drained water, it shot up out of the drain! The drain is a couple inches higher than the unit and it's U-shaped, so water blasted into it backs up.

That being said, I can stick a thin piece of PVC tube through the plumber's putty which will let air escape and defeat the vacuum, while keeping water from shooting out, as long as it's high enough. Modern times.
I had the same problem with my GE stacked unit (one piece). I had cut the zip tie when the painters moved the unit out to paint behind it and pushed the drain hose further down the pipe. Apparently that caused the unit to drain without end. Even shutting it off at the main electrical panel wouldn't end the cycle. As soon as the tech zip tied it back in place the problem ceased.
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Old 03-08-2021, 01:19 PM
 
23,513 posts, read 69,899,087 times
Reputation: 48865
Quote:
Originally Posted by jtab4994 View Post
So the tech came out this morning, and found no codes. He said there may be a vacuum issue in the drain that is causing the machine to think it has to drain. One useful thing I found out from the tech, is that the phantom drain cycle can be turned off by holding down the reset button for 15 seconds rather than unplugging the unit.

When the Home Depot guy installed the unit he attached the hose to the drain pipe with a zip-tie and said I wouldn't need plumber's putty because the zip-tie would hold it in place. That may be true about holding the pipe in place but as soon as the machine drained water, it shot up out of the drain! The drain is a couple inches higher than the unit and it's U-shaped, so water blasted into it backs up.

That being said, I can stick a thin piece of PVC tube through the plumber's putty which will let air escape and defeat the vacuum, while keeping water from shooting out, as long as it's high enough. Modern times.
OK, you have a couple of problems. If water is shooting up out of the drain that the washer goes into, you -at minimum - have a slow drain, and much more likely a partial clog.

The second problem is that the drain hoses from a washer are NOT to be sealed to the house drain. As the tech suggested, the seal most likely caused what you called a "phantom draining."

Have a plumber inspect and snake your drains. A lint buildup in pipes is not uncommon, or a mix of lint and grease might be causing a partial clog further down the sewer pipe. Getting the slow drain fixed now could very well keep you from having a major flooding problem if it clogs completely.

A washer drain hose wants to sit only about a foot into the open pipe behind the washer. There is a trap at the bottom of that pipe, and the washer hose must be up and away from it to allow it to function properly, and there MUST be the air gap.
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Old 03-10-2021, 12:21 AM
 
5,457 posts, read 3,331,156 times
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Definatly a sep circuit.
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Old 03-11-2021, 11:47 AM
 
Location: Johns Creek, GA
17,403 posts, read 65,535,896 times
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“ Washing machine started "draining" and won't stop”


That’s certainly better than filling and won’t stop!
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Old 07-30-2021, 09:23 AM
 
Location: Shawnee-on-Delaware, PA
7,932 posts, read 7,278,111 times
Reputation: 16053
Update:
Back in March I went out and got a thin piece of clear PVC tubing, the kind used in a refrigerator, and installed it in the drain pipe. When the washer drains, the water in the PVC tube rises about 6-8 inches, which means the water is draining from the machine faster than it goes down the drain.

With that being said, the washer was OK for a couple of weeks but then it did the phantom draining thing again.

I think I have fixed the issue, or at least the issue has not happened since late March. When we do a load of towels, the recommended setting is "Deep Water Wash". I occurred to me that the problem always happens when the selector is on that setting. So now, after we take the towels out of the washer, we always reset the selector to "Normal Wash". Problem solved.
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