The washing machine will not spin

First, make sure you have not de-selected spin – many washing machines have a separate button for this.

If the washing machine will not spin, the reason may be one of the following:

• The fault may be caused by an imbalance, which can occur by washing one larger item or a few small items – it can for instance be a bathmat, which sucks in a large amount of water and becomes very heavy during the wash. By washing textiles such as bathmats it will not be possible to create balance in the drum. Many newer models have a balance control, which prevents the washing machine from breaking down – a sort of centrifuge surveillance, which ensures that there is balance in the drum during the spin cycle. Adding more clothes to the wash (e.g. towels) and then trying to run the program again, will usually help the problem.
• The fault may be due to the washing machine not draining out water. You can read more about this problem here.
• The fault may be caused by defective bearings. Defective bearings may result in the drum struggling or not being able to spin at all. When checking the bearings, you should also check for foreign objects in the washing machine. If the bearings are defective, you can find new ones here.
• The fault may be caused by a wrongly placed or defective drive belt. Start by ensuring that it is correctly fitted and refit or replace it if necessary. You can find a new washing machine belt here.
• The fault may be caused by worn out carbon brushes. The carbon brushes are placed opposite each other – on each side of the commutator, which is the part of the engine that the carbon brushes press up against. The carbon brushes are held up against the commutator by little springs, but in case the carbon brushes are worn down then the carbon brushes will lose connection to the commutator. Replace the carbon brushes if they are worn or damaged. Find new carbon brushes for your washing machine here. Also examine the commutator, and remove burnt carbon dust, burrs and irregularities – you can use a grinding stone for this. Find a commutator grinding stone here.
• If you have gone through all the above without finding the cause of your problem, it may be due to a defective motor or PCB. You can replace both the motor and PCB yourself – find a new washing machine motor here or a new washing machine PCB here.

Replacement of bearings Replacement of belt Replacement of motor