Take the 2-minute tour ×

For the second time in a month, I found that my washing machine had flooded the kitchen floor (and part of the basement via the hole for the water line to the fridge).

The first time, I only noticed it at the end of the wash. This time, I know it happened during the spin cycle because I had just been in the kitchen a few minutes earlier and hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary.

The washer is a Maytag LAT9706AAE and is at least eight years old (I bought it with the house) but has been reliable until this. The load size was set between medium and large (it's on a continuous slider); Extra Rinse (which uses more water in the rinse cycle) was turned off and Extra Spin (which causes it to spin for longer) was turned on.

Why would it leak only during the spin cycle? Is this something I could repair easily, or is it time for a new washer?

share|improve this question
I would have to guess it's leaking just before the spin cycle (when it's draining), since I wouldn't think there would be much water involved during the spin cycle (just whatever was sucked out of the clothes). Insure that the drain is clear and flowing properly, and inspect all seals, gaskets, and pipe connections. –  Tester101 Aug 23 '11 at 12:14
Also, check the belt on the drain pump to insure it's tight and operating properly. This site has some good technical drawings of the washer. –  Tester101 Aug 23 '11 at 12:23
@tester101: if that were the case, wouldn't I see problems when it was draining the dirty/sudsy water after the wash cycle? It'll be a couple of days before I have time to pull it out and take a look inside. Thanks for the link... I'd run across it before but for some reason couldn't find it this time. –  Niall C. Aug 24 '11 at 4:23
What does your washing-machine sit on? Is it firmly sitting on the floor or on a trolley? Trolleys tend to cause the machine to wobble more than usual and end up loosening the drainage system.. besides causing a host of other problems. –  Kent Pawar Dec 21 '12 at 12:45
show 1 more comment

2 Answers

up vote 3 down vote accepted

You have a crack somewhere in the drainage system. The most likely reason that it's leaking on the spin cycle is the vibration caused by the spin cycle is opening the crack to let the leaking occur.

share|improve this answer
+1, it might be that a drainage pipe simply detached, then repair will be easy. –  sharptooth Oct 27 '11 at 7:38
I took a look inside but couldn't see any loose pipes or cracks. In the end, I just bought a new one. –  Niall C. Jun 16 '13 at 21:10
add comment

We have exactly the same problem, we pulled the washer out from the wall where we could watch the the complete wash cycle. Everything was fine until it started to spin. At first, water/soap bubbles came out right at the entrance to the trap, followed by water dripping. At this point I'm just guessing what's going on since there was no leaking during the draining process. It appears the pump is forcing more air and water from the spin/rinse cycle than the trap can handle. So will have to pull washer completely away from the wall to check the pump area for any irregularities. So to work I go.

share|improve this answer
Please be sure to report back with whatever you find. In my case, it was definitely coming from inside the machine -- all the water was on the floor, not on the wall by the drain. –  Niall C. Jan 3 '13 at 16:45
add comment

Your Answer


