My friend has an old Maytag washer and the other night it filled up on its in and just turned on and started running scaring her half to death. I am thinking the water inlet valve, but I can't understand why the washer is running on its on if it is switched off. Any ideas??
Maytag Model- La612 Series 04 fills up on it’s on and then starts running by it’s self
washer
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That looks like standard UK 15mm copper pipe with an olive and compression fitting.
The correct term for the "washer" is an "olive". It is made from copper. If it is damaged, you will have to
- buy new "15mm compression olives", they often come in a pack of 5.
- cut off the old olive (you can get olive splitters to do this job)
- clean up the end of the pipe with wire wool (or similar) until bright and shiny.
- make sure the end is circular and undistorted for at least 1 cm
- make sure there is no burr or lip at the very end (use fine grit sandpaper)
- slide a new olive over the pipe (above the compression nut)
- ensure the parts to be connected are clean
- screw everything together
So long as everything is clean, smooth and undistorted, you don't need any plumber's gunk, gloop or PTFE tape.
Don't overtighten, if it weeps you can tighten a 16th of a turn or so.
If necessary, you can cut the pipe further down and fit an extra joint with a short length of new pipe, you might be able to use a flexible connection hose for future convenience - some of these can incorporate an isolation valve. A professional plumber would use an end-feed soldered copper joint but you can get ring-solder joints that just need heating with a blow-torch. Compression joints are easy and compact (and my preference) but you can also use push-fit connectors (HEP2O, Speedfit, etc) so long as they say they are OK for copper as well as plastic pipe.
Without seeing the lines, I would say frozen. Sometimes if you can access them, you can tap on them lightly and see if there is a change in the sound from one section to another, follow the pipe all the way from the appliance as far as you can. It it sounds hollow in one section closer to the washer and more solid the other way, you have a blockage of some sort. Try to carefully heat the pipe where it sounds more solid close to the hollow section. You might also be able to "feel" the pipe for hot or cold sections. Usually of the wash basin and machine are close, they feed from the same pipe and if you have water at one and not the other, you have a blockage.
Best Answer
If its running (agitating, changing gears, etc) its not the water valve, its the master control switch. Its getting a ghost signal to begin the wash process, or its just faulty. I would suspect the latter.