How to clean the inlet valve of a washing machine?

The inlet valve of an automatic machine plays an important role - it helps to draw clean water from house communications into the tank. When the filter mesh becomes clogged, the element cannot function at full capacity and problems begin with filling the washing machine. To restore the operation of the solenoid valve, cleaning the filter is often necessary. Let us figure out how to quickly clear the blockage.

Where can I find the valve mesh?

Cleaning the inlet valve of a washing machine is not difficult; any housewife can handle this task. The sensor is located immediately under the top cover of the machine; you can access it by unscrewing two bolts on the back and removing the panel. To clean the mesh filter, you do not even need to disassemble the washing machine. All you need to carry out the work are pliers and a screwdriver.

Where is the filter element located that affects the operation of the filling valve? Finding the mesh is easy - just find the place where the inlet hose is connected to the body of the automatic machine. This is where the filter is located. Let us figure out how to remove it for cleaning.

Removing the mesh from dirt

The inlet valve can stop functioning properly for many reasons, but the main one is a clogged filter. The element becomes clogged with limescale and simply stops letting clean water into the machine. To clean the mesh, you need to:

• Carefully unscrew the plastic nut that secures the inlet hose to the washer body,
• Disconnect the filler hose. Looking into the fitting, you can see the filter element we need,
• Using pliers, pull out the filter mesh,
• Use a napkin or sponge to remove dirt and scale. If necessary, it is allowed to remove plaque with a soft brush. Then the element is washed with warm water,
• Put the filter in place,
• Connect the inlet hose to the washing machine, make sure that the connection is made correctly.

If there were problems with collecting water, then usually, after such manipulations, the automatic machine starts working as before. It happens that cleaning the mesh filter does not help, which means that the reason for the malfunction of the washing machine lies elsewhere.

If the valve is faulty

Cleaning the filter element may not work because the solenoid valve is faulty. Changing an element is easy. For front-facing washing machines, it is necessary to remove the top housing cover. On “vertical” machines, the sensor is usually located at the bottom of the rear part of the machine, and to get to it, you will have to disconnect the side wall of the washer.

The further algorithm of actions will be as follows:

• Disconnect the wiring from the valve,
• Remove the hoses connected to the element. They are fixed with clamps,
• Unscrew the bolts that secure the valve to the washer. On some models, the sensor is held in place with special latches, then you will have to pull the latches, turn the valve, remove the wires, and remove it from the machine.

Installation of the solenoid valve occurs in the reverse order. The element is fastened with bolts, hoses are connected to it, which need to be tightened with clamps. Next, the wiring is connected, and the top cover of the housing is put in place. Afterwards, you can check the operation of the machine by running a test wash.