Washer not spinning (tub fills and drains)

Use only checks that match the exact appliance or system and its official guide.

1. Check 1

   Note the selected course and options, whether Pause is active, the displayed code or indicator, and whether the tub is empty, partly full, or visibly draining before deciding that the spin step has failed.

   Expected result: Record whether the course is wash-only or soak, whether the display says complete or remains at one stage, whether water remains, and whether the basket moves at all.

   Next step: Select a model-approved Spin or Rinse and Spin course only after the washer is safely stopped and the manual says the course is appropriate; otherwise follow the matching drain or lock check.

   Stop if: Do not open a moving or locked lid or door, reach into the tub, or continue when there is leaking, smoke, burning odor, or severe vibration.

   Why this matters

   Why: A course that does not include spin or a paused control can explain the symptom without a failed part. Water remaining or a stalled display points toward a drain, lock, suds, balance, or control condition that must be separated next.

2. Check 2

   With the basket stopped, confirm that the lid or door is fully closed and that no visible clothing, lint, or debris prevents the latch from engaging; verify that Pause or Add Item is not active.

   Expected result: Note whether the lock indicator engages, the washer resumes after normal closure or Start/Pause input, a latch warning remains, or the lid or door appears damaged or misaligned.

   Next step: Clear only visible ordinary-access debris as the model guide permits. If the lock does not engage or the cycle still will not advance, leave the washer stopped and arrange service.

   Stop if: Do not bypass, tape, hold, or force a lid or door lock, and do not reach into a moving basket.

   Why this matters

   Why: The washer may block spin until its safety gate is satisfied. A persistent latch condition or a washer that remains paused after normal controls respond indicates a lock or control problem rather than a load problem.

3. Check 3

   From a dry, safe position, inspect the visible drain hose from the washer to the standpipe or sink for crushing, kinks, blockage, incorrect placement, or a loose end, and check for water backing up; inspect a pump filter only if the exact model manual provides a safe user procedure and the residual water can be contained.

   Expected result: Record whether water drains slowly or not at all, the hose is pinched or submerged, the standpipe backs up, a filter area contains debris, or the hose and household drain appear clear while the tub still holds water.

   Next step: Correct only an obvious accessible hose placement issue as the manual allows; use the model's water-containment procedure for a user-serviceable filter, and call a plumber for household drain backup or appliance service for an internal fault.

   Stop if: Do not open a filter or pump cap with hot or uncontrolled water, remove panels, tip the washer, or repeatedly run drain cycles into an overflow.

   Why this matters

   Why: A restricted or incorrectly installed drain path can prevent the washer from reaching spin. A clogged filter can retain water. A clear drain path with persistent water or no spin shifts suspicion toward a pump, sensor, lock, motor, or control fault.

4. Check 4

   When the washer is stopped and the lid or door can be opened normally, look at the load distribution and identify a single heavy item, bulky item, very small load, or basket movement that repeatedly attempts to rebalance.

   Expected result: Record whether the clothes are bunched on one side, the basket shakes or pauses during spin, the washer lowers its spin speed, or a normally distributed load still drains but does not rotate.

   Next step: Redistribute or adjust the load only as the model guide permits and try one appropriate cycle. If severe vibration occurs or a balanced load still fails to spin, stop and arrange service.

   Stop if: Do not reach into a moving basket, hold the lid or door open during spin, move the appliance alone, or continue with violent shaking.

   Why this matters

   Why: An uneven, bulky, or very small load can delay, reduce, or stop spin to limit vibration. A balanced load with normal draining that still never rotates makes a mechanical, sensor, lock, or control problem more likely.

5. Check 5

   Review whether the load used the detergent type, concentration, and amount specified for the washer, and look for unusually heavy suds or a suds-related indicator after the machine is safely stopped.

   Expected result: Record persistent foam, excess detergent, a non-HE product, residue on the clothes, or a cycle that adds time and water but never completes spin.

   Next step: Use only the specified detergent and amount and follow the model's cleaning or empty-cycle guidance. Request service if the washer still will not spin after the suds condition is gone.

   Stop if: Do not add more detergent, mix cleaners, or keep running full loads to force a suds-affected washer to spin.

   Why this matters

   Why: Excess suds can interfere with rinsing and draining, leaving the washer unable to complete spin even though it filled and pumped out water. Correct detergent use can prevent recurrence but does not prove the timer or motor is sound.

6. Check 6

   After the drain, lock, cycle, load, and detergent checks are normal, run one model-approved empty or lightly loaded Spin or Rinse and Spin test from a safe position and record whether the tub drains and accelerates normally.

   Expected result: Record drains but does not spin, does not drain, hums without rotation, spins only after redistribution, shows an error, or completes the test normally but fails again with laundry.

   Next step: Stop testing and arrange qualified appliance repair for a repeated no-spin result, a persistent error, or any internal sound or smell. Give the technician the stage, water state, and test result.

   Stop if: Do not open panels, test live wiring, bypass a lid or door lock, or continue a cycle with leaking, smoke, burning odor, or severe vibration.

   Why this matters

   Why: Drains but never spins after safe external checks points toward a lock, motor, actuator, sensor, or control issue. A normal empty test with a repeated loaded failure favors load distribution, cycle selection, or floor and leveling conditions.