Topic: Washing machines in garages

[grannyjanny]

Our daughters washing machine froze earlier this year with the bad weather we all suffered. The same thing has happened this year with the early onset of Winter. It has developed the same fault as her old one & is now flooding The machine is less than a year old & because it is in the garage she says it isn't covered by the warranty.
Does anyone know if this is the case please.

[ACE]

Ask them to point out the clause in the agreement where it states 'not in garage'

Ours is in the garage, but I put a butlers sink in alongside to wash out really muddy gardening clothes first. We do not call it a garage, we call it the 'laundry room'. I suggest she does the same and let them wriggle out of that one.

[Mr Smith]

Our daughters washing machine froze earlier this year with the bad weather we all suffered. The same thing has happened this year with the early onset of Winter. It has developed the same fault as her old one & is now flooding The machine is less than a year old & because it is in the garage she says it isn't covered by the warranty.
Does anyone know if this is the case please.

      Again I would read the small print, we have three freezers in our garage which are not covered because we have them in the garage, :)

[daitheplant]

Granny, if the machine is less than 4 years old in England ( or 6 years in Wales) The shop who sold it is responsible, under the Sale of Goods act, to repair or replace it free of charge.http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/advice/problemswithgoods-sum19.cfm

 :)

[bionear2]

Much as you would like to sympathise, leaving a washing  machine where it can freeze is negligent, and no warranty or consumers rights will cover it.
It has not broken down, you have allowed it to be damaged.

[grannyjanny]

When the man who delivered & fitted it for her he was very iffy about it being in the garage. Is there any way to protect it ie disconnecting it when the weather is bad. Luckily she has a laundrette in the village & will use that while the weather is bad. There must be a way round this otherwise it's £200 a year for a washer.

[Mr Smith]

You could disconnect it and drain all the water out of it  but that is no good if you want to use it on a daily basis,  a small electric radiator in the garage close to it should stop it freezing up, (I know this costs money), :)

[Digeroo]

Presume problem is with the pipes freezing.  Is there any way to remove every drop of water from inside hte machine?  What about a greenhouse heater.  Maybe a duvet thrown over it and a hot water bottle. ;D ;D    Maybe packing it all round with polystyrene. Perhaps they could get a cheapo second hand one. 

[grannyjanny]

It was only a cheap one Digeroo as it had to go in the garage but it's still expensive unless there is a way of protecting it. The same thing happened to my friend last year & again this week but she had replaced hers with a £500 machine.

[Jill]

Solution: remove the unit under the draining board in the kitchen and plumb it in there.  Either that or buy a new one every year.  Washing machines ain't built for freezing conditions.  Not many fridges or freezers are either.

[jennym]

Easiest type of heater to fit could be a low wattage tubular heater - you can get a 60 watt one for about £15 and fit a timer. You'd have to reckon up the running costs though, and obviously this wouldn't protect any outside pipes.

[Ellen K]

My washing machine stopped working last week because of the cold - no water would go in or out.  But once I defrosted it, it resumed normal operation.  A hairdryer blowing warm air down the back of the machine and warm water into the drainpipe did it.  Are you sure simething like that won't fix it?

I would not use the machine without doing this first though, it could damage the pump, heater or anything really.