During the pump priming project, I ran water into the washing machine in the basement to help eliminate the air from the water pipes of the house. My brother-in-law commented on the flow of the water into the machine being very very slow, actually more like a trickle. He suggested I clean out the filters on the water inlets of the machine. I looked at him with my mouth open and a "duh" look on my face. I thought the pump was failing and there wasn't anything I could do but buy a new washer.

I was astonished to see such dramatic results of a simple fix. Duh.

Project:

Clean out the water inlet screens/filters on the washing machine.

Tools and materials:

Pliers
Needle nose pliers
bucket of water

Step-by-Step:

Unplug the washing machine from the wall socket.

Turn off the hot and cold water valves leading into the machine.

Move the washing machine out away from the wall.

On the back of the washer, twist off the hose fitting

Remove the screen using needle nosed pliers or even a tooth pick.

Clean. My cold water supply screen was packed with grit and crud. It took washing it out in a bucket of soapy water.

Restore the screen/filter

Tighted the hose back onto the machine.

The cold water supply is usually more prone to this kind of build up. This residue is disposited in the hot water tank and doesn't usually make it to the washer but it's still a good idea to check it.

Move the machine back into place, turn on the water valves checking for leaks and plug it back into the power.