4 Tips For Winterizing A Washing Machine

In case you store your washing machine or dryer in a cold location like a garage or in your basement or in case you are trying to relocate the same from a warm place to a cold location, you would want to make sure that your electric appliances are safe and they are not exposed to freezing temperature.

In that context, washing machines are known to have residual water within the pumps along with hoses that might damage the pipes after the water is frozen during the cold weather. You must note that as water freezes it tends to expand which subsequently damages the pipes within your home.

On the other hand, it’s also important to note that the warranty on your washing machine will become invalidated if the appliance is subjected to a temperature that is below freezing. Hence, taking some necessary precautions to ensure that you get to winterize your washing machine will prevent it from being exposed to any kind of damage and enhance its performance.

How to winterize a washing machine?

Here are some simple steps that you can follow to winterize your washing machines.

1. The first step to follow is disconnecting both hoses from the said machine, one which is drawn from the water supply and the other one from the drainage pipe.
2. The next step is to open the faucets attached to the machine as this will allow all the excess water to leave the washing machine.
3. Following that, you should run the spin cycle to obtain the previous goal, which is to get rid of the water from the washing machine.
4. Lastly, you should slightly tilt the machine toward the pipe of the water outlet and let the remaining water come out.

How to prevent the pipes of the washing machine from getting frozen?

Now that we have learnt how to winterize a washing machine, it’s time to evaluate how you can prevent the pipes of these machines from being frozen.

In case you are winterizing your washing machine without using an antifreeze solution, then you must take some additional steps to ensure that the pipes and hoses of the machines are not frozen.
Hence, here are some ways you can follow to attain that goal.

1. One of the most relevant ways you can ensure that is by removing all the moisture from the pipes by detaching the same from the washer and leaving them to dry through either natural means or you can also use a hot air blower to achieve the goal.
2. Another great way to keep your pipes from being frozen is through the means of pipe insulation. On a broader note, the concept of pipe insulation is one of the materials that is used to insulate the pipes of water during winter and that further refrains them from being frozen.
3. Apart from these two methods, another relevant measure that could be adopted is with the help of a space heater. The method in this process demands that the space heater be simply put down near the machine and its control should be kept on low. It is believed that this will help in keeping the surrounding of the machine quite warm and that is also going to help in achieving the goal.

Have the pipes of washing machine already frozen?

To be completely honest, very few signs can indicate that the pipes of a washing machine have become frozen. One of the most relevant ways to understand the same is that you will notice no water is being drained out from the machine. Apart from that, you could also see that discolored water is being flown out from the drain and it is leaking from the washer. In case you suspect that the pipes have been frozen, you should attempt to check for any kind of blockages. In addition to that, you can also try to thaw the frozen water or drain with the help of a dryer or any kind of heat generating machine. Also Read……

Final thoughts on if you really need to winterize your washing machine

There are many people in the United States who still have their washing machines in a cold environment. Within that group, the majority of them do their laundry in the basement, while a smaller percentage have their washing machine in the garage. Those with washing machines in basements tend to have older homes, and many of such setups include people who are renting a house.

However, although this is a completely normal thing to do, the cold weather experienced in a garage or basement could potentially damage the washer by leading the residue to stay there and freeze within the piece of equipment without giving any warning. The only time this could grab your attention is when the washer stops working adequately or produces negative symptoms that would involve pipes that have been choked up along with an ineffective drainage.

Therefore, to put it in simple terms, yes you should winterize your washing machine if there will be no heat in the home, as all of them are required to go through the process of avoiding any kind of damage and especially, people living in areas where the temperature can go down to freezing should definitely do this step. tags#Winterizing A Washing Machine