Water Inlet Valve

Water Inlet Valve

Scott from OH

Water was leaking from under the washing machine.

Flat head screwdriver, flat paint scraper, crescent wrench, slip joint or straight jaw plier, bucket and towels.

First make sure to unplug the washer's electric cord from the outlet. Then shut off the water valves leading to the back of your washer. Insert your flat paint scraper (flattened out horizontally) in the groove between the bottom of the washer control panel and the top of the washer on the right and left sides, centering the scraper approx 2-3" from each side of the washer. The control panel should pop up and then you can flip it backward over the back of the washer. Disconnect the two (i think) electrical connections. Then use your flathead screwdriver to push toward the back of the washer the brass/silver/or gold colored prongs on either side of the top of the washer, and remove the prongs. You should now be able to pull the entire top/front/side outer housing shell off of the washer, tipping it and pulling it toward you. with your fingers, feel around the various elements and joints of the washer for any moisture such as the pump in the bottom, the water inlet valve, etc. I found moisture on the water inlet valve just inside the washer on my hot water side. To confirm, I turned the water spigots back on and turned on the washing machine and sure enough water was dripping from the water inlet valve. I then shut off the washer and closed the water spigots. I carefully unscrewed the water hoses from the spigots with the bucket in place to catch and drain the water. Then i unscrewed the water hoses from the back of the washer (directly from the back of the water inlet valve). *make sure you know which spigot is your hot water vs your cold water. I ordered my part from PartsDr.com (much cheaper with the cost of shipping than just purchasing the part from homedepot) and received it in 2 business days. I removed the electrical connection from the water inlet valve and then replaced the water inlet valve with the new one. I reconnected the electrical connection as well as the hoses to the back of the water inlet valve. Then I reconnected the hoses to the spigot and turned them on. I checked for leaking from the water inlet valve and found none...SUCCESS! I carefully remounted the outer housing of the washer. Then I reinstalled the prongs and reconnected the electrical connection housings for the control panel. I flipped the control panel back over and pushed it into place, it should click into place. DONE.

Water Inlet Valve

Gregory N from MA

Hot water supply kept going off and on off and on much too often when washer was filling. Off and on every couple seconds, sending shock waves through water pipes!

Small wrench and hands. Also stiff putty knife with cloth.

Checked on Net to find out how to properly disassemble washer to get access to water inlet valve. (Back plate where valve is located cannot be accessed without taking washer apart from the top and front. ) Has to be done carefully - to avoid losing or damaging the "clamps" which hold the top section of washer to the body and back. Not hard if you take your time and use piece of cloth under putty scraper used to pry off top of washer - to avoid scratching or marking washer body. With some careful elbow grease one can then remove valve from back plate - being very careful Not to damage the plastic arms that hold valve to metal back plate of washer. Once done - washer then worked correctly as it did when first purchased. Washer was approx 4.5 years old at time of repair, so users should expect to have to do this to a washer every so often. Should mention at this time that Parts Dr's service and ship time was Excellent and the valve was packed very well!! Thank You Parts Dr!! Advice: Always shut off water supply first at back of washer!! The above instructions were for a 2010 standard (low price) Whirlpool electric washer with a water valve that had widely spaced apart cold and hot water supply outlets.

Water Inlet Valve

Richard from CA

Cold water flow stopped working and washer not filling with water

Screwdrivers and pliers

I watched an online video to troubleshoot and repair. I remixed the old inlet valve and used an ohm meter to test the coils. The hot water coil that tells the valve to open and closed had continuity but the hot water side did not. So I learned it was bad. I called the Parts Dr customer service and they were very helpful. The new valve was competitively priced and arrived a day sooner than I expected. I had the new valve installed in 15 min and the washer is now operating correctly again. I had a technician come out to give a quote on repairing the washer for $230. They misdiagnosed the problem as needing to replace all three rotating switches on the control panel. I would have paid a lot of money. So I am glad I correctly diagnosed and repaired the machine for a fraction of the price thanks to the online video and Parts Dr.