Westinghouse Repair

Food in the freezer is frozen, but the vegetables and drinks below are warm or only slightly cool.

Possible causes

• Ice blocking the air opening between the freezer and the fridge
• The defrost heater, its sensor or the timer
• A stopped freezer fan
• Food packed against the inner air vents

Solution: Move food away from the vents. If you can see ice behind the freezer cover, empty the food, unplug the fridge and leave both doors open until it melts, with towels underneath. If the problem comes back within days, the defrost cycle needs a technician to measure the heater and sensor.

A layer of ice on the shelves or walls, even though the fridge is No Frost.

Possible causes

• The door is left ajar or the seal does not close
• Frequent door opening in hot weather
• The defrost cycle is not working

Solution: Make sure the door closes by itself with no box or shelf in the way, and test the seal with paper. Ice that returns quickly while the door shuts properly points to a defrost fault.

No compressor sound, while the inside light may still work.

Possible causes

• The socket, power strip or voltage stabiliser
• Low mains voltage
• The thermostat or control board
• The compressor relay or overload

Solution: Plug the fridge straight into a wall socket and test another appliance in the same socket. If you hear a click every so often but the compressor never starts, unplug it and do not keep retrying; it needs a technician to measure.

A small pool of water under the drawers, or drips running out in front of the fridge.

Possible causes

• A blocked defrost drain hole
• The drip tray underneath has shifted
• The fridge is not level

Solution: Clear the drain hole at the back of the fridge floor with warm water and a syringe or a soft wire. Adjust the feet so the fridge tilts back very slightly, so the door closes and the water runs where it should.

Knocking or humming you are not used to, from the freezer or the back of the fridge.

Possible causes

• The fan blade hitting ice
• The fridge is not level or is touching the wall
• Pipes at the back touching each other
• The compressor

Solution: Move the fridge a little away from the wall and level its feet. Knocking inside the freezer is usually ice reaching the fan, which goes back to a defrost fault. Loud humming or clicking from the compressor needs a technician.

The fridge never cycles off, yet it never gets as cold as usual.

Possible causes

• Dust on the condenser at the back or underneath
• The fridge stands somewhere hot or unventilated
• The door seal
• Low refrigerant from a leak

Solution: Switch off the power, clean the condenser with a soft brush or a vacuum, and leave room for air. If cooling is still weak, the technician measures temperature and pressure before saying the refrigerant is low.

Once a year with the power off, clear the dust from the condenser at the back or underneath; dust makes the compressor run longer.

About once a month, pour a little warm water into the drain hole at the back of the fridge so it does not block.

Wipe it with water and mild soap, and remove any crumbs that stop it closing fully.

If it was moved upright, wait a few hours before switching on so the compressor oil settles back, and longer if it was laid down. After switching on, give it a full day to reach temperature before judging it.

If your mains voltage often drops or surges, a stabiliser rated for the fridge protects the compressor and the control board. It should plug straight into the wall socket, not at the end of a power strip shared with other appliances.

The light may come on and the fan may turn, but no function produces heat.

Possible causes

• The clock was not set after installation or after a power cut
• A cooking duration or end time set by mistake
• The child lock or demo mode on some models
• The breaker or fuse
• The function selector or the thermostat

Solution: Set the clock, cancel any duration or end time, and select a function and temperature by hand. Check the breaker has not tripped. If all that is fine and no function heats, the technician tests the elements and thermostat.

Food browns on one side only, and one of the functions does nothing.

Possible causes

• A burnt-out top or bottom element
• A burnt wire or terminal at the element's end
• The function selector

Solution: Try each function on its own and see which element stays dark. An element can be replaced without changing the oven, but the work is done with the breaker off and by a technician.

The temperature on the knob is not what the oven reaches inside.

Possible causes

• The temperature sensor or the thermostat
• A torn door seal letting heat escape
• The oven was not preheated before the food went in

Solution: Preheat until the heating lamp goes out, and put the tray in the middle. If the difference is large and keeps happening, the sensor or thermostat needs testing.

A noise from the back wall inside the oven, and sometimes the fan stops.

Possible causes

• Worn fan motor bearings
• A loose blade or something touching it
• A shelf or tray touching the fan cover

Solution: Take the shelves out, refit them in their runners and run the oven empty. If the noise remains, the motor needs a technician with the breaker off.

Heating starts for a few seconds and then the power cuts out.

Possible causes

• A shorted or cracked element
• Moisture or water reaching the element terminals
• A burnt wire inside the oven

Solution: Leave the breaker off and do not reset it again. This is an electrical fault that needs a technician's measurement before any use.

Grease that burns on every use causes smoke and smells, and can reach the oven fan.

If it is torn or out of place, heat escapes and the outer glass gets too hot.

It is not a heating fault; the bulb has usually blown. It is changed once the oven is cold and the breaker is off, using an oven bulb rated for high heat and of the same wattage. If the glass lamp cover does not come off easily, do not force it; leave it to the technician.

Air is coming out, but the room never reaches the temperature you want.

Possible causes

• A filter heavy with dust
• A dirty outdoor unit, or one in full sun in an enclosed spot
• The outdoor fan or its capacitor
• Low refrigerant from a leak
• Weak mains voltage at peak hours

Solution: Wash the filter and clear the space around the outdoor unit. If the outside fan is not turning or the air is still not cold, the technician measures voltage and pressure before deciding on any recharge.

Drips on the wall or floor under the unit while it runs.

Possible causes

• A blocked or kinked drain hose, or one that does not run downhill
• A dirty filter letting the evaporator ice up and then melt all at once
• An indoor unit not mounted level

Solution: Clean the filter and trace the drain hose to its end, making sure it slopes down all the way without rising. If the tray inside is blocked, it is cleared during a unit service.

A layer of ice on the pipe outside or on the fins inside, with cooling dropping off.

Possible causes

• A clogged filter stopping air across the evaporator
• A slow indoor fan
• Low refrigerant

Solution: Run the unit on fan mode until the ice melts, and clean the filter. If the ice comes back, the refrigerant and the fan need testing.

Fine in the morning and at night, but at midday the outdoor unit stops and restarts.

Possible causes

• Voltage dropping at peak times
• A dirty condenser, or hot air blowing back onto it
• The compressor capacitor
• Low refrigerant overheating the compressor

Solution: Clear around the outdoor unit, and if you have a stabiliser with a display, check the voltage when it happens. If it keeps cutting out, the technician measures current, voltage and pressure with the unit running.

You press the buttons and the unit neither beeps nor responds.

Possible causes

• Weak batteries
• Dust or direct sun on the indoor unit's sensor
• The remote was dropped or got wet
• The receiver board in the unit

Solution: Replace the batteries, move closer and aim the remote at the unit's sensor. Many units have a small button under the front panel that runs the unit without a remote; if that works, the remote is usually the problem.

Every week or two during heavy use, with lukewarm water and no hard scrubbing, and refit it dry.

Once a year, together with a check of the drain hose and the cables between the two units.

No. A replacement remote has to match the old remote's shape and buttons or the unit's model, so compare before buying. Programmable universal remotes exist, but they may not run every function.

From the outdoor unit's label, next to the required charge. Recharging uses that same type only, and only after the leak is repaired; refrigerant runs in a sealed circuit and is not used up.

The programme stops before the spin, and the water does not drain.

Possible causes

• A pump filter blocked by lint, coins or buttons
• A kinked drain hose, or one pushed too far into the wall pipe
• A blocked wall drain pipe
• The drain pump

Solution: Drain the water through the filter into the container in stages, then remove and clean the filter and turn the impeller behind it with your finger. Straighten the hose. If the pump hums but no water drains with a clean filter, the pump needs checking.

The programme starts with no sound of water entering, or filling takes a long time.

Possible causes

• The tap or the household water pressure
• A blocked mesh at the hose connection
• The water inlet valve

Solution: Close the tap and unplug the washer, then undo the hose at the back and clean sand and scale from the mesh. If pressure is good and water still does not enter, the valve needs testing.

Clothes come out soaked, or the motor hums while the drum stays still.

Possible causes

• Clothes bunched on one side, or a single heavy item
• The door lock or lid switch
• A snapped or slack belt on belt-driven models
• The motor brushes or the control board

Solution: Spread the clothes out and run a spin on its own. If the motor hums but the drum stays still, or there is a burning smell, unplug the washer and let a technician check the belt and motor.

The washer walks out of place, or there is a constant roar even with an empty drum.

Possible causes

• Unlevelled feet
• Transit bolts still fitted on a new washer or after a move
• The shock absorbers or springs
• The drum bearings

Solution: Level the feet with a spirit level and make sure the transit bolts are out. A constant roar is a sign of worn bearings, and replacing them means taking the drum apart.

A puddle on the floor during or after a wash.

Possible causes

• The filter cap is not screwed in properly
• A blocked detergent drawer overflowing
• A torn or dirty door seal on a front-loader
• A loose hose connection

Solution: Screw the filter cap fully home, wash the detergent drawer, and wipe the seal while checking it for tears. If water still comes from under the body, the leak is inside and needs a technician.

The programme has finished but the door stays locked.

Possible causes

• The safety lock waits a minute or two
• There is still water in the drum
• The door lock itself

Solution: Wait a little after the programme ends. If there is water in the drum, run a drain or spin. If the drum is empty and the door stays locked, the lock needs a technician; do not force the handle.

Clean the filter about once a month, more often if you wash a lot, and above all empty pockets before washing so coins and tissues never reach the pump.

For every wash, use a detergent labelled for automatic washers and do not overdose; excess foam leaves a smell and can overflow from the drawer.

After the day's last wash, so the seal and drum dry out and do not go mouldy.

No. Hand-wash powder makes a lot of foam that slows draining, and it can spill from the drawer or door and leave the drum smelling.

It depends on the fault. A filter, hose, belt or pump is a simple repair, but bearings, a control board or a motor can approach the price of a new washer. The technician tells you the cost, and whether the part is original or a compatible replacement, before starting.

You hear the igniter and see a spark, but the flame does not catch.

Possible causes

• The burner cap is not seated properly
• The ignition electrode is wet or greasy
• Blocked holes in the burner head
• The gas is off or the cylinder is nearly empty

Solution: Make sure the valve is open and seat the cap until it sits flat. Dry the electrode and give it a while if it was just wiped. If no burner lights at all, check the gas first. If the igniter is completely silent, or clicks by itself without being pressed, it needs a technician.

It catches for a few seconds, and the flame disappears as soon as you let go.

Possible causes

• The knob is not held long enough for the sensor to heat up
• The sensor tip is dirty or out of the flame
• The sensor itself or the safety valve

Solution: After lighting, keep the knob pressed for about 10 seconds. Clean the sensor tip beside the burner with a dry brush, and make sure the flame touches it. If it still goes out, the sensor or valve needs replacing by a technician.

The flame is long rather than blue, and pans blacken underneath.

Possible causes

• Food or grease on the burner holes or cap
• The cap is upside down or misplaced
• A nozzle that does not suit the gas type, bottled or mains

Solution: Wash the caps and heads in soapy water and dry them well before refitting. If the flame stays yellow, or the cooker was moved from bottled to mains gas or the other way round, the technician checks the nozzles and air setting.

The oven burner will not catch, or it lights but food takes longer than usual.

Possible causes

• The oven flame is not holding and the safety cuts it
• The oven thermostat or its sensor
• Blocked oven burner holes

Solution: Keep the oven door open while lighting, and hold the knob longer than for a hob burner. If it lights and goes out, or never reaches temperature, the technician checks the sensor and thermostat.

A gas smell in the kitchen even with every knob off.

Possible causes

• A loose hose connection or clamp
• An old hose that has dried out or cracked
• A valve or knob inside the cooker

Solution: Close the valve and air the room without touching any electrical switch, and if the smell is strong, leave and call the gas emergency line 129. Once the smell has cleared, try soapy water on the outside connection only. If the leak is inside or you cannot find it, do not turn the gas back on until the technician has seen it.

About once a week, or after anything boils over; food in the holes makes the flame weak or yellow.

If it looks dry, cracked or squashed behind the cooker, it must be replaced with an approved gas hose with the valve closed. On mains gas, have a technician or the gas company replace it, and after any change test the joint with soapy water, never with a flame.

Conversion needs nozzles that suit the gas type and adjustment of the air and the low flame, and a technician should do it. If you are not sure which gas the cooker is set for, look at the label; it usually states the gas type and pressure.

The programme ends with water standing under the filter.

Possible causes

• A blocked filter
• A kinked drain hose or a blocked connection under the sink
• The drain pump

Solution: Clean the filter, follow the drain hose to the sink and make sure it is not kinked and its connection is clear. If the water still does not drain, the pump needs inspecting.

There is no sound of water coming in, and the machine stops after a while.

Possible causes

• A closed tap or low pressure
• A kinked inlet hose
• The inlet valve
• The door not fully shut

Solution: Open the tap, straighten the hose and close the door until it clicks. If it still does not fill, the inlet valve needs testing.

Food left on plates, or a white haze on glasses.

Possible causes

• A blocked filter or spray-arm holes
• Salt or rinse aid has run out
• Loading that stops an arm from turning
• The water is not heating

Solution: Clear the spray-arm holes with a toothpick, refill the salt and rinse aid, and load plates facing the arm. If the water is still cold near the end of the programme, the heater needs inspecting.

Wet floor in front of the machine, or it stops and keeps draining.

Possible causes

• Foam from the wrong detergent
• A dirty door seal or debris on it
• The machine is not level
• An internal leak from a hose or joint

Solution: Turn off the tap and the breaker, wipe the seal and check the detergent. If foam was the cause, let it dry for a day. If water returns once the base is dry, the leak is inside and needs a technician.

Once a week, and scrape large scraps into the bin before loading.

Salt reduces scale on the heater and glasses if your water is hard, and rinse aid helps the dishes dry.

Plastics usually stay wet because they do not hold heat. If glass and china are wet too, refill the rinse aid and open the door a little after the programme. If the water does not heat at all, the heater needs inspecting.