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For the second time in a month, I found that my washing machine had flooded the kitchen floor (and part of the basement via the hole for the water line to the fridge).

The first time, I only noticed it at the end of the wash. This time, I know it happened during the spin cycle because I had just been in the kitchen a few minutes earlier and hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary.

The washer is a Maytag LAT9706AAE and is at least eight years old (I bought it with the house) but has been reliable until this. The load size was set between medium and large (it's on a continuous slider); Extra Rinse (which uses more water in the rinse cycle) was turned off and Extra Spin (which causes it to spin for longer) was turned on.

Why would it leak only during the spin cycle? Is this something I could repair easily, or is it time for a new washer?

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  • I would have to guess it's leaking just before the spin cycle (when it's draining), since I wouldn't think there would be much water involved during the spin cycle (just whatever was sucked out of the clothes). Insure that the drain is clear and flowing properly, and inspect all seals, gaskets, and pipe connections.
    – Tester101
    Aug 23, 2011 at 12:14
  • Also, check the belt on the drain pump to insure it's tight and operating properly. This site has some good technical drawings of the washer.
    – Tester101
    Aug 23, 2011 at 12:23
  • @tester101: if that were the case, wouldn't I see problems when it was draining the dirty/sudsy water after the wash cycle? It'll be a couple of days before I have time to pull it out and take a look inside. Thanks for the link... I'd run across it before but for some reason couldn't find it this time.
    – Niall C. ♦
    Aug 24, 2011 at 4:23
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    Does it leak every time it's run, or only occasionally? It could be that the belt on the drain pump is going bad or is loose, so it works some times but not always. Could be that the belt broke or the drain failed, so it will always leak from now on. It's hard to say without actually taking it apart and having a look.
    – Tester101
    Aug 24, 2011 at 12:16
  • What does your washing-machine sit on? Is it firmly sitting on the floor or on a trolley? Trolleys tend to cause the machine to wobble more than usual and end up loosening the drainage system.. besides causing a host of other problems.
    – Kent Pawar
    Dec 21, 2012 at 12:45

8 Answers 8

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You have a crack somewhere in the drainage system. The most likely reason that it's leaking on the spin cycle is the vibration caused by the spin cycle is opening the crack to let the leaking occur.

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    +1, it might be that a drainage pipe simply detached, then repair will be easy.
    – sharptooth
    Oct 27, 2011 at 7:38
  • I took a look inside but couldn't see any loose pipes or cracks. In the end, I just bought a new one.
    – Niall C. ♦
    Jun 16, 2013 at 21:10
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We just had the same problem, and the solution may be much easier than one might think if they have never cleaned out their washing machine before. We have had ours for over 10 years, and have never cleaned it. The drain plugs in the washing drum can become clogged over time such that the motor can't drain the water fast enough before the machine spins up - resulting in excess water centrifuging up and over the top edge of the drum and down onto the floor when a heavy load has been placed in the drum with a lot of water during the spin cycle. Here is one (or I'm sure many) ways to solve this problem (assuming that you have already checked all lines/drains/seals for leaks and none exist): http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/04/how-to-clean-your-top-loader-washing.html

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We have exactly the same problem, we pulled the washer out from the wall where we could watch the the complete wash cycle. Everything was fine until it started to spin. At first, water/soap bubbles came out right at the entrance to the trap, followed by water dripping. At this point I'm just guessing what's going on since there was no leaking during the draining process. It appears the pump is forcing more air and water from the spin/rinse cycle than the trap can handle. So will have to pull washer completely away from the wall to check the pump area for any irregularities. So to work I go.

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    Please be sure to report back with whatever you find. In my case, it was definitely coming from inside the machine -- all the water was on the floor, not on the wall by the drain.
    – Niall C. ♦
    Jan 3, 2013 at 16:45
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I had a similar problem, I took the back off our machine and the drum and when I ran it saw water shooting out near the top in the back. When I tilted the machine forward I could see the drum that holds the laundry had rust holes in it; I guess when it spins the water flies out these holes! (I'm not a very handy person, so I don't have all the answers, but none of the other posters mentioned this possibility.)

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This will sound stupid, but on top-loaders it can come from simply having too much in it, or too large item. Or some items that cause it to be unbalanced, but not enough for the machine to dance around. I came in my house one day to see the lid flopping up and down, the rinse water just bouncing off the top of beach towels. I've also stopped it when it was just vibrating more than usual to see the drum leaning enough that water was bouncing off the high side. BTW, pushing the clothes down in front loading it and tipping the drum causes water to bounce off the high side while filling. But I also had to replace the drain pump once, yes it didn't seem to leak until actually draining. All these other horrible malfunctions of the same machine: "operator error".

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We, also, had that problem. We discovered that the large, donut shaped piece, at the top of the drum, which Maytag calls a "Tub Cover" had started splitting, allowing water to come out during the spin cycle. It's about an $80 part, which I replaced myself, and it solved the problem. I ran a load of wash with the front cover removed to discover the problem.

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Drain pump clogged full of pet fur and hair. The small drain you open at the bottom behind the latch located on the front . There is a piece you pull out and it was full after many years.

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    Please clarify your answer with complete sentences and better descriptions.
    – Doresoom
    Mar 13, 2015 at 20:45
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Yes, the outer tub got a hole and during spin the water rose and leaked through the hole. You can only see the hole after removing the inner tub.

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