Filter in a washing machine?

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My mother's machine has one. it's a front-loading european machine, I guess they all do. you just open the little door and pull out all that escaped during the wash-lint, renegade buttons, whathaveyou...

My landlord's is a top-loading American Whirlpool Somethingorother. The quiet kind. There is no little door on the side for accessing the filter anywhere. Now i know for a fact that both underwires from my bra escaped during last wash. They were there when the bra went in, and were not when it came out. Didn't find them anywhere. In my mother's machine, i'd just pull them out from that filter thing. How do I get them out of my landlord's machine? It works fine otherwise and it seems like such a waste of money to be calling a technician over this. Any clues?

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First of all, I'm sorry I can't help you. I am bloody amazed the wires (and both of them!) came out. I've never heard of that. And there are only tiny drain holes in my machine (top-loading) so I have NO IDEA where those crazy wires could have gotten to. Interesting! Maybe it's like those mysterious disappearing socks?

I guess you've checked all the other items that were in there with the bra?

I just checked my machine and there is NO WHERE for those wires to disappear to!

This is The Case of the Missing UnderWires... Call Perry Mason, quick!

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My old top loader had the filter IN the agitator...you lifted the top off the agitator, and voila.

I have no idea if this might be true of yours.

What IS it with you goils and underwires?

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Heh, it's happened before. They sneak out through the bottom where the spinning column is.

BTW, it's this machine: Whirlpool Ultimate Care II LSQ9564J Top Load Washer

http://www.fixya.com/Brands/W/Whirlpool/Images/177x150/20805531.JPG

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ours doesn't have a filter;

http://pilgrim.ceredigion.gov.uk/media/images/b/a/dscn23472.jpg

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The filter for my washing machine is in the agitator. Things sometimes get caught there.

Or around the top edges of the drum.

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dlowan wrote:

My old top loader had the filter IN the agitator...you lifted the top off the agitator, and voila.

I have no idea if this might be true of yours.

What IS it with you goils and underwires?

Yeah, mine, too. No way for things to hop into it (it's rather high) and it's too small to contain anything except lint, anyway.

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Very few American models have filters.

There is a pump well in the bottom of the machine. The water drains from the tub into the well and the pump draws it from there and out the discharge tube. We tend to shove all the lint, hair, dirt, et al from our clothing straight out into the sewer system. Embarrassed

If your underwires are in there they are either under the tub liner, in the lines from the tub to the well or in the bottom of the well itself.

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so i'm not getting them back? Evil or Very Mad

no, but seriously: is it something worth opening the machine for? can they cause any harm in there while it's in use? or did they swim away into the Charles River (maybe i'll go lurk around there to find them).

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and i think it's GROSS that there are no emptiable filters! that should be mandatory. not those on top, but on the bottom, where the water drains - precisely to catch lint, hairs, stuff.... and underwires.

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The landlady called for a repairman already. BVut, I agree, there should be a filter we could clean on our own now and then.

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dagmaraka wrote:

so i'm not getting them back?

no, but seriously: is it something worth opening the machine for? can they cause any harm in there while it's in use? or did they swim away into the Charles River (maybe i'll go lurk around there to find them).

If they are going to cause harm you'll see it pretty quick. Off hand I'd guess that they could jam the tub from spinning or they'd jam the pump if they are going to do anything. Either your clothes will be wetter than normal when you pull them out or the tub won't drain at all.

Most likely they'll just sit in the bottom of the pump well and slowly rust away.

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but the washing machine itself is fine...i feel like it's a waste of money to call a repairman for a renegade underwire (IF there was a bloody filter, i'd just pull it out. gah. stoopid system, bloody consumerism and whatnot)

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fishin wrote:

dagmaraka wrote:
so i'm not getting them back?

no, but seriously: is it something worth opening the machine for? can they cause any harm in there while it's in use? or did they swim away into the Charles River (maybe i'll go lurk around there to find them).

If they are going to cause harm you'll see it pretty quick. Off hand I'd guess that they could jam the tub from spinning or they'd jam the pump if they are going to do anything. Either your clothes will be wetter than normal when you pull them out or the tub won't drain at all.

Most likely they'll just sit in the bottom of the pump well and slowly rust away.

will the repairman find them in the pump? or would he have to exchange the whole pump?

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It's not true that most American washers don't have some sort of filter. I've seen filters on most of the ones I've used over the last 20 yrs, both new and old.

Sometimes the filter is on the top of the drum's platform somewhere. Mine is located on the agitator upper part. It';s slotted into the lower (arms) part of the agitator. Try to rotate and pull up on the upper part of the agitator.

If that doesn't work, try Googling your model of washer and look for manual.

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it says there is no lint trap on this model Evil or Very Mad

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you're right, of course. I just looked it up at www.fixya.com:

"Filter plug kit - Round filter is no longer available and is no longer required. This plug kit replaces the round filter.
Part Number: AP3094570 made by WHIRLPOOL"

It USED to have one, but for some reason they stopped making it with a filter.

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heh, i was just on fixya and posted a question there about how to find the underwires

This is the machine inside:

http://partsfiles.tap.net/Laundry/sb/LSQ9549LQ2_sb_04.jpg

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Re filter for top loader. Most have a removable section at the top of the agitator column. Grap the top section of the column in both hands, twit and pull upward.

Quote:

Most washing machines collect lint during the wash cycle and send it down the drain during the drain cycle.

If your machine is a Maytag, though, it may be different. Most Maytag washing machines collect lint in the center tube of the agitator. You need to lift out that tube and clean it periodically.

Other machines have a lint filter near the top of the tub, which you need to slide out, clean off, and reinsert.

http://www.repairclinic.com/0088_11_2.asp#Level1_4

This is an interactive pic of a whirlpool washer.
http://www.repairclinic.com/0100_23.asp
Point at the parts towards the top of the agitator.
You will see a Bolt That bolt needs to be removed to to get the agitator off. Your underwire will be underneath the agitator.

If you can make a tool in the right length and thickness it may be possible to scrape the underwire out from under the agitator. I doubt it though. Our old waher was a hoover and I removed the agitator several time for similar reason. It was quite simple. Remove the fabric softner cup remove the water seal remove the 14 mm hex head bolt. (required a long socket extension.) Lift the agitator out, clean out the tub, replace everything.

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thanks dadpad. it looks like removing the agitator should not be a problem. it's worth a looksie, i suppose.

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Filter in a washing machine?

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