Washing machine wont open fix

Washing machine wont open fixed.

Fix washing machine won’t open when pressing the washing machine door open handle nothing happens and the washing machine does not open.

Watch all the video for steps to check and how to open the washing machine, how to open the washing machine door latch and how to repair plastic with plastic welding.

Washing machine door won’t open

Most important is to understand what is the reason the washing machine is not opening.

There is a time delay unlock switch that usually makes a click sound approximately 2 minutes after the washing cycle ends.

You should be able to recognize that click sound as you have heard it many times.

In case that timed switch is blocked for any reason it could help to press on the door of the washing machine or gently hit the washing machine door with your hand.

Set the washing program to drain and start the washing machine. Let it run a few seconds 5 to 10 seconds should be enough.
Set the washing machine to stop and wait 2-5 minutes.

There should be a click sound.

The click sound means the door is free to be opened but there is a hook in the door that you have to pull when pressing on the door opening handle.

If there is a broken part in the washing machine door, you will see that the washing machine handle feels a bit more loose and it does not make the door open at all.

That plastic piece can be repaired or replaced if you’re lucky and there are spare parts available for your washing machine.

Opening a stuck washing machine door

First and most important is to get the door open so you can take the clothes off before they start to smell like mold.

For this you can use an old expired debit or credit card or an old membership card.

You should bend the card slightly when inserting it to go beyond any screws that might be blocking the way.

If the card does not work, use a plastic string or thick fishing line.

Pull the string from the edge of the door until it goes between the door and washing machine.

Once you have both ends of the string around the opening handle, pull firmly and the door opens like it’s magic.

If it didn’t open, try to use a thin wire to fish the string thru the other side of the door before the hinge of the door.

Then pull the string slowly from the opposite side until you reach the door handle.
It’s the same as before but from the other side of the door and pull firmly to open the door.

You might have to do it like this in case the washing machine hook is orientated inwards instead of outwards.
On most washing machines, the door latch hook is orientated outwards.

If the door still didn’t open, make sure you hear the click when the washing cycle is finished and try to press the washing machine door a few times again.

After opening

Once opened, take pictures of the door latch hook and try to see how many screws you have to remove to get the door handle removed from the door.

These steps are important so take lots of pictures to be sure you can put it back the same way.

Remove the door cover if needed and check for broken plastic pieces around.

In the video bellow I was lucky to find the broken piece so I was able to weld it back in place.

Plastic welding

You can practice plastic welding on any plastic piece before doing it on the irreplaceable part you need.

Usually, you would use a soldering iron to melt the plastic pieces together and use metal reinforcement inserts.
The plastic welding reinforcement parts can be special parts made for plastic welding or you can use staples, paperclips even clothespins springs for this.

Reinstall

When you put all parts back together again, make sure you don’t lose any parts and check the photos you took earlier as a reference to be sure the part is installed correctly.
When reassembled, if you press the door unlock handle, you should see the door catch hook moving. This means it’s fixed and working now.

Reinstall all the door parts and close the washing machine door then open it!

The interlock with time delay switch

If none of the above works and you hear a click or no click at all 2 minutes after washing machine cycle ends, the timed delay switch might be bad and needs to be replaced.

To replace the time delay switch, you might want to call a washing machine technician as the top of the washing machine needs to be removed to gain access to the part and it’s not a user replacement friendly part. Also, you might not be able to find the part but techs usually have a stock of most common parts needed.