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3 Hi @kirbystrong08 ,
It is one of the most annoying things when the door to your washing machine is stuck with your clothes in it.
I had the same issue with a client last week, so hopefully my experience can help you finding the fault with your machine and perhaps offer some sort of solution. Hopefully your fault is one of the below scenarios and you will be able to get your machine to work again.
- If you are in the UK, there is an additional fuse (or should be) in the actual plug, usually rated 13A for big appliances. If that is gone, the washing machine will not turn on. If you have a multimeter with continuity mode, you should hear a beep or read 0.00 Ohms on the meter.
- The machines have (especially the new ones) have an electrical lock on them, to prevent the door from opening whilst in cycle. These locks are powered by electricity and if you unplug your washing machine, once the residual power drained from the machine the lock should release. You mentioned that yours have been of since so I think you can overlook this option. In some cases though, the lock can seize onto the latch, preventing it from opening, but if you hit the lock area firmly but gently, sometime it releases the jammed mechanism. It is worth a try,
- The latch on your handle is broken, which is the most annoying from all the other options and unfortunately the hardest to fix. The most common construction of these handle is made of plastic and the metal latch is spring loaded to ensure that on closing the door it holds the lock in place like a Yale-type lock. I have seen many of the plastic support breaking preventing your from being able to open the door.
- Luckily, most manufacturers are quite sensible and designing their appliances in a way that you only need to remove the top cover of the washing machine, which is usually held in place by 2 or 4 screws , allowing access to the inside of the washing machine and you can pop the door open from the inside, by popping it open with a screwdriver. If the plastic support is broken, you may find replacement handles on the internet and all you need to do, is to replace the handle.
I attached the below photo for your reference to highlight what normally breaks in the handles to get an idea.
I hope it helps!
iFixit Staff Suggestion: The answer above is very helpful! In case you need more information, here's a link to a page which will help you get the door or lid open and then find a solution.
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