The washing machine door (hatch, door) does not close

Unfortunately, all household appliances break down sooner or later. Nothing lasts forever. Refrigerators, dishwashers, and washing machines all break down. And there can be a wide variety of breakdowns. A refrigerator might stop cooling, or suddenly start turning off, and so on. A dishwasher might start cleaning dishes less effectively or stop draining.

Washing machines can also experience various problems. There are minor malfunctions, even though the appliance may continue to function more or less normally. However, if the door won't close, the machine won't start a wash cycle. Therefore, such a malfunction can be a very unpleasant surprise for anyone.

How to close a washing machine?

To finally close our machine, we need to determine the exact cause of the problem. Therefore, below we'll examine the main causes of this malfunction and discuss how to fix them.

The hatch does not lock in the closed position

This problem often occurs in Candy and some Indesit washing machines. It's often associated with a broken guide. If your machine's guide is made of plastic, it's at risk. This part is located on the door frame directly under the locking tab. A broken guide can be caused by a slight warping of the door. To resolve this issue, replace the broken part with a new one. Be extremely careful when using the machine.

In other machines, a similar problem may be due to a completely different cause. The locking tongue may become crooked. When it's beveled, the following happens: it simply doesn't fit into the locking hole. Consequently, the washing machine door can't close. This problem occurs when the rod that holds the tab in place falls out. To replace the tab, we need to disassemble the door and replace the metal rod.

Below you'll see a video on how to replace a washing machine door handle. It will show you how to properly disassemble the door:

The door closes but does not lock.

In this situation, the wash won't start. Simply because the machine won't recognize the door as closed. A broken door interlock is to blame. The main function of the door lock is to fix the door in the closed position during washing. Simply put, it prevents the door from being opened while the washing machine is doing its job.

We don't recommend repairing this part. It's better to replace it with a new one rather than messing around with it. Especially since a new one isn't that expensive.

The process of changing the lock is quite simple. To complete it, we recommend watching the attached video instructions:

The hatch handle broke

The door handle is used to open and close the washing machine. It's natural for it to break over time. It can also become damaged due to careless use, such as pulling too hard. If the handle breaks, it needs to be replaced. This usually happens to plastic parts, as they are more fragile.

To replace the handle yourself, you'll need to remove the hatch door. It consists of two parts, and to solve our problem, we'll need to disassemble it. We've already included a video tutorial on how to repair this problem in this article. This video is the very first one in this article and is located above. To repair the hatch yourself, watch it.

Thank you for visiting our website, and please continue exploring the helpful resources available here. They will help you repair your washing machines yourself and use them properly. Have a great day!

   

1 reader comment

1. June 1, 2015 at 3:15 PM

   Alex:

   Good afternoon. After starting, Candy starts the program and pauses after a second, indicating the hatch is open. If you pause, the open indicator stops flashing and stays on continuously. Locking and unlocking the hatch works fine—the thermal plates are working properly.
   What type of sensor is used in the locking device—magnetic or contact? And can it be bypassed for testing?

   Answer