If you are having trouble with your top or front loading washing machine not filling with water, here are some quick fix tips. This guide will show you what to do if your washing machine will not fill with HOT or COLD water. Both of these issues can be fixed by doing a few simple checks.
The main causes your washing machine is not filling with water MAY BE:
1. One of the water valves (hot or cold) supplying the washer with water has been turned off or closed.
2. Your washer has a shutoff valve on the back that may be in the closed position.
3. There may be a water filter on your washer that is clogged and tells the washer computer (control board) to not allow water to enter.
4. A hose or water connector on the back or inside the washer is defective or clogged.
5. The water to your home has been turned off temporarily (the city may be doing work outside and did not notify you).
If the washer is brand new…
Check the back of it to be sure there is not a shutoff valve in the closed position near the water hose connection.
Many of the newer front load HE machines have a shutoff valve and sometimes during shipping it is put into the closed position.
So your problem with your washing machine not filling with water may be as simple as just turning the valve to open.
Your washing machine may have a shutoff valve in the
water connection assembly, make sure it is not closed.
If the washer is not new and is suddenly NOT filling with water…
Your NEWER washer may have a water filter installed.
If so it may be clogged and telling the computer to not allow water to enter.
If your washer has a special filter, clean or replace it and test the washer for water flow.
If there is no filter on your washer then you will need to take further steps to find the problem.
Check to be sure the water supply valves that supply
water to your washer are not closed or off.
To determine if a valve may be shut…
Unplug the washer and slide it out from the wall to leave space to access the water valves.
Locate the 2 water valves (one is for hot water and one is for cold water).
If both water valves are open (hot and cold) then there is a problem in the washer or the water supply hoses.
Check to be sure that somehow the washer water valve has not been shut (may or may not be something on your washer but if so it is located on back of washer).
If you assume water is going to the washer and ALL valves are open, go to the next step below.
The HOT and COLD water lines will connect to the back
of your washer similar to the picture above.
To determine if water is being supplied to your washer…
Turn off the 2 water valves and remove the hoses from the back of the washer (not the wall).
Hold the ends of both hoses pointing into an empty bucket and open the valves.
If water flows then you know the hoses and valves are not clogged or defective. (This procedure will verify water flow to the washer and you can rule out a problem with the hoses or valves located on the wall)
While you have the water hoses disconnected, look into the hose connections on the back of the washer.
Make sure that there is nothing clogging the screen or in the hose connection.
If there is anything clogging the screen or blocking the connection, remove it and reinstall the hoses and test washer.
Some other tips and suggestions…
On most washers, if water flow is going to the machine but the machine will not fill with water, you probably have a bad water valve on the machine itself.
You can remove the water valve or hose connectors and see if there is anything visibly wrong with it.
Sometimes they crack and block water flow to the washer and may leak.
Washers that have a water shutoff valve on the back can sometimes fail in the closed position.
There are also hoses that are in the machine that may be clogged or possibly pinched.
This issue can be fixed yourself but taking the machine apart may be necessary to access all the hoses and water lines.
Feel free to ask us washing machine questions by using the comment form below and we will troubleshoot your issue for free and in a timely manner.
Written by Keith Schneerer
Certified Appliance Tech · Founder, RemoveAndReplace.com
Keith has spent 30+ years repairing machines, starting as a military mechanic and later maintaining food processing equipment before moving into appliance repair. He founded RemoveAndReplace.com to share field-tested repair advice.
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I have a diamond drum Samsung top load washer ..and while doing renovations I had put it outside..it so happens that rain ended up falling that day a d soaked the machine.. The next day I had some dirty clothes to get washed so I put em in and set a wash cycle ..I have proper water flow cause everything goes fine except the machine won’t fill it just empties right out the same speed it goes in …please help ..the renovations have already rendered me pennyless and the machine is a valuable commodity ..I need it fixed asap
GE top load model#PTWN6050MOWT will not fill with water.
I have checked water supply, tested fill valves, checked fill pressure tube, and fill tube switch, and load door switch. What future checks can I do?
I have a Frigidaire front load . Machine will come on but will not fill with water or spin the trouble started when I was doing a load and it stopped and did not rinse can put on delicate will rinse momentarily and then stop
I have a Whirlpool Duet stacked washer and dryer. The cold water valve is broken. I am wondering what the cost of replacing this would be. I just need a rough estimate of parts and labor. Does the dryer unit need to come off the top?
I have a Whirlpool Cabrio top loading He washing machine that will not fill. We’ve checked the faucets, hoses & inlet valves (they were dirty, but they’ve been cleaned & replaced, and water is flowing freely from both faucets) but the machine still won’t fill, yet the machine continues to agitate & go through cycles?
I have a Kenmore front load washer HE2 that will not fill with water.
We have checked the filter on the bottom and cleared it.
We have replace the mechanism at intake, checked the water pressure and hoses and none of this seems to be helping it fill with water.
After doing some Internet research we determined that it was possible that the machine was not getting any air as the machine filled with water.
This made sense to me that the water needed to replace air and that air would need to be removed.
So we disconnected the pressure sensor hose from the tub and he is able to blow through the hose and the sensor is making a sound which indicates of us that it is in working order.
Hello, I recently had a water line break under my home that I hot repaired. When I turned my washer macHine on, dirty water began coming out of it. Now, I am getting just a faint bit of water. I pulled the hoses and took out the 2 filters that were in the hot and cold intake valves, it’s still not working. Is there anyway to unclog it?