Occasional Leaks from Whirlpool or Maytag Front Loader Washer

Machines that leak on one load but not the next can be very difficult to diagnose. Here is one of the more common ‘occasional’ leak sources on older style Maytag or Whirlpool front loaders of the Epic Z or Duet line.

The hose from the fill drawer to the front outer tub gets stiff and no longer seals at the front of the tub. This will usually only leak on loads that hold a lot of water as they spin up to speed like bedding or towels. It probably drips on smaller lighter loads but not enough to see water on the floor. The telltale sign of this leak is rust on the left side of the basepan and goop round the collar of this hose where it attaches to the outer tub.

This is the hose:

The leak happens around this collar:

The repair is to just replace the hose. I’ve not had a lot of success trying to reseal them.

Just another item to add to the list of random leaks when diagnosing these machines.