Washing Machine Woes

I've been having trouble fixing the door on my washing machine . The tiny hook on the closure that is supposed to keep the door closed is broken and even if i glue it in place it still falls off . I can't find a suitable replacement and i don't want throw a whole washing machine in the trash just because of a stupid door .
I have used poxipol and even hot iron to glue the parts together and had no luck . Anyone know of any glue ,or method that i can use to keep it closed ?

Those catches are usually made from nylon or some other 'un-glue-able' material and only replacement will fix the fault.

I would suspect this isn't an unheard of fault and that a spare could be found if you looked hard enough.

http://youtu.be/SBte90ULpp4

The fun starts about 55 seconds in

How about an upgrade:?



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TqBSI8ZBzQ

yep ...
post the make and model number .
is it the "door latch" that you are having problems with ?
a pictorial of the unit (grenaded view) will provide you with a part number ...
you can either find the part on-line or go to your local appliance repair place and get a replacement .

heh , wait until you have to tear apart the freezer compartment in an over/under unit ...
just to replace the flippin' circulation fan .

The picture above is quite close to what happened to mine .
My mother loaded it so that she put too little clothes ,but enough for them to stick to one side and cause the thing to jump 1 meter in the air .
This actually broke the plastic on the door .
The other issue ... i cant find a part for that particular model .
So i am thinking on using the soldering iron and more plastic to solder it ,since the only other option is too ridiculous . Either replace the door with a similar one ,or fit a door lock on it .

This post has been edited by Sonic on April 29, 2012 01:55 pm

nylon or similar materials do not lend themselves to thermal or "glue" type repairs .

sometimes some digging is required to find replacement parts ... post make and model .
post pictures of what is going on .

Your chances of fixing the broken part are very low. About the only method with any chance of success would be to drill a hole through both broken pieces & bolt them together. Glue won't stick to that type of plastic, & heat welding will only hold if you can get the plastic solid all the way through.
Or, you might be better off trying to make a new part...it's amazing what can be done with hand tools, if one is careful.
I can't believe you cannot find a replacement part. There are parts available for virtually every machine made within the last 25 years. Have you tried googling the make & model of machine, along with the word 'parts'? There are some very comprehensive appliance parts stores online.


BTW: If all else fails, you could always purchase a De-sta-co toggle clamp & mount it to the outside of the machine, to clamp the door shut. These are available in many different sizes & styles. This would work very well in your application, & would be many times stronger than the original latch. http://www.destaco.com/clamps.html
The type of clamp shown at the top of this page is ideal for your app. They are inexpensive...likely under $20.

What about simply making your own replacement latch? Scrap plastic and a saw/file/x-acto knife and you're done. Make it out of metal if you want it to outlast the rest of the machine.

I will try the hole and the drilling method alright !
I might try something else too ... I will go to a specific shop that we have around here ,but i just don't want to order it from abroad.The brand is Eida . A Serbian washing machine that has served me (and still works ) for years ,before the "athletics" accident

well ... we know it is an "Eida" .
got a model number ?

it may be difficult to procure certain parts ... now that you mention where it is made .

Sometimes it is worth trying to make your own parts, especially when model numbers can be relatively difficult or near impossible to find. Be sure to look behind the back plate that covers the wires for the control panel. Sometimes a schematic will still be there and have some useful info like model number.

I've found Kenmore (here in the states) very annoyingly bad about making part numbers easy and/or possible to find. Especially the older models. Not to mention Kenmores are usually re-branded whirlpools ect.

CWB is right, a model number would go a long way. A picture of the offending latch might also help.

sears , re-branding and "numbers" ...

looking through the sears part numbers/lists was a royal PITA .
their microfiche files were a disaster .
many times it was easier to use the OEM (from the underwriters code sticker) to find the machine (not limited to washing machines) and then use the oem diagram/list for a matching model .

pop rivet a hasp on?

duct tape.

Why are you dragging up 6-month-old posts?