As the winter season is approaching, some people are quite clear that they need to do 2 important things – pack for the holiday season and winterize their washing machine. Yes, winterizing the washing machine is one of the most essential needs, especially if you live in below-freezing temperatures.
Though, many people only winterize their pools, yards, cars, etc. but your fully automatic washing machine also needs to be winterized properly for delivering an effective performance. Washing machines generally require minimal maintenance; however, winterizing them ensures to get prolong appliance life.
Also, the overall process of winterizing your washing machine is not that difficult or complicated and just requires your minimal attention and care. So, are you interested in knowing how can you winterize your washing machine for enhancing its working and life? Well, let us begin.
Who should winterize their washing machine?
Although, you should winterize your washing machine in every winter, irrespective of the place you live but there are some special cases where winterizing your machine becomes important.
- If you live in a place with below-freezing climate, then you should not skip winterizing your washing machine. It will help your machine to perform all its functions in the best possible manner
- If you have a vacation home which is not used so frequently, you should pay enough attention to winterizing your washing machine. This further becomes important when you have a house in chilled regions
- If you have a washing machine which is not used that often but is exposed to chilling weather outside, then you should take appropriate steps for winterizing your washing machine for ensuring its effective performance
Now, since you are all aware of the conditions when it is important to winterize your washing machine, it is the time to have a look at the various ways in which machines can be winterized.
Ways to winterize your washing machines:
There are in general 2 ways to winterize your washing machine, which are as follow:
Draining all the fluids:
The first and easiest method of winterizing the washing machine is to drain all the fluids from the machine. Here are some of the steps which you need to follow for winterizing your washing machine using this method:
- Turn off the faucets:
To begin with, you should turn off all the water supply faucets for your washing machine.
- Disconnect all the hoses:
Disconnect the hoses from the existing water supply to allow all the water to drain out of the machine
- Remove the drain hose:
Lay the drain hose on the ground and allow all the excess water to drain into the shallow pan. At this step, keep the drain hose connected to drain port for the best results
- Drain water from the pump:
Once the water hoses are completely drained, tilt the machine forward and allow the water to be drained from the machine’s pump as well
These are some of the steps which you need to follow in this method. When you want to use the washer the next time, make sure to allow the washer to sit for 24-hours at room temperature before using. After this, make all the necessary connections of the faucets and hoses to use the machine normally.
Now, let us move to the second method for winterizing the washing machine.
Using antifreeze:
In this method, RV type antifreeze is used for winterizing the washing machine by preventing the water from chilling in the winter season. These are some of the steps that you need to follow in this method:
- Disconnect the machine:
Disconnect the water hoses and water faucets completely for the machine. This will make it easy to continue with the following steps
- Drain the machine:
Once you have disconnected all the connections of the machine, allow it to get drained completely before proceeding further
- Add antifreeze:
After draining the machine completely, now is the time to add antifreeze in the machine. RV antifreeze is propylene glycol and is non-toxic; thus is safe to be used in the machine without any fear.
- Switch on the machine:
After adding the antifreeze, quickly switch on the washing machine and allow it to run for a minimum of 30-minutes. This will allow the antifreeze to mix completely with any of the water remaining in the machine
- Unplug the machine:
Once all these steps are completed, unplug your machine and switch off the power. Keep your washing machine in the same manner for the entire winter season
If you want to use the machine again after completing this method, simply connect all the connections of the machine. After that run the appliance fully for one cycle. You can also add detergent in the wash cycle to clear all the pumps, pipes, etc. of the antifreeze solution.
Both of these methods are effective in keeping the machine winterized for ensuring its normal working. You can try any of the methods according to your convenience and ease. As an added benefit, you can perform both these methods by yourself, without the need of any special assistance. Winterize your washing machine and protect it against the possible damages and complications caused in the winter season.
Benefits of winterizing your washing machine:
Winterizing your washing machine offers the following benefits:
- Protection of the machine
- Long-lasting performance
- Better performance
- Long life of the washing machine
- Simple and convenient methods to execute
Conclusion:
Winterizing your washing machine is quite an essential process to be sure of the fact that your washing machine can survive the chilly winter season without any hassles and problems. It just takes less than 10-minutes to winterize your washing machine but it can save you from some serious headache and complications in your machine.
If you need any other information about these two above-mentioned methods or anything else related to winterizing your washing machine, then please do comment below. We will provide you with the needed information to clear all your doubts and queries.
