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I suggest there may be hard water mineral deposits in the hose or orifice to the tray. Try soaking it with some Coke (yes I mean the soft drink) overnight and see if the flow improves. Either that or you can try some CLR but Coke should be enough to gently remove any deposits there are in the tray, hose or line.
If it is the tray for the softener that is staying full you need to remove the drawer and clean it. The pick up tube for the softener is either blocked or the piece that fits over it is not seating enough and this will stop the softener compartment from emptying fully.
The Solution: Top up the softener tray with extra water so that it is up to the 'max level' mark.
The softener tray works by a siphon action. Thus, the reason the tray does not empty is that not enough water is added by
the machine during the softening cycle, so that the machine does not
completely fill the softening tray; only when the softening tray is
filled beyond the 'max' mark does the siphon action works. A partially
filled tray will never empty - it's impossible due to the siphon.
The reason that not enough water is added to the tray during the
softening action is that the water inlet of the machine is partial
blocked (you can try to fix that) but it is simpler to just added more
water to the conditioner tray.
Thus, the easiest way to ensure that the softener tray empties every
time (after adding the softener to the softener tray of course) is to
top up the softener tray with extra water, top it up to the 'max level'
line (keep a bottle of water by the machine). That way, even if only a
little water is added to the softener tray during the softening cycle
by the machine it is enough to trigger the siphon action and the tray
will empty!
Works for me every time, and no need to remove any parts - I used to
take the tray out, clean it, scrub the outlet holes that fill the tray
etc, but they used to gum up again quite quickly!
There are a couple of reasons why the fabric softener will not dispense. If everything else dispenses properly (detergent and bleach), then I would suspect a bit of plugging. If the softener remains in the dispenser, the water valve above the tray may be sticking. You'll have to get the top up to check it. If there is water in the tray, or some water/softener, then you'll need to look at the overflow cap. Here's how that works: Your dispensing trays for bleach and softener have a raised tube built into them, and each is covered with a loose fitting cap. When water is let into the tray, the level rises under the cap until it overflows, creating a syphon. The softener is literally pulled from the tray, and chased by the water. When the water stops, the tray level continues to drop, until air gets into the cap, breaking the syphon. The cap can be removed and cleaned. Sometimes the tray has to be removed first. Theres a catch towards the rear of the tray.
Best regards, W/D
You need to replace the cold water inlet valve. If the machine is older than one year it may be clogged on the side that moderates the cold water to the bleach and softener compartment. Replacing the valve fixed the problem. During the cycle when the softener dispenser fills it should fill quickly and no or little water should be seen in the soap dispenser area. If a lot of water goes into the soap dispense and little into the softener area the valve is clogged.
Make sure it is the fabric softener that is not being added. Try running w/o fabric softener and see if the tray is still full. The reason I am asking is that after I run my washer the fabric softener tray is full, with water, not softener. The factory tells me it is because the water fill nozzles have realigned and overspray into the softener tray. Not a big problem, since my system is under warranty I am having them fix the nozzles and then I will know how to redirect.
If it is the softener that is not being added then check to make sure the line is not clogged. You can lift out the bleach / softener try and check for cloggs.
The Solution: Top up the softener tray with extra water so that it is up to the 'max level' mark.
The softener tray works by a siphon action. Thus, the reason the tray does not empty is that not enough water is added by
the machine during the softening cycle, so that the machine does not
completely fill the softening tray; only when the softening tray is
filled beyond the 'max' mark does the siphon action works. A partially
filled tray will never empty - it's impossible due to the siphon.
The reason that not enough water is added to the tray during the
softening action is that the water inlet of the machine is partial
blocked (you can try to fix that) but it is simpler to just added more
water to the conditioner tray.
Thus, the easiest way to ensure that the softener tray empties every
time (after adding the softener to the softener tray of course) is to
top up the softener tray with extra water, top it up to the 'max level'
line (keep a bottle of water by the machine). That way, even if only a
little water is added to the softener tray during the softening cycle
by the machine it is enough to trigger the siphon action and the tray
will empty!
Works for me every time, and no need to remove any parts - I used to
take the tray out, clean it, scrub the outlet holes that fill the tray
etc, but they used to gum up again quite quickly!
I'm sure you heard a small motor running from time to time during a cycle. That moves an "arm" which sends water to the different chambers during a cycle. Fabric softener is dispensed when water goes to that chamber and dilutes the fabric softener. That chamber then empties by a siphoning action.
If you want to narrow down the problem a little to help trouble shoot -- put some wet rags in and run the Rinse and Spin cycle with some fabric softener. If the softener is not dispensed, then you know that the water isn't being sent to that chamber properly.
If you are intrepid enough to take the top off your washer, do that and see if the arm appears to be moving during a normal cycle. Maybe the arm got dislodged or broken during the move.
If water isn't being diverted properly, I think this calls for a real repair person.
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