MFW9600SQ1 Maytag epic front loader When washer sits idle, tub very slowly fills with water. Pressure switch or flowmeter issue?

How to Troubleshoot a Maytag Epic Washer Front Loader Tip Call Maytag for service if any of these procedures doesn't clear the code on the washer display.

Warning Maytag makes several models in the Epic series and operating instructions vary. For model-specific troubleshooting instructions defer to the user manual that came with your machine or contact Maytag support.

Each model in the Maytag's Epic automatic clothes washer series has a computerized processing unit that displays error codes on a digital screen when something goes wrong with the washer. These codes help Maytag service technicians diagnose the unit. If you know the codes, you can troubleshoot the problem yourself, rather than request a service call, possibly fixing the issue yourself and saving you some money in the process.
Long Fill (LF) or Drain Problem (F9E1) Error Code 1.Press the power button to cancel the cycle.
2.Unplug the washer or disconnect power to the outlet its using.
3.Turn the power back on and select the cycle you wanted and press start.
Washer Problem (F--E--) Error Code 1.Press power to end the cycle.
2.Open the door to check for excess water in the drum.
3.Press "RINSE DRAIN & SPIN" if there is still water in the drum to remove that excess water.

Suds Routine (SD) Error Code 1.Open the drum at the end of the wash cycle.
2.Remove the clothes from washer, carefully examining them for damage from the excess suds issues.
3.Review your detergent uses to ensure that you're using the recommended type of detergent and the correct amount as stated on the product's instructions.

FH error indicates that either you have no water coming into the washer, or very little water. Since you can see it filling, the error indicates low flow. A flow meter
in the unit detects if 10.5 gallons fills the tub within 8 minutes; yours must not be. This will turn off the inlet valves and the error code will be displayed. Check the following:

- Make sure you don't have a siphoning problem. This occurs when there is no air gap for the drain line at the standpipe. The standpipe is the drain pipe at the wall where the washer drain line is placed. With no air gap, a vacuum is created, and water will begin to drain from the wash tub prematurely. To prevent this from occurring, follow this advice:

•The standpipe should be 2 inches in diameter to allow a sufficient air gap between the top of the standpipe and the drain hose.
•The standpipe should be a minimum of 34" from the floor, and should not exceed 72 inches in height.
•DO NOT seal the top of the standpipe. Many consumers seal the standpipe in the belief that this will prevent overflows, or get rid of drain odors. This often creates more problems than solutions.
•DO NOT place the drain hose too far down into the pipe. Water stays in the drain trap area of the standpipe. If the end of the drain hose rests in this area, no air gap is created, and this can also cause siphoning. 4 to 6 inches is sufficient.
•The drain hose length must not exceed 10 feet in length. Excessive drain hose length can cause drain problems and back wash.
- Verify Drain Pump operation. Unplug the washer and take the lower panel under the door off by removing the three screws under the bottom edge. With the screws removed, the panel should drop down then come off. If it sticks, tap either side and it should come free. The pump is located directly under the wash tub in the front of the washer. Verify the electrical connections are good and that the pump is running. Open the pump access and remove, once you have all the water drained. Check the drain pump for foreign objects and debris. Check the pump impeller and make sure there's nothing caught in it. Items as small as toothpicks or cotton swabs have been known to stop this pump from working.


- Verify Flow meter operation and that the Pressure Switch hoses are intact and connected properly. Remove the three screws in the top panel along the back of the washer. With the screws removed, the panel should slide back, then, lift off. The flowmeter will be located on the left-hand side of the washer (facing from the front) between the inlet valve and dispenser. It's a small white plastic device with hoses attached. The pressure switch is located on the right-hand side of the washer in the rear. It is a round plastic device with electrical connections and a hose attached. There should be a tech sheet directly behind the panel or attached to one of the interior cabinet walls. Please refer to this sheet to learn how to perform diagnostics, how to locate the components mentioned, and the specific measurements required in determining if the components are good or bad.


"F/H" indicates that either you have no water coming into the washer, or very little water.

If you have NO water coming into the wash tub after 30 seconds the error code is displayed. Check the following:

- Inlet water valve may be clogged. Clean inlet screens if necessary.
- Make sure water taps are on.
- Check inlet hoses for kinks or clogs.

If you HAVE water filling the wash tub, and after 8 minutes, 10.5 gallons of water has been detected by the flowmeter, but there has not been a detected a Pressure Switch trip, the inlet valves are turned off and the error code is displayed. Check the following:

- Make sure you don't have a siphoning problem. Click the following link for instructions: http://www.fixya.com/support/r587481-prevent_washer_siphoning
- Verify Drain Pump operation.
- Verify Flowmeter operation.
- Verify the Pressure Switch hoses are intact and connected properly.

To access the Drain Pump - UNPLUG the washer and take the lower panel under the door off by removing the three screws under the bottom edge. HINT: Propping the front feet of the washer up can make access much easier. I use a couple small blocks of wood. With the screws removed, the panel should drop down then come off. If it sticks, tap either side and it should come free. The pump is located directly under the wash tub in the front of the washer. Verify the electrical connections are good and that the pump is running. If not, click on the following link to check the pump for obstructions:

http://www.fixya.com/support/r385845-checking_drain_pump_in_whirlpool_duet

To access the Flowmeter and Pressure Switch - remove the three screws in the top panel along the back of the washer. With the screws removed, the panel should slide back, then, lift off. The flowmeter will be located on the left-hand side of the washer (facing from the front) between the inlet valve and dispenser. It's a small white plastic device with hoses attached. The pressure switch is located on the right-hand side of the washer in the rear. It is a round plastic device with electrical connections and a hose attached.

There should be a tech sheet directly behind the panel or attached to one of the interior cabinet walls. Please refer to this sheet to learn how to perform diagnostics, how to locate the components mentioned, and the specific measurements required determining if the components are good or bad.

Thanks for using FixYa - a 4 THUMBS rating is appreciated for answering your FREE question.
*&^%

Check the door seal for tears and the drain boot from tub to drain boot for anything that might have put a hole in like a piece of metal from an under wire bra which front loads will spin so fast that the wires come out of the bras.

This is actually a fill error, it appears when the tub should be filling and is not being sensed. Make sure that both hot and cold water is turned on. Since you do see water coming into the tub this is an issue related to your pressure switch. It sounds odd but this can also be caused by a siphoning drain so check to make sure your washers drain hose has only a little over a foot into the drain otherwise this may cause it to siphon and throw up the same error. If the water is on and the drain hose checks fine then I would guess your gonna have to replace the pressure switch but right now my money is on the drain hose being shoved to far down in the drain pipe. Hope this helps.

If the washer overfills, it may be something as simple as a detached or broken air hose on the pressure switch. The following link explains:

http://www.fixya.com/support/r762094-washer_overflows

The pressure switch on top loaders is located behind the load level selector knob on the operator console. The pressure switch on front loaders will be located inside the cabinet, usually mounted along the back interior wall. In the case of certain Maytag front loaders, the pressure switch is actually located under the tub. The principles of operation on all of them is the same, though. They all have an electrical connection and an air hose that detects the pressure from the tub as the water level rises.

If the pressure switch is not able to detect the water level properly, it will not shut off and the washer will never begin the wash cycle. Instead, you get a tub overflowing on your laundry room floor.

Read through the link provided and let me know if you have any questions. I hope this helps you.

NOTE: Another source of an overflow could be the water inlet valve. This is usually a slow fill fill that you find when the washer is sitting idle over night. A quick test to determine the source of the problem is to unplug the washer. If the water stops - pressure switch. If the water continues to fill - water inlet valve.

Let me know what you find...

If the washer overfills, it may be something as simple as a detached or broken air hose on the pressure switch. The following link explains:

http://www.fixya.com/support/r762094-washer_overflows

The pressure switch on top loaders is located behind the load level selector knob on the operator console. The pressure switch on front loaders will be located inside the cabinet, usually mounted along the back interior wall. In the case of certain Maytag front loaders, the pressure switch is actually located under the tub. The principles of operation on all of them is the same, though. They all have an electrical connection and an air hose that detects the pressure from the tub as the water level rises.

If the pressure switch is not able to detect the water level properly, it will not shut off and the washer will never begin the wash cycle. Instead, you get a tub overflowing on your laundry room floor.

Read through the link provided and let me know if you have any questions. I hope this helps you.

NOTE: Another source of an overflow could be the water inlet valve. This is usually a slow fill fill that you find when the washer is sitting idle over night. A quick test to determine the source of the problem is to unplug the washer. If the water stops - pressure switch. If the water continues to fill - water inlet valve.

If you have questions, please let me know. I hope this helps you.

FH error indicates that either you have no water coming into the washer, or very little water. Since you can see it filling, the error indicates low flow. A flow meter
in the unit detects if 10.5 gallons fills the tub within 8 minutes; yours must not be. This will turn off the inlet valves and the error code will be displayed. Check the following:

- Make sure you don't have a siphoning problem. This occurs when there is no air gap for the drain line at the standpipe. The standpipe is the drain pipe at the wall where the washer drain line is placed. With no air gap, a vacuum is created, and water will begin to drain from the wash tub prematurely. To prevent this from occurring, follow this advice:

•The standpipe should be 2 inches in diameter to allow a sufficient air gap between the top of the standpipe and the drain hose.
•The standpipe should be a minimum of 34" from the floor, and should not exceed 72 inches in height.
•DO NOT seal the top of the standpipe. Many consumers seal the standpipe in the belief that this will prevent overflows, or get rid of drain odors. This often creates more problems than solutions.
•DO NOT place the drain hose too far down into the pipe. Water stays in the drain trap area of the standpipe. If the end of the drain hose rests in this area, no air gap is created, and this can also cause siphoning. 4 to 6 inches is sufficient.
•The drain hose length must not exceed 10 feet in length. Excessive drain hose length can cause drain problems and back wash.
- Verify Drain Pump operation. Unplug the washer and take the lower panel under the door off by removing the three screws under the bottom edge. With the screws removed, the panel should drop down then come off. If it sticks, tap either side and it should come free. The pump is located directly under the wash tub in the front of the washer. Verify the electrical connections are good and that the pump is running. Open the pump access and remove, once you have all the water drained. Check the drain pump for foreign objects and debris. Check the pump impeller and make sure there's nothing caught in it. Items as small as toothpicks or cotton swabs have been known to stop this pump from working.


- Verify Flow meter operation and that the Pressure Switch hoses are intact and connected properly. Remove the three screws in the top panel along the back of the washer. With the screws removed, the panel should slide back, then, lift off. The flowmeter will be located on the left-hand side of the washer (facing from the front) between the inlet valve and dispenser. It's a small white plastic device with hoses attached. The pressure switch is located on the right-hand side of the washer in the rear. It is a round plastic device with electrical connections and a hose attached. There should be a tech sheet directly behind the panel or attached to one of the interior cabinet walls. Please refer to this sheet to learn how to perform diagnostics, how to locate the components mentioned, and the specific measurements required in determining if the components are good or bad.


"F/H" indicates that either you have no water coming into the washer, or very little water.

If you have NO water coming into the wash tub after 30 seconds the error code is displayed. Check the following:

- Inlet water valve may be clogged. Clean inlet screens if necessary.
- Make sure water taps are on.
- Check inlet hoses for kinks or clogs.

If you HAVE water filling the wash tub, and after 8 minutes, 10.5 gallons of water has been detected by the flowmeter, but there has not been a detected a Pressure Switch trip, the inlet valves are turned off and the error code is displayed. Check the following:

- Make sure you don't have a siphoning problem. Click the following link for instructions: http://www.fixya.com/support/r587481-prevent_washer_siphoning
- Verify Drain Pump operation.
- Verify Flowmeter operation.
- Verify the Pressure Switch hoses are intact and connected properly.

To access the Drain Pump - UNPLUG the washer and take the lower panel under the door off by removing the three screws under the bottom edge. HINT: Propping the front feet of the washer up can make access much easier. I use a couple small blocks of wood. With the screws removed, the panel should drop down then come off. If it sticks, tap either side and it should come free. The pump is located directly under the wash tub in the front of the washer. Verify the electrical connections are good and that the pump is running. If not, click on the following link to check the pump for obstructions:

http://www.fixya.com/support/r385845-checking_drain_pump_in_whirlpool_duet

To access the Flowmeter and Pressure Switch – remove the three screws in the top panel along the back of the washer. With the screws removed, the panel should slide back, then, lift off. The flowmeter will be located on the left-hand side of the washer (facing from the front) between the inlet valve and dispenser. It’s a small white plastic device with hoses attached. The pressure switch is located on the right-hand side of the washer in the rear. It is a round plastic device with electrical connections and a hose attached.

There should be a tech sheet directly behind the panel or attached to one of the interior cabinet walls. Please refer to this sheet to learn how to perform diagnostics, how to locate the components mentioned, and the specific measurements required determining if the components are good or bad.



Thanks for using FixYa - a 4 THUMBS rating is appreciated for answering your FREE question.

I had the same rattling during spin cycle of my Maytag 4000 series front loading washer. Noticed you could gently pull back on the rubber gasket between the tub and where the door seals. There was a quarter resting against the fixed ring the tub spins in. Problem solved. And I have further realized that long hair can build up in this same spot. But if you didn't know to pull back on the gasket you wouldn't see it. Good luck!