Our wahsing machine has been fine but today went through a wash and when it came to emptying and then spin it stopped before it emptied and began to beep with 3 lights flashing. tried turning off and starting from spin and starting from start, did the same at the spin!! and wont empty!! HELP

It would really help to know tha make and model, as the flashing lights are a fault code that will indicate the problem. However I'll take a pot shot at an answer without knowing the machine.

Firstly, if its a BOSCH, SIEMENS or NEFF machine, take a look at the article I just wrote here:
http://www.fixya.com/PostComment.aspx?thid=9669198&prdid=0&ctgid=130
This should tell you what the fault code means.

However, just working from your symptoms, I would say that this is simply a problem with your empty pump filter being clogged. The empty cycle is timed and if it can't get all the water out in time because the filter is blocked and slowing the empty down, then it will fail safe and won't step on to the final spin cycle with excess water in the drum.

You need to locate and clean the filter. Depending on the model, there is probably a round filter cap on the front of the machine at the bottom (It may be behind a small door or hidden behind a clip on panel on the bottom)

If it's a HOTPOINT, the filter may be hidden. so if you can't find it with the instructions above......


If there is no filter at the front, pull the machine out and you will see a roughly oval panel at the bottom of the rear of the machine. Unscrew the 3 or 4 screws and unclip. Directly below the drum, you will now see a rubber "Cup" like bulge in the black pipe, with a plastic tube connected to a plastic pipe. The cup is held in place by a large jubilee clip. Unscrew the clip, pull off the rubber boot to expose the debris trap (A conical plastic cage with a ping pong ball in it) Take out the ball and the plastic trap, clean out the debris and replace the trap and the ball (Note that the cage may have a slot in it that locates in the rubber boot, make sure it lines up, or it won't reassemble correctly). Now push the boot back onto the fitting at the bottom of the drum where it came from and tighten up the jubilee clip, making sure that it is fitted correctly (it too may have a small slot out of it that fits around a protrusion on the bottom of the housing).