Indesit washing machine takes a long time to wash

A standard washing cycle programmed into the washing machine’s memory can last from 15 minutes to 2.5-3 hours. Machines equipped with a display display the remaining operating time on the screen. If the machine does not have a display, you have to monitor the cycle duration yourself. An abnormal situation is when, for example, starting a program for 30 minutes, you wait more than an hour for the washing to finish. It is important to understand why the Indesit washing machine takes a long time to wash, what caused the failure.

What happened to the machine?

This “symptoms” is very vague; it is impossible to immediately identify one exact cause of the breakdown. However, by analyzing the situation, you can narrow down the range of possible problems in the operation of the equipment. Long operation of the washing machine may be due to:

drum overload. It would seem, what does the maximum permissible weight of laundry have to do with it? The fact is that the washing machine spends more time distributing the laundry over the surface of the drum, as a result of which the cycle is lengthened. Solving the problem is very simple - take out unnecessary things;
problem with filling water into the tank. The washing time can increase significantly if the machine takes a long time to fill with water. The reason for this may be a clogged filter or inlet hose, or a defective inlet valve. Perhaps the valve that shuts off the water is not fully open;
long drain. It takes several minutes to remove the waste liquid from the tank. When starting a standard cycle, water is drained from the system at least 3-4 times. Therefore, if you add another 5-10 minutes to each drain, the program execution time will increase noticeably.Water may have difficulty leaving the drum due to a clogged drain hose, garbage filter, or pump;
malfunction of the heating element or temperature sensor. In this case, the water takes much longer to warm up to the desired temperature, resulting in longer program execution times. It is possible that a lot of scale has accumulated on the heating element, as a result of which its performance has decreased. The problem may also lie in a faulty thermistor that incorrectly records the heating temperature of the liquid;
damage to the main control unit. The main “symptom” of such a breakdown is that the machine begins to “freeze” during the washing process, after which it starts the cycle again.

In fact, the list is quite impressive. To eliminate a malfunction, you need to carry out diagnostics, discard one possible cause after another and, finally, understand what kind of failure occurred in the system.

Poor fluid supply, a lot of laundry

If you load more laundry into the machine than allowed by the manufacturer, it will be more difficult for the machine to cope with the distribution of items inside the drum. Also, the washer will have difficulty reaching the desired rotation speed. The SMA will begin the cycle, but the wash will occur more slowly. It will take longer for Indesit to spread over the surface even the laundry that is stuck in a lump.

It is important not to exceed the permissible load weight and, when placing things in the drum, independently distribute them over the surface.

As for slow fluid gain, this can happen for several reasons:

weak pressure in house communications. If the water barely flows in the water pipe, you should postpone washing until the problem is resolved;
shut-off valve not fully open;
clogging of the filter mesh on the inlet valve. In such a situation, you will have to clean the filter or replace it;
faulty intake valve. A new element needs to be installed.

First of all, it is necessary to discard the most obvious factors that can lead to breakdown. When, according to your calculations, the washing should have ended a long time ago, but the program still does not turn off, you can start by checking the pressure in the system, the position of the shut-off valve, and inspecting the inlet hose. If the issue is definitely not the factors described above, you need to “dig” deeper.

Brakes on drain, continuous supply of water

Programs may also take longer to complete due to water draining too slowly from the tank. You will have to check some elements of the drain system. The following can lead to difficult fluid drainage:

garbage filter clogged. The element is located on the front of the washer, in the lower right corner. The part needs to be cleaned;
impeller damage. Check if its blades are spinning. This can be done through the hole formed after removing the garbage filter;
clogged drain pump pipe. To correct the situation, you need to turn off the power to the SMA, turn off the water supply, lay the machine on its side, find the pump, loosen the clamp securing the hose and clean the pipe;
accumulation of dirt in the drain hose or its kinks. If any defects are found, rinse or replace the tube.

Uncontrolled drainage of water from the tank also increases the washing time. Water can be drawn into the system and immediately discharged into the sewer. This happens due to:

incorrect connection of the SMA. Water is drawn up to a certain level and immediately drained. So, the required volume of water does not enter the tank, and the wash does not start. Check that the drain hose is installed at a height of 60 cm from the floor. It is important to monitor the position of the sleeve relative to the automatic machine;
failure of the pressure switch.The sensor, measuring the water level in the system, sends a signal to the control module about the possibility of starting washing when a sufficient amount of liquid has been collected. If the pressure switch malfunctions, the level assessment occurs incorrectly, the washing machine does not understand whether the tank is empty or full. Therefore, water can constantly go down the drain and be collected again. Replacing the sensor will help fix the problem;
interruption of the intake valve. In this case, the element does not work normally, and may not open completely or freeze completely. The problem can be fixed by replacing the part.

Thus, the cycle time increases when the drain system is clogged or uncontrolled discharge of water into the sewer. You can deal with the problem yourself. It is enough to inspect the described elements of the Indesit washing machine, clean them or replace them with new ones.

Heating problems

Let's analyze the situation when the cycle is extended due to improper heating of the water. The issue could be either the heating element or the sensor that records the temperature. In this case, the machine either does not turn off, but works much longer than expected, or, on the contrary, freezes without starting to wash. The main reasons are:

a significant layer of scale on the heating element. The quality of tap water often leaves much to be desired, so the accumulation of plaque on various parts of the MAS is difficult to avoid. Over time, scale forms on the surface of the heating element. This affects the operation of the element - the water heats up much more slowly. You can try to clean the part or immediately replace it with a new one;
temperature sensor malfunction. In this case, a signal is not transmitted to the control module that the water has warmed up to the required degree.Then the washing either does not start at all or is delayed because the “brain” of the washer decides to wait for it to heat up to the set temperature. The machine can “wash” for several hours, waiting until the desired mark is reached. It is enough to replace the thermostat with a working one.

If the heating element burns out, the washing machine will freeze precisely at the stage of heating the water, without even starting to turn the drum.

Usually, if the heating element is completely damaged, the machine notifies the user of the breakdown by displaying an error code. In such a situation, there is nothing left to do but install a new heating element. Before replacing, check the old heater with a multimeter.

Broken "brains"

This breakdown is considered the most serious; it is very difficult to cope with it on your own; it is better to entrust the work to a specialist. If the main control unit fails, the Indesit automatic machine can continue washing indefinitely, constantly switching washing programs, freezing, and starting to work again.

The solution to the problem in most cases is to reflash the washing machine or replace individual elements on the control board. To avoid making things worse, it is not recommended to delve into the “brain” of the machine yourself. Serious diagnostics of equipment is required, which cannot be carried out without a certain set of devices, knowledge and experience.