Kenmore washer damaging garments.

biguggy February 21, 2012

Quynh - The damage to your laundry looks as though it is caused by the tems being caught between the inner drum and flexible rubber joint at the front, the bellows. Now if this has only recently started and you have not altered your laundry practices I would suspect one of two things. 1 The boot has been moved or damaged. Your machine was manufactured by Whirlpool an is essentially a rebadged 'Duet'. There is a manual for this at the following link: -https://secured.whirlpool.com/Service/SrvTechAdm.nsf/2cd44500d572193285256a45004fd9d6/eab852a13fbc842085256aa200643dd6/$FILE/Duet%20Job%20Aid.pdf,,,,,,,,,Your washer may not be exactly the same but it will be close enough to give you an idea of what the boot should look like. Pages 4-3 and 4-4 of the manual refer. 2 The inner drum is out of alignment with the outter drum and the boot due to failed bearings and/or a failed spider. To check for these defects reach in through the door and try to verically lift the inner drum relative to the outer drum, there should be virtually no movement. Now turn the drum through 90 degrees and repeat the test, repeat it twice more turning the drum in the same direction each time. Approximately the same degree of movement in all four positions indicates failed bearings. Greater movement in one or two places indicates a fractured spider. Unfortunately the only way to find out exactly what is wrong, should you have the symptoms I have indicated, is to dismantle the machine. Very often if the bearings have failed the machine will have become noisier, has this happened? Please let us know what you find and we will take it from there. Good Luck.

AnneJ EXPERT February 21, 2012

I know how frustrating it can be when appliances do not function properly. This is usually caused by overloading the washer; clothes will get trapped under the fins of the agitator causing tears. First thing to do is with a pair of stockings over your hand rub the basket down for any burrs that might snag something. Next with a flashlight check all the drum baffles. If one is cracked or loose then something might snag and tear. Check the door bellows. Pull back and check the crevices for anything odd. You seem sure the damage is done in the washer. I would also recommend check the dryer as well. The front load washers by design can't normally damage clothes unless they are overloaded or there is something sharp in the tub. If you need further assistance, please reply to this thread. Thank you for using Manage My Life.