Washing machine cleaner(for hard water deposits)

[cowman]

So I’ve spent a morning I’ll never get back tearing down a top loading washing machine. There were several bad parts but the cause was a failed seal/bearing allowing water to drip down and corrode other things.

While in there I’m seeing a disturbing amount of hard water deposits inside the tub, wondering if all that grit accelerated the seal failure. Machine isn’t that old I think around 5-6 years.

Does anyone know of something I can put in there and run a cycle periodically that will dissolve that stuff/prevent buildup? The machine has a “clean washing machine” cycle we do run but clearly it wasn’t effective.

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

Most deposits around my area are calcium and magnesium salts.
The only thing I've known to remove that is acidic solutions or mechanical techniques.
Both will easily harm the things they are attached to; the acid can etch porcelain and fixtures, the mechanical (scrapers or scotchbrite) will scratch the same things.
Not sure you'd want to have acid in your washing machine, besides its effect on the internals, you'd have to really flush well to prevent fabric damage.
In my area, the scale is so hardy that I have to fill my kettle with full strength vinegar for 72 hours, every 3 months to clean it - so I doubt a dilution of vinegar would help your washer; you’d need gallons of it.

 

[455 Bravo Uniform]

Vinegar or CLR would do the trick, but not sure how you would run it through. For my tankless water heater I use a pump in a bucket and have the discharge return to the bucket. You could possibly do the same, just turning the pump on for the fill and rinse cycles, and put the drain hose into the bucket.

 

[murphey]

Here are the directions from Samsung for their washers:
❶ Start with an empty washer: Ensure the washing machine is empty, then add four cups of white vinegar to the tub.
❷ Run a hot wash cycle: Select the longest and hottest wash cycle available, without adding any detergent.

Same for Kenmore. My Kenmore is over 30+ yrs old and still going strong. Only downside, there's no option for a small load, so it's 26 gal water every wash.

 

[cowman]

It was pretty nasty but we got it cleaned out and repairs completed. Took the wash tub outside and cleaned it with a pressure washer.

This is a Whirlpool Cabrio series for reference. Only a few years old. I’m kind floored both that it failed so early and that there was this much gunk on there. Also after wrestling with a washing machine all morning on a beautiful day I’ve pretty much decided I don’t want to do this again. Especially with every single thing being seized and requiring “extreme measures” to get loose. I actually used a jack and spare board to make a puller to get the wash tub free.

 

[Hang 4]

Must be the time of year for that. I did the same exercise. The machine sounded like the space shuttle launching during the spin cycle. In my case, no deposits. Replaced the "hub bearing" first. That "bearing" turns out to be a bushing, that wasn't the problem. Ultimately the problem was a real bearing in the transmission. The transmission is sold as a unit only and is no longer available. Was able to get the specs for the bearing, disassemble the transmission, press out the bearing and replace it. To make the transmission "not user serviceable" both the bearing and the clutch assembly are cold chiseled at the factory to make them not removable. A bit of grinding with a Dremel and off they came.
As it turns out, reassembly is pretty critical for the clutch assembly. There's an indexing notch that aligns the gizmo that knows whether the washer is spinning or agitating. Mis-align it and water comes streaming out the overflow valve. . Total disassemblies 4.
As a side note, Spanish language youtubes are invaluable for older appliance repairs. Mexico/Latin America fixes stuff.
I can now remove the tub and replace in under 30 minutes. The spin cycle is now whisper quiet.

 

[GeorgeC]

Citric acid (available in your local canning aisle) has worked for me where vinegar or CLR haven't.