Why Does My Washing Machine Take Longer Than Normal? Technician's Diagnosis

It is one of the most frequent calls I receive as a technician: "Hey, I put the washing machine on three hours ago and it's still spinning, has the programmer broken?". Or the classic situation of the display showing "1 minute remaining" for twenty eternal minutes.

If you notice that your washing machine takes longer than normal, don't panic. In 90% of cases, it is not a serious breakdown, but a reaction of the machine to external conditions or unintended misuse. Modern washing machines are intelligent; they have sensors that detect if something is wrong and adjust the time to try to solve it. Today I'm going to explain what is happening inside your machine and how to fix it.

Cause 1: The "ECO Effect" (Not a bug, it's design)

Many people are scared to see that the ECO program marks 3 hours or more. "This will waste a lot of electricity!", they think. But it's just the opposite. As I explain in my article on how much a washing machine consumes, to wash with little energy, the machine needs time. It heats the water very slowly and leaves the clothes soaking longer so that the detergent acts without the need for aggressive agitation. If you selected ECO, relax, it's normal.

Cause 2: Load and Balance Problems

This is the number one reason for the "eternal minute" at the end of the cycle.

Overload or Underload

If you put in too many clothes, the machine struggles to move and soak them, so it adds washing time. If you put in very little (a single towel, for example), an imbalance occurs when spinning.

The Spin Dance

Before going to 1,200 revolutions, the washing machine tries to distribute the clothes evenly throughout the drum. If it detects that the weight is on only one side (a ball of sheets), it will stop, rotate gently to the other side, and try again. It can repeat this for 15 or 20 minutes until it succeeds or gives up and finishes without spinning well.

Solution: Wash large items mixed with small ones and never fill the drum tightly (leave a hand's width free at the top).

Cause 3: Water Supply and Drainage

The washing machine has safety times. If it expects to fill in 2 minutes and takes 10, the entire cycle is delayed.

• Dirty inlet filter: At the water intake, where the hose screws on, there is a tiny mesh. If it fills with grit or lime, the water enters very slowly. Check it and clean it.
• Slow drainage: If the drain pump is obstructed by a coin or lint, it will take much longer to empty the water between rinses. If you suspect this, read my guide on what to do if the washing machine does not drain.

Cause 4: Excess Detergent (The Foam Sensor)

Modern washing machines have foam sensors. If you've overdone the soap, the machine will detect excessive foam during the rinse. Its reaction? Stop the cycle, add extra water, and perform additional rinses until the foam disappears. This can easily add 20 or 30 minutes to the program.

Cause 5: Heating Problem (Breakdown)

If the washing machine stays "thinking" in the middle of the main wash, the heating element might be failing. The programmer waits for the water to reach 40ºC (for example) to proceed. If the heating element is full of lime or broken, it takes a long time to heat up or never reaches the temperature, leaving the cycle stuck until it gives an error or ends by maximum time out.