I finally had my washing machine flood the basement after years of ignoring a weird noise

Last Tuesday I was doing laundry like normal and went down to grab clothes and stepped in about an inch of water. That grinding sound I'd been hearing for like 6 months finally meant something was actually breaking. I spent the next three hours using a wet vac and every towel I own to soak it all up. Turns out the drum bearing just gave out completely and sent water everywhere. I called a repair guy who quoted me $450 to fix it which is basically half the cost of a new machine. So now I'm stuck deciding if I just buy a new one or try to patch this thing up myself. Has anyone else dealt with a sudden washer flood and just said forget it and bought new? What brand did you pick that actually lasted more than a couple years?

3 comments

3 Comments

tessa_clark741mo ago

Wait, isn't that how everything breaks these days? You ignore a little weird noise for months until it finally just gives up and destroys something. I honestly think that's the universe's way of telling us we're all terrible at preventative maintenance. I've done the exact same thing with my car, my fridge, and even my phone. The $450 quote is a total scam though, I'd just buy a new one if I were you. I got a basic Speed Queen about 5 years ago after my last one flooded the kitchen, and it hasn't made a single weird sound since. That thing is built like a tank, nothing fancy but it actually lasts.

julia_lee1mo ago

Five years ago I had the exact same thing happen with my furnace, this little clicking noise that I just kept telling myself was probably nothing. Then one freezing January morning it just stopped working entirely and the repair guy said it would be $600 just to look at it. It's like we've all been trained to just keep kicking the can down the road because fixing something properly means admitting you messed up by waiting so long. The crazy part is that same mindset shows up everywhere now, people ignoring weird noises from their bodies at the doctor, skipping oil changes, even putting off paperwork until the last second. I swear the whole world is running on borrowed time and crossed fingers at this point. Speed Queen really does seem like the only brand that gets it, simple and tough instead of all these fancy machines that fall apart after two years.

jesser791mo ago

Totally agree with you @tessa_clark74, I’m basically the king of ignoring problems until they explode in my face. The $450 quote felt like a personal insult for my procrastination honestly. I’m leaning hard towards buying a new one, maybe I’ll check out that Speed Queen you mentioned since my last trusty washer ghosted me after like four years.