2019-01-02 Repair a Miele washing machine

Today I repaired our washing machine. Since some time the four year old machine ever so often displays an error code 138, which means that the water sensor at the bottom detects water. The machine then stops and you have to drain the water by dripping the machine over to the front so that it can run out.

bottom sensor location
here you can see the opened machine and the location of the water sensor at the bottom

But the problem was not the sensor, it was at the top, where the incoming water is poured on the laundry detergent. Since our water here is very calcareous, the little holes in the spray nozzle where almost closed with lime.

water fountain
water fountain with the clogged holes

Because of the clogged holes the water pressure is increasing and water is getting out of the fresh water distributor. This acts as a high pressure valve, so that nothing else gets damaged.

water valve
water valve directly at the spray nozzle, here the water pours out

From there the water drops on the drum and then on the sump at the floor.

water direction
direction of the water from the high pressure valve at top (behind the water fountain) over the drum to the sump in the bottom.

The main problem is that with adding descaler to the laundry detergent nothing is solved, since the water clogges the holes before it hits the descaler. So I have to do this procedure every now and then.
But its good to know how to do it anyways 😉

P.S.: I successfully redid the repair July 4th 2020 again.