The GradedAppliance Hub

Washing machine won't start

You press start and nothing happens — no fill, no drum movement, sometimes no lights at all. Work outwards from the socket: power, then door, then controls, before assuming anything inside has failed.

Verdict

You can fix this yourself

No special tools or qualifications needed

Urgency
Fix soon

About 38 min to work through

Typical cost

Free to £240

DIY: Up to £40 in parts

Before you start

  • Electrical safety: If the machine has tripped your RCD or consumer unit more than once, stop using it and get it checked. Repeated trips indicate a genuine earth fault, not a nuisance trip.

What causes it, most likely first

  1. No power reaching the machine

    Most likely

    A tripped socket, a blown fuse in the plug, or a switch behind a unit that someone knocked. Always check before anything else.

    How to check: Plug a lamp or phone charger into the same socket to confirm the socket is live.

  2. Door not properly latched

    Most likely

    The machine will not start until the interlock confirms the door is shut. Laundry caught in the seal is the usual culprit.

    How to check: Open the door, run a hand round the seal, and close it with a firm push until it clicks.

  3. Child lock or delay start active

    Common

    A key symbol or a countdown on the display means the machine is doing exactly what it was told. Very easy to set by accident.

    How to check: Look for a padlock or key icon and check the manual for the button combination to clear it.

  4. Latched fault from the previous cycle

    Common

    A fault stopped the last cycle and the board is still holding it. A full power cycle usually clears it.

  5. Failed door interlock

    Occasional

    The lock latches mechanically but no longer signals the board, so the machine waits forever for a confirmation that never comes.

    Door interlock£15–£40 for the partDIY with care

  6. Failed control board or selector

    Occasional

    Water ingress or a failed component on the board. Diagnosed by elimination, and the most expensive single part in the machine.

    Main control board (PCB)£70–£220 for the partEngineer

What to check, in order

  1. Confirm the socket is live

    Plug something else into the same socket. Check the plug fuse and any switch hidden behind an adjacent unit.

    5 min

  2. Check the door and close it firmly

    Run a hand round the seal, clear anything trapped, and push the door until it clicks positively.

    3 min

  3. Look for child lock or delay start

    Check the display for a padlock or key icon and for a countdown timer. Both stop the machine starting and neither is a fault.

    5 min

  4. Power-cycle properly

    Switch off at the wall — not just the machine's own button — and leave it a full five minutes so the board discharges. Restore power and try a short programme.

    10 min

  5. Try a different programme

    If one programme fails and another works, the fault is in the selector or the interface rather than the main board. Useful information to hand an engineer.

    10 min

  6. Book an engineer if it stays dead

    A machine with no lights at all after a confirmed live socket usually has a mains filter, board or wiring fault. Get the diagnosis before agreeing to any part — a board can cost more than the machine is worth.

    5 min

Need an engineer for this?

We list 4 washer dryer repair businesses across the UK. Diagnostic callouts typically start around £55, and many will put that towards the repair if you go ahead.

Find washer dryer engineers near you

Parts you might need

Typical UK prices for the part alone, before fitting. Worth knowing before you accept a quote — the part is often a small share of what a repair is priced at.

  • Door interlock

    The electrically operated latch that proves the door is shut before the machine will fill, and holds it shut until the drum stops.

    £15–£40

  • Main control board (PCB)

    The appliance brain. Genuine boards are expensive and often need configuring to the model, so this is rarely a DIY part.

    £70–£220

Worth repairing, or replace it?

At the top of this range the repair costs a significant share of a graded replacement, which typically starts around £280. Worth getting the quote first, then deciding — on a machine under about five years old a repair usually still wins.

Work out if it's worth fixingCompare graded washer dryers

Is there an error code on the display?

If your washer dryer is showing a code, that will narrow the diagnosis a lot further than symptoms alone.

Look up your error code

Other washer dryers problems