Kenmore 26-42272 Washer Repair

About this washer

The Kenmore 26-42272 is a 4.5 cu. ft. front-load washer in white from the current Kenmore lineup. A drum of that size handles bulky bedding and family laundry, which also means it works hard in households where it runs most days. In San Francisco it often ends up in a shared laundry room, a garage corner of a row house, or a basement where the floor drain is a few steps away.

Symptoms that bring it to us

• Wet laundry at the end of the cycle because the drum never drained properly.
• A loud thump or walking across the floor during spin.
• The washer fills but does not start washing, or stops with clothes mid-cycle.
• A musty smell around the door seal.
• Water at the front or underneath after a wash.

With a larger front loader, vibration deserves special attention. Hardwood and older plywood floors in San Francisco buildings flex more than a slab, so a washer that behaved on one floor may rattle on another.

Installation points that change the diagnosis

We look at how the washer is connected before we blame a part. The inlet hoses should be seated and not crushed against the wall, the drain hose should rise into the standpipe without siphoning, and the washer should sit solid on all four feet. Supply valves that are partly closed give slow fills that look like a control fault. A drain that backs up from the building line looks like a pump fault but is not one.

What you can safely check

Reset it once by switching it off at the outlet, wait a short while and restore power. Look at the door gasket for trapped socks, hair ties or coins. Clean the detergent drawer if your model has one and wipe the seal. Write down any code on the display. If water is leaking, stop the cycle, close both valves and call us instead of letting it run.

Next steps

We read the model number from the label, reproduce the fault, and give you a written estimate before work starts. More general reading sits in our Kenmore washer repair page and the Kenmore washers lineup guide. If the problem is shaking, Kenmore washer shaking loud covers it, and the same size in a metallic silver finish is the Kenmore 26-42273.

Frequently asked questions