How much does it cost to replace rubber seal on washing machine

I have a front loading Kenmore washer that was made in 09/08. Think it was bought in spring/09, from Sears outlet store, where the sales rep said it was made by Whirlpool.

It seemed to begin to leak a few weeks ago. At first I though it was the water coming to the laundry tub that splashed out. But it got more serious, so today I moved things around and put 2 wooden planks under. Then turned it on to wash. That's where I saw the is water leaking from under the tub. It was leaking quite a bit. I placed a tray to catch the water, but it also overflowed.

I know there is a Sear's repair shop at Islington/401, and could take it there. What might it cost to have it repaired? If it could cost quite a bit, to diagnose and fix, it might be better to just buy a new one.

Unhappy that this one lasted less than 4 years of use. But at the time when I was buying the sales rep did say the manufactureres don't make the washers like they used to. Decades ago, they used to last 15-20 years. He said these days they may last 5 years, and it'll be time to buy new ones.

try to find out where the water is coming from. Is it the tank? hose? fitting? Once you find that out, you can determine if it is an easy fix, hard fix

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I checked the hoses and the connections. Everything's fine there.

It is at the bottom of the tub/tank where water is leaking/dripping. So wonder if there is some seal that's broken. It still washes, rinses, and spins fine. But don't know what the extent of the problem is.

You need to dry everything up and then put a new load on and just sit and watch the whole cycle. It is the only way.

Someone will have to come to your house. It is not worth it to take it somewhere.

It could be anything. If OP has the money, just replace it. There is a whole series of hoses, seals and a water pump under the washer.

I'd expect to pay $200+ for this repair. It could be more or less. But that would be my assumption on fix vs. buy new, if I was OP.

Sales rep was right regarding life expectancy of washers.

xxxray wrote: ↑You need to dry everything up and then put a new load on and just sit and watch the whole cycle. It is the only way.

I did that, and saw it leaking at the bottom of the tank/tub.

xxxray wrote: ↑Someone will have to come to your house. It is not worth it to take it somewhere.

I have a van. Last time when I bought it, I took it home and installed it. Well, hooked up the hoses, and removed the screws in the back as per instruction. It is not a heavy machine, so can load it to a van again, to take to the Sears repair shop. Just means we'll be out of a washer for a few days.

Busybuyer888 wrote: ↑It could be anything. If OP has the money, just replace it. There is a whole series of hoses, seals and a water pump under the washer.

I'd expect to pay $200+ for this repair. It could be more or less. But that would be my assumption on fix vs. buy new, if I was OP.

Sales rep was right regarding life expectancy of washers.

I'm dissapointed to hear these machines are not made to be durable any more. I had a Maytag topload washer that lasted 15+ years and was still working good before I decided to get a frontload. That first LG frontload did not last 5 years before the motor/drive broke down. This second (also bought new) frontload lasted less than 4 years. If I need to spend $200+ to fix, then it's probably not worth fixing, as it may not last much longer after that. Buying a scratch & dent from Sears outlet might still be better than spending $200+ to fix.

OP....have you pulled off the machines toe panel and inspected the large item filter? Clean out that filter and then snug it up tight....it is a common leak point on those front loaders and the first thing a repair person will look at. Don't be suprised to find a sock in that filter.

If it's not under warranty, it will probably be around the $300 - $400 mark. You'll have to pay for a service call for someone just to come and look at it to figure out what the problem is then parts and labour to fix it. I had mine for about 4 years before mine started leaking around the door seal. I was not a happy camper at that point. I ended up buying a new set of top loader instead of getting it repaired. The new top loaders are just as water efficient now.

Zamboni wrote: ↑OP....have you pulled off the machines toe panel and inspected the large item filter? Clean out that filter and then snug it up tight....it is a common leak point on those front loaders and the first thing a repair person will look at. Don't be suprised to find a sock in that filter.

Thanks. I'll try that. The front panel is one whole piece, so it's not like the LG that had a panel at the bottom. Will try from the back, or maybe just need to do a bit more work to take off the front panel.

Arrgh wrote: ↑Thanks. I'll try that. The front panel is one whole piece, so it's not like the LG that had a panel at the bottom. Will try from the back, or maybe just need to do a bit more work to take off the front panel.

Why dont you take a picture so we can see what's going wrong?

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Deleted...double post...

I was at a laundrymat the other day, the repair man was there. He told me that those machines are very standard and easy to fix...so if all else fails, try to find one of those guys...

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Arrgh wrote: ↑Thanks. I'll try that. The front panel is one whole piece, so it's not like the LG that had a panel at the bottom. Will try from the back, or maybe just need to do a bit more work to take off the front panel.

What model is it? Sounds like you've never cleaned out that filter...if so there is a good chance it will be the issue.

Did take off the back panel. Also removed the connections from the tub to the motor, and found a few things (coins, sludge) at the filter. After putting those things back together, still see leak from the tub near the front. It now looks like it's the rubber seal that has crack/leak. I used duct tape to tape over the crack. But that probably didn't seal it tight. Will try to get rubber cement and/or some patching for that.

I guess it'll cost a bit to replace the entire rubber seal. So if I can patch up the crack, hopefully that'll stop the leak.

Arrgh wrote: ↑Did take off the back panel. Also removed the connections from the tub to the motor, and found a few things (coins, sludge) at the filter. After putting those things back together, still see leak from the tub near the front. It now looks like it's the rubber seal that has crack/leak. I used duct tape to tape over the crack. But that probably didn't seal it tight. Will try to get rubber cement and/or some patching for that.

I guess it'll cost a bit to replace the entire rubber seal. So if I can patch up the crack, hopefully that'll stop the leak.

You maybe able to google the model number and part(s). There is quite a DIY fix it population in the USA. So with the correct part number, you may be able to call around locally and get the part(s).

If it is a common repair item (sounds like it should be), then a local repair shop may have it in stock and be willing to sell it to you. If you speak with the technician himself, he will tell you ALL the likely pieces you will need to do an effective repair (ie. other parts that should be replaced since this has happened.)

I did that for missing garburator parts. (Got a $500 unit free, due to being a display model, but missing all of the sink mounting parts.)

Worth a try, as you have already did the work to trace the exact source of the water. (BTW... Good work!)

nielboy Deal Addict

Jun 12, 2008 3310 posts 890 upvotes Ancaster

Dec 28th, 2012 10:57 am

My buddy just had the rubber boot replaced on his front load washer by one of the big service companies (don't know which one).

It cost him $400 for this job and that was with the service guy knowing the problem in advance...so no need for assessment & no need to hunt down parts after the fact.

Pretty pricey if you ask me......best to find someone who does it on the side or a retired service guy.

nielboy wrote: ↑My buddy just had the rubber boot replaced on his front load washer by one of the big service companies (don't know which one).

It cost him $400 for this job and that was with the service guy knowing the problem in advance...so no need for assessment & no need to hunt down parts after the fact.

Pretty pricey if you ask me......best to find someone who does it on the side or a retired service guy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbFdTFrBC8Q

Its not a dificult DIY job, why the boot is torn needs to be looked into. Have a look at that vid OP, most front loaders are similar...get the service manual for your model and it will take a few hours to replace the boot. Try to find the reason the original boot was torn, be careful stretching the spring clamps while installing the new boot-don't snag the rubber and you'll be fine.

nielboy wrote: ↑My buddy just had the rubber boot replaced on his front load washer by one of the big service companies (don't know which one).

It cost him $400 for this job and that was with the service guy knowing the problem in advance...so no need for assessment & no need to hunt down parts after the fact.

Pretty pricey if you ask me......best to find someone who does it on the side or a retired service guy.

I second this. My front loader (Sears HE2+ from 2006) also has a small leak, about 2 teaspoon fulls
that happens during spin cycle.
I called Sears Parts department. The rubber boot/seal for the door costs about $150.
Sears told me if I wanted it repaired by them, they will send someone to assess for $80 and
replace the seal for $120. So altogether it would be $350 assuming it is that boot/seal. So after
tax it would be really close to $400.
I am in Vaughan in Ontario.
Being a RFDer I am going to try to open it up and patching what must be a small tear with
Gorilla tape or something. Maybe budget an entire day for it.

Just wanted to say that we used to have a front loader. Bought it brand new - had nothing but trouble
with it. Had to replace the computer board TWICE in a short period of time (first time was covered by
the warranty, second time it was not).

We heard from the repairmen that front loaders tend to be awful in terms of breaking down. That's
the bulk of their business (repairing front loaders).

We now steer clear of them. We bought the traditional washer and dryer (top loader) and have had zero
problems. They don't have all the fancy buttons...but that also means there's less things to break down.

Originally, we thought front-loaders were great for the environment. But if they need to be replaced every
five or ten years - it's not really beneficial to the environment after all. Our top loaders will likely last 20
years or more (like our parents' generation of top loaders).

I know the front-loaders look nicer...but we were just tired of all of the repair bills...

Why charge retail so much for parts. Mafia