Dispenser Drawer Not Working

[foxyferret]

my daughter has a 4 year old hoover 8144D-80 washing machine which is not dispensing the conditioner. Following the manual, we have pulled the machine out, checked all the pipes for blockages or kinks, made sure the water tap was turned on fully for max pressure. The drawer is cleaned out regularly so no blockage we can see there. We have cleaned around the inside where the drawer goes with a toothbrush and some bleach. The only thing we cannot do is get the filter out. It seems the knob of the filter has come away from the body of the filter and we cannot shift it. Is this likely to have an effect on the drawer, and if not, can anyone have any ideas what might be causing this and how to fix it. The inside walls of the drawer also look a little bit bent. Don't know if that would cause the problem. Thanks for any help.

[gingejbee]

The conditioner is dispensed into the machine by simple syphon action....water goes into the correct compartment of the drawer, the level of conditioner and water rises and then syphons out of the compartment.
So, you have to check that water is actually going into the conditioner compartment when it should....at the start of the last rinse. If it is, then you should check that the U-shaped tube at the back of that compartment is fitted properly/ tightly and isn't blocked - you can remove and clean it.
If no water is going in at the right time...it's a little more involved cos it could be one of several faults - electrical connection, programmer fault, switch/ solenoid/valve stuck closed...perhaps time to call a professional!
(Or, just do without conditioner....we haven't used it for several years!)

[Hopkirk]

Ours only seems to get a little bit of water, not enough to start the syphon process to empty it into the machine.

What I do now is top up the conditioner with water so it is nearly full. That way even a little bit of water will start the syphon going.

[foxyferret]

Thank both for your useful info