Problem with water pressure to washing machine after kitchen works

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RainyDay

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Hi folks - Any ideas or information on this annoying problem would be appreciated.

We got the kitchen renovated earlier this year. We replaced the old washing machine with a new one, and put in a dishwasher beside the washing machine. We're now having intermittent problems with an error code appearing on the washing machine which indicates low water pressure.

This doesn't happen every time, maybe 1 in every 4 or 5 washes. The manufacturers have been out several times and changed circuit boards with the objective of making it less sensitive, but the problems still occur. They tell us that the machine needs pressure of at least 0.5 bar, and we may need to install a pump between the supply and the washing machine. They mention that lots of building works in the area may be impacting the supply pressure and that the new generation of 'digital' machines are more sensitive to pressure than older models.

Is it likely that the kitchen works affected the pressure? Could the dishwasher be part of the problem? Should the requirements for pressure been made clear at point of sale?
 
If the pressure problem occured exactly at the same time as the new work you had done then it is unlikely to be a mains pressure problem.

Hard to diagnose and I suppose you have checked for simple things like kinked hoses which often happens if you are moving appliances about.

Another possibility is that when the work was being done some debris got into the water feed pipe.

Usually a washing machine is connected via mini taps with screw off hoses.

You could turn off the tap and screw off the plastic nut on the hose. Inside the hose there is a mesh filter to stop crap getting into the machine so make sure this is clear.

Does this problem happen all the time or is it when the dishwasher and washing machine run together?
 
Surely if it is a pressure problem it would affect other things like the shower etc. as well? As a matter of interest what make of machine is it?
 
As a first step I would suggest testing the mains pressure, you can ask a plumber to do this or hire the equipment from a hire shop. That said, 0.5 bar is not very high and most domestic supplies would surpass this. If there has been a lot of new development in your area this will have put a drain on the existing water mains and will affect the pressure. A drop in mains supply will not affect most showers, as most domestic insulations are gravity fed, unless (as Heinbloed would highly recommend!) you have a mains fed unvented system.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. We haven't been able to tie the fault down to simultaneous use of other water-related appliances (dishwasher, shower). Like many intermittent faults, it seems to be a bit random, which obviously makes it very difficult to diagnose.

The machine has been pulled in/out numerous times, so I'd hope that anything like kinked hoses would have been sorted by now.
 
You've probably considered all of these points already but just in case:

1. Does the problem occur when there is a heavy draw on water in the area generally or in your house?

2. Is the machine one that has a water saving option? The repair guy would probably have checked it out already but when we got our Miele I had to reprogram same because as far as I can recall there was too little water and the powder was marking the dark clothes.
 
I have a Miele washig maching and it does this on and off also. Maybe one in ten washes the little water pressure light will flash for a while. Nothing obvious causing it but it probably is just low water pressure as we have a downstars wc close to it and it takes ages to fill.
 
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