Washing machine door seal fitting

[davecooper]

Yesterday I removed the door seal from my Bosch washing machine as it needed a serious clean, which an hour in a bleach solution did perfectly. Removing it was bad enough as I had to remove the top, control panel and front to get to the rear securing band. The actual seal came out easily though. However, this was not the case when refitting the seal. The securing bands were almost impossible to get back on as they were so tight. I was considering removing the front drum weights to get better access. It took two of us and a thin spanner as a lever to get the bands on. The bands are the wire type joined with a spring at the ends. Is there an easy way to get these bands on or is it always a struggle? Would new bands go on more easily?

 

[Fred Blogs]

I've done a few of these over the years and the last one I did was my own machine. This is an Indesit and the seal and retainer were pigs to get back on. I watched a youtube vid and that guy used a screwdriver to lever the sprung clip back on. It still wasn't easy and took me a good couple of hours, interspersed with much swearing and throwing the bits around. Some machines I have done have been easy others, including mine, have been right pigs. Access is the key and some machines are more accessable than others.

 

[jj4091]

Our Zanussi needed the front weight removing to get the new seal on. Was much easier then.

 

[DiyNutJob]

Wasn't hard on my borsch. I can't remember how I did it, most likely putting something through the band and levering it into place.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

When I did the drum bearings on mine, I fitted the seal, to the drum, whilst the drum was out. It wasn't difficult, with it out. Once the drum was in place, fitting the seal to the front panel, was slightly more awkward - I ended up using some old credit cards, to tease the seal into place, then also the wire/spring.

 

[davecooper]

Thanks for the replies. They do reinforce my experience in that you need to lever the last bit in place. Next time I will find something thinner than the spanner I used. Hopefully I won't be doing the job again for some time though.

 

[Timgb]

Thanks to Harry: the old credit card did the trick to lever the wire back into place. I put the spring on, held it in place, then worked the wire round using the credit card as a lever. Before that I had been really struggling.

 

[justigator]

You can avoid having to do it again to clean the seal by tucking a towel or rag into the bottom of the seal after each use and leaving it in place for at least an hour until the area is fully dry. Have done this on my machine since new five years ago and it still looks new. I also leave the door open all the time when not in use but that may not work for all, eg if young kids about.