On 2008-01-23 18:15:49 +0000, said:

Hi - I have a Hotpoint WMA52 and it's just flooded the cellar. The
water it's filling with is backing up into the soap drawer and
spilling out. I had the top off and squeezed the hose between the
soap drawer and the drum, this seems to have made some difference but
when I turn the pressure up it still overflows. It drains the water
quite happily (pump OK). The prewash light is flashing when it has
filled up anyway.

Should there be a float switch and is that knackered?

Should I be able to see water in the drum to a depth of up to the door
bottom when it's filled - cos I can.

What next, I usually fix stuff myself but know little of washing
machines!

Thanks

Does it fill eventually to the correct level and then stop filling?

If so, then the level switch is OK. These are usually a diaphragm
pressure switch which looks like a flat, normally metal object quite
high up in the machine and connected using normally a transparent
plastic tube to the drum or a hose low down etc. The principle
is that water goes up the transparent tube, compresses air in it and
operates the switch to turn off the water filling. Some switches have
more than one switch and hence level.
The clear tube can become blocked with detergent at the bottom and the
switch will work erratically or not at all resulting in too much water
or too little.
Sometimes the switches themselves fail.

More likely with what you describe is that the tube from the detergent
dispenser has become clogged with congealed detergent. This happens
because most washes are warm these days and some gets left behind.
There is often a smell from it in the machine. You can remove it
mechanically by inserting a soft tube down the inside of said tube -
don't use anything hard or you may puncture it. If there is a hot
water supply, then try to introduce hot water down there as well.
You can soften and remove more by running the machine at its 90 degree
setting once every couple of weeks for a while.