The short answer
When a BCW washer makes a new noise, establish whether it happens on fill, on wash or on spin. Those three moments belong to different parts of the machine and telling them apart costs nothing, which is why it comes before any other check on this family.
What you observe
- The machine moves across the floor — On a light chassis this is the normal consequence of a foot not carrying weight.
- A squeal that rises with drum speed — A belt or a bearing, where the model uses a belt.
- A rhythmic thump at low speed — A load gathered on one side. It is the machine telling you it could not redistribute, not that a part has failed.
- A buzz or whine only while water leaves — The drain pump under load. A change in its note usually means something has reached the impeller.
Causes, most likely first
- The machine out of level or standing on a floor that gives — First on this family. A light chassis has nothing to damp a spin that is even slightly out of true, so one foot off the floor turns an ordinary load into a machine that walks and drums.
- Debris at the drain pump impeller — The pump sits low and takes everything the drum lets go. A hair pin or a fragment of a garment against the impeller gives a grind or a buzz only while the machine is draining.
- A load gathered on one side — Second. A small drum concentrates an unbalanced load far more than a large one, so a single heavy item or a sheet that has wrapped will produce a thump the whole house hears without anything being wrong with the machine.
- Transit or shipping restraints still fitted, or feet not set — A genuine cause on a platform light enough to be moved and re-sited by the owner. A machine that has never been quiet since it was installed is usually this rather than a fault.
Check in this order
- Confirm any transit restraint has been removed and stored — Last of the free checks, and the first one worth doing on a machine that has never been quiet.
- Press on each panel and the lid while it runs — A noise that changes under a hand is trim rather than mechanism, and no further diagnosis is needed.
- Open the pump filter or access flap and look at what is in it — Worth doing while the machine is off anyway, because debris here explains a noise heard only during draining.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel. A capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Turn the water off at the taps before pulling the machine out, and be ready for the drain hose to give up what is still in it.
Models in the BCW family — The models this page covers, as the product spine lists them. With one model in the family, what you find on it is simply what the platform does.
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| BCW27MW | black-decker:washer:bcw |
When to call
Call when the machine is level, the drum is clear, the pump filter is clean and it is still noisy in the same way. At that point the cause is a belt, a bearing or a drive component, and all of them sit behind a panel.
Other faults on this family
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
