The short answer
On a CBM Mart portable top-load washer this complaint is usually the tap adapter rather than the machine rather than the failure owners fear, and where it is not, a hose connection that has worked loose takes most of the rest. A portable top-loader is wheeled to the sink, connected with an adapter for the length of a wash and wheeled away again, and most of what goes wrong with one happens at that adapter. The checks below are ordered to match, and the first of them needs no tools at all.
What you observe
- Water on the floor during the fill — Fill-time water points at the supply connections rather than at the machine.
- A drip at the tap while the machine is idle — The connection is leaking under standing pressure, which is a different and more serious thing.
- NEAR MISS - water in the tub rather than on the floor — That is drainage, and the drainage page for this machine is the one to read.
Causes, most likely first on this brand
- The sink adapter or the tap connection — Top of the list here: a portable connects to a tap through an adapter that was never designed to hold pressure all day, and the leak usually starts the moment somebody turns the tap on and walks away.
- A hose connection that has worked loose — Second here: every connection on this machine is made and unmade by hand, often by different people, and a fitting that is finger-tight rather than properly seated weeps steadily under pressure.
- The drain hose jumping out of the sink — Third, and worth the two minutes: the hose is stiff, it is only hooked over a rim, and the kick it gets when the pump starts is exactly what lifts it out - after which the machine empties onto the floor.
Check in this order, and why
- Watch the tap and the adapter during the fill — On a portable this is the likeliest source and the only one that can keep running after the cycle ends.
- Check every hose fitting for a missing or perished washer — Free, quick, and it is the classic cause of a slow weep.
- Watch the drain hose at the moment the pump starts — It jumps then, or never.
What an owner can safely check
- Reseat the tap adapter and turn the tap off between washes — On a portable this is the fix and the prevention in one step.
About 10 min
- Hand-tighten every hose connection and check each washer is present — A missing rubber washer is a classic, and it is invisible until the fitting comes apart.
Tools: clothAbout 15 min
- Tie or clip the drain hose so it cannot jump out — The pump kicks when it starts and a loose hose lifts. A cable tie solves it permanently.
Tools: cable tieAbout 10 min
- STOP HERE if finding the leak means opening the cabinet — Mains voltage sits beside standing water inside this machine - that is where owner checks end.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the machine before opening any panel, before reaching into a pump filter and before tipping it to look underneath. This is an appliance that puts mains voltage within inches of standing water, and a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Never defeat the lid or door interlock with tape, a magnet or a screwdriver: it exists to stop a tub turning while your hands are in it.
When to call a technician
Call when every connection is sound with its washer in place, the drain hose is secured, the detergent dose is right and water still appears. Stop using the machine in the meantime if the leak happens while it is filling, because a supply-side leak does not stop when the cycle does.
Nearest pages of this class
What this page does not cover
This page covers portable top-load washers as a class rather than one model line. Adapter types, hose fittings and tub seals differ by family, and where a family- or model-specific page exists for your unit it is linked below. Not here: fitting sizes, pressure ratings and part identifiers.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
