The short answer
The hoses on a machine of this age have been under mains pressure continuously for far longer than any hose is rated for. Ranked first on this platform: A fill hose or its connection. The checks below follow that ranking, and the first of them need no tools and no panel removed.
What you observe
- The floor is wet even when the machine has not been run — Water with the machine idle is water from the pressurised side.
- A burst of water at the drain phase and nothing at other times — A leak tied to the pump-out is the drain path.
- Water from the centre or the back of the machine, with a rumble on the spin — A leak plus a bearing noise is one fault with two symptoms.
- NEAR MISS — a damp patch at the standpipe rather than under the machine — That is the drain connection or the house plumbing, not the appliance.
Causes, most likely first on this platform
- A fill hose or its connection — The inlet hoses are pressurised whenever the valves are open, so a weeping washer or a loose connection leaks whether or not the machine is being used. It ranks first on this platform because an inlet hose is pressurised whenever the valves are open, so its rubber ages whether the machine is used or not — and a hose of this vintage does not weep politely before it fails, it goes at full pressure.
- The drain hose or its connection — The drain hose only carries water while the machine pumps, so its leaks are intermittent and end up blamed on other things. It ranks second here because a cabinet of this vintage has wear on everything at once, which changes the ranking: the parts that wear are far more likely than the parts that break.
- The tub seal or the tub itself — Water from behind the drum, or from a seam in the tub, is the serious end of this list. Ranked third: worth checking once the causes above have come back clean.
- Too much detergent — Foam escapes where water would not: out of the dispenser, out of the door seal, out of the vent at the back. Ranked fourth: worth checking once the causes above have come back clean.
Check in this order, and why
- Pull the machine out and run a dry finger over both hose connections — A finger finds a weep a torch will miss. It leads because it tests the top-ranked cause.
- Put dry paper under the hose run and start a drain — The first sheet to wet names the spot. Tests the second-ranked cause.
- Look at where the water first appears on a dry floor — Front, side and centre are three different faults. Tests the third-ranked cause.
What an owner can safely check
- Shut both valves, dry everything, and look again in an hour — If it stays dry, the pressurised side is the source.
Tools: clothAbout 20 min
- Dry everything, lay paper along the hose run, and run a drain cycle — Check the connection at the standpipe as well as at the machine.
Tools: clothAbout 20 min
- STOP before anything behind a fixed panel, and note what each check showed — Everything past this line is measured rather than looked at, and measuring it safely needs the power off and a meter.
Before you start tracing it
Safety
Unplug the machine or switch off its breaker before removing any panel, and close both water valves. A fill hose is under mains pressure all the time, not only while the machine runs, which is why shutting the valves comes before anything else.
When to call a technician
Call when the water is coming from the tub, the seal behind the drum or a component you cannot reach, because those are strip-downs.
Nearest pages of this class
What this page does not cover
This page is written for the Moffat washer as a class, not for one family or one model line. Where a family- or model-specific page exists for your unit, that page is the more specific answer and the one to read first. Deliberately not here: part numbers, wiring colours and disassembly order, which differ by family.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
