Appliance Spares
Quick answer: If your Lemair washing machine fills slowly, will not fill, or settles at the wrong water level, the part to check first is the water inlet valve. Replacing one is a straightforward job most people can do at home — with Lemair the hard part is not the repair, it is finding the part, because these machines are matched by model code rather than badge and few Australian suppliers list them. We stock the common Lemair valves. Here is how to confirm the fault before you buy anything.
Last updated August 2026
Why Lemair parts are hard to track down
Lemair machines have been sold in Australia for decades, mostly as simple, budget top loaders, and many are still going. The catch comes when something wears out: the brand has changed hands and manufacturing platforms over the years, so there is no single parts family called “Lemair” — there are several, and the model code on the sticker is the only reliable way to tell them apart. Plenty of suppliers do not list the brand at all.
Our parts catalogue documents spare parts for 47 appliance brands sold in Australia. Lemair is one of the brands where that depth matters — check before you scrap a machine that needs one valve. There is a wider rundown of brands like this in our guide to hard-to-find and discontinued appliance brand parts in Australia.
Which inlet valve fits your Lemair
Find the model sticker first — on a Lemair top loader it is usually on the back panel near the top, or under the lid on the rim of the cabinet. You are looking for a code like XQB22 or LW5. Then match it below. Several of these machines came off shared production lines, which is why Venini and Baumatic machines appear in the same table: the equivalent valve for those badges is listed against their own model codes.
| Your model code | Valve type | The valve to order |
|---|---|---|
 XQB22, XQB22-AUS-22G | Cold water, single inlet | Lemair water inlet valve for XQB22 and XQB22-AUS-22G |
 XQBM20C, MQB80-700B | Hot and cold, dual inlet | Lemair and Midea hot and cold inlet valve for XQBM20C and MQB80-700B |
 LW5, AW5 | Double dual inlet | Lemair ARC double dual inlet valve for LW5 and AW5 |
 Venini VWM51, VWM71 | Hot and cold, dual inlet | Venini hot and cold inlet valve for VWM51 and VWM71 |
 Baumatic BWM5001, BWM7001 | Hot and cold, dual inlet | Baumatic hot and cold inlet valve for BWM5001 and BWM7001 |
If your code is not in the table, do not buy the nearest-looking valve. Inlet valves across these brands look almost identical from the outside; the differences are in bracket shape, outlet angle and connector type, and a near-miss will not mount properly. Send us the code, or run it through the part finder, and match it properly.
Slow fill and no fill: how the valve fails
The valve is a solenoid — an electric coil lifts a small diaphragm, and mains pressure pushes water through. It fails in two distinct ways, and the symptom tells you which.
Slow fill is nearly always the mesh screens at the hose connection silting up with grit and scale. Turn the tap off, unscrew the hose, and look: a furred-over screen is your answer, and a gentle scrub with an old toothbrush may buy the valve more life. If the screens are clean and the tap flows hard into a bucket, the restriction is inside the valve body.
No fill is usually a coil that has gone open-circuit. Listen at the back of the machine when the fill should start — a hum with no water means the valve is blocked; silence means the coil or its wiring is dead. On a hot-and-cold dual valve, each side has its own coil, so a machine that fills cold but never hot (or the reverse) has lost one coil, not the whole valve. The valve is replaced as a single unit either way.
The general test procedure — screens, listening test, then a continuity check on the coils with a multimeter — is the same on almost every top loader, and our inlet valve test and replace guide walks through it step by step.
Wrong water level: valve or level switch?
The title question for a lot of Lemair owners is not filling speed but filling amount — the machine stops short of the selected level, or sails past it. Two parts control that, and one simple observation separates them.
If the water level creeps up while the machine is switched off at the wall, the valve is the problem: grit is holding the diaphragm off its seat and mains pressure is seeping past. Turn the taps off between washes until it is replaced — this is the failure mode that floods laundries, a hazard class Product Safety Australia takes seriously.
If the machine only misjudges the level while running — stopping early, overfilling during a cycle, or washing with too little water — the valve is likely fine and the water level switch or its air hose is suspect. The switch reads the air pressure trapped in a small hose as water rises in the tub; a split, kinked or crusted hose skews the reading. Level switches vary by model just as valves do, so match that part by model code through the part finder rather than by appearance.
Replacing the valve
- Unplug the machine and turn off the tap (both taps on a hot-and-cold machine). Unscrew the inlet hose with a towel handy.
- Remove the screws holding the top rear panel or control housing — on most of these top loaders the valve sits directly behind the hose inlet and is reachable within a few minutes.
- Photograph the wiring and outlet hose before disconnecting anything, especially on dual valves where two coils and two water paths can be swapped by mistake.
- Transfer the connectors and the outlet hose to the new valve, seating the hose clamp fully.
- Swap the valve on its bracket, reconnect the inlet hose, and run a small fill with the panel still open to check for weeping before closing up.
DIY or call a tradie
Do it yourself if: your model is in the table, the symptoms match the valve, and you are comfortable isolating water and power. The parts are cheap relative to a service visit, access is easy, and nothing here requires special tools.
Call a tradie if: the machine misbehaves in several ways at once (level faults plus draining or spinning trouble suggests something upstream), if a new valve did not fix it, or if the machine is old enough that you want an honest verdict on whether it deserves the spend. The honest downside of the DIY route on an orphan brand is diagnosis time — if the first part does not fix it, a tradie’s test gear pays for itself.
Lemair machines share some ancestry with Midea-built machines, and the overlapping faults are similar — the rundown in Midea washing machine common faults and fixes is worth a read if your symptoms go beyond filling.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the model number on a Lemair washing machine?
Check the back panel near the top first, then under the lid on the rim of the cabinet. It reads like XQB22, XQBM20C or LW5. Photograph the model sticker before ordering — suffixes matter, and two Lemair machines of the same size can take different valves.
Is my Lemair actually a Midea?
Some models are — the XQBM20C valve in our table is listed for both brands, which tells you those machines came off a shared line. But not every Lemair is Midea-built, so treat the model code as the truth and the badge as decoration.
Will the Venini or Baumatic valve fit my Lemair?
Only if a listing says so. Those valves are listed against their own model codes — VWM51 and VWM71 for Venini, BWM5001 and BWM7001 for Baumatic. Machines from shared platforms are close cousins, not identical twins, and mounting brackets are where cross-fits usually fail.
The machine overfills even when it is switched off. What is happening?
Mains water is seeping past the valve diaphragm — the valve cannot seal any more. Turn the taps off between washes immediately and replace the valve. No amount of screen cleaning fixes a diaphragm that will not seat.
My machine has hot and cold hoses. Do I need two valves?
No — hot-and-cold machines use a single dual valve with two inlets and two coils in one body. If either side fails, the whole unit is replaced, which is one reason dual valves are the tidier repair.
My model code is not in the table. Is the machine a write-off?
Not necessarily. The table covers the codes we can match with certainty, not everything that exists. Send us the model code and a photo of the old valve, and we will tell you straight whether we can match it.
Keep an orphan brand running
Photograph your model sticker and put the code through the part finder, or send it to us to confirm the valve before you order. Orders placed before midday dispatch the same day from Sydney’s Northern Beaches — which matters more than usual when the machine is one nobody else stocks parts for.
Disclaimer: this article is general information only and is provided without warranty of any kind. Appliance designs vary between models and production runs — always follow the manufacturer’s instructions, switch off and unplug the appliance before starting any work, and confirm parts against the model number on your appliance’s model sticker. Any repair is undertaken at your own risk and Oz Appliance Spares accepts no liability for injury, loss or damage arising from work performed after reading this guide, to the maximum extent permitted by law. If in doubt, use a qualified technician.
