Appliance Spares
Quick answer: A washing machine that overfills, stops mid-fill or refuses to spin with a drum full of water is usually being fed bad information by its water-level pressure switch, or by the small air hose that feeds it. Check the hose first; that costs nothing. If the switch itself has drifted, a replacement runs $15–45 for most brands, and matching the model number on your machine’s sticker is what decides which one fits.
Last updated August 2026
One small part, four different tantrums
The water is lapping at the bottom of the door glass and the machine is still filling. Or it takes a splash and stops dead three minutes in. Or the wash finishes, the pump drains, and the machine flatly refuses to spin because it is convinced the drum is still full. Different tantrums, one usual suspect.
Every washing machine has one component whose job is to tell the control board how much water is in the drum: the water-level pressure switch — on newer machines, an electronic pressure sensor — reading the level through a thin air hose that runs down to a chamber on the tub. When the switch drifts, or that hose splits or clogs, the board acts on bad numbers. The switch is lying, and the board believes everything it is told.
One fault, five faces: overfilling, underfilling, stalling mid-fill, water-level errors, and a drum that drains but will not spin. If your top loader fills and then sits in silence, the lid switch is the other classic suspect — check both.
Match the switch to your machine
Several badges share one part. Find your machine below, then check the model number on the sticker against the listing — or send it through and we will check it for you before you order.
| Your machine | Part number | The switch |
|---|---|---|
 Westinghouse front loaders | 8581328195020 | Westinghouse analogic pressure switch 8581328195020 |
 Simpson front loaders | 8581328195020 | Simpson analogic pressure switch 8581328195020 |
 Electrolux front loaders | 8581328195020 | Electrolux analogic pressure switch 8581328195020 |
 Euromaid WM5PRO, WM7, WM7PRO, WMFL55 | Matched by model family | Euromaid front loader pressure switch |
 Samsung front loaders J845, J1045, WF7708N6W1 | DC97-00731A | Samsung mechanical pressure switch DC97-00731A |
 Samsung top loader SW95ASPIWT | DC32-30006Q | Samsung electronic water level sensor DC32-30006Q |
 Seiki SC-1070AU9FLCO | Matched by model | Seiki pressure sensor SC-1070AU9FLCO |
How the switch knows how much water is in the drum
Low on the side of the outer tub sits a small plastic pot called the pressure chamber. As the tub fills, water rises into the chamber and squeezes the air trapped in the hose above it. The switch at the top of the hose feels the pressure. A mechanical switch clicks internal contacts at set levels — empty, wash level, overfill. An electronic sensor reads it continuously.
The board bets everything on that reading: it closes the inlet valve when the switch says full, only powers a front loader’s heater when the element is underwater, and only starts a spin when the switch says empty. Which is why one drifted switch produces four different symptoms:
- Overfills or never stops filling — the switch keeps reporting empty: a split hose, a gunked chamber or a stuck diaphragm.
- Stops mid-fill or washes in a puddle — the switch reports full far too early.
- Drains but refuses to spin — the switch still reports water in the drum, so the board blocks the spin.
- Random water-level or fill errors — the board catches the switch contradicting itself and halts the cycle.
Two free checks before you spend a dollar
Unplug the machine at the wall first — always. Then take the top panel off (two screws at the back on most front loaders; the console screws on a top loader) and find the small hose running from the switch or sensor down to the pressure chamber on the tub.
- The air hose. Check the full length for splits, kinks, perished ends, and a hose that has simply popped off its spigot. Pull it off at the switch end and blow gently through it; it should be clear.
- The pressure chamber. Lint sludge and scale build up in the chamber inlet, trapping pressure so the switch reads water long after the drum has drained. Flush the chamber with warm water until it runs clear.
Refit the hose properly, run a short rinse cycle and watch. If the machine still misreads the level with a clean hose and chamber, the switch itself has drifted. Replace it — mechanical switches are factory-calibrated, and the adjustment screws under the sealant are not a repair.
Matching by brand and family
Westinghouse, Simpson and Electrolux: one switch, three badges
These three brands sit in the same family, and their common front loaders share the analogic pressure switch 8581328195020 — the same part, listed under each badge in the table above. The number is moulded into the switch body, so read it straight off your old one. Match the model number rather than the badge on the lid all the same.
Euromaid: two families, two different switches
Euromaid front loaders split into two camps. The WM5PRO, WM7, WM7PRO and WMFL55 family takes the switch in the table. The AW5, BWL5 and LW5 family takes a different switch entirely, so check that the listing names your exact model — or send the model number through and we will check before you order. The top panel is already off, so if the door lock has been temperamental too, the Euromaid door interlock and pressure switch guide covers both jobs in one sitting.
Samsung: mechanical switch or electronic sensor
Samsung used both systems. Front loaders such as the J845, J1045 and WF7708N6W1 run the mechanical DC97-00731A switch, while top loaders like the SW95ASPIWT use the electronic DC32-30006Q sensor — and other families again use the DC96-01703C, so the model sticker decides it. For the full symptom walkthrough, see the Samsung pressure sensor guide.
Seiki, Hoover and the badge-engineered rest
The Seiki SC-1070AU9FLCO front loader has its own dedicated sensor, and Hoover front loaders take the 41042603 switch, matched by the DX model number on the sticker. Dozens of other badges share internals with the machines above, so search the number moulded into your old switch — or browse the full washing machine parts range and match by model.
The swap: twenty minutes with a screwdriver
This is one of the gentler repairs in a washing machine: no plumbing to open, no wiring to cut. Unplugged at the wall, always, before the first screw.
- Remove the top panel and photograph the switch, its wiring and the hose run.
- Unclip the electrical connector. Pull on the plug, never the wires.
- Release the switch. Most twist out of a keyhole mount or sit under a single screw; electronic sensors unclip from the cabinet or a bracket.
- Transfer the air hose to the new switch: pushed fully home on the spigot, clip refitted, no kinks.
- Reconnect, refit the panel, then run a small rinse load. Watch it stop filling at the right level and spin once it drains.
Never bypass it — not even for one load
You will find advice online about bridging the switch contacts or unplugging the sensor to force a cycle through. Do not. The pressure switch is the only thing that tells the inlet valve to stop; bypass it and the machine will happily fill until the water finds your floorboards, possibly while you are at work. On a front loader, the heater also trusts the switch that the element is underwater. This is a safety device, and it gets treated like one.
If the diagnosis has you beaten, that is what repairers are for — a call-out and diagnosis typically runs $100–165 before parts, against $15–45 for most of the switches above. Confirm the fault yourself, then decide who does the fitting.
Frequently asked questions
Q: How do I know it is the pressure switch and not the inlet valve?
A: If the machine takes on water while switched off at the wall, the inlet valve is letting water past and no switch can stop it — a valve fault. If filling only misbehaves during a cycle, the sensing side is the suspect: hose, chamber, then switch, in that order.
Q: Where is the pressure switch on my washing machine?
A: Usually up top — behind the console on a top loader, in a corner under the top panel on a front loader. Follow the thin hose that runs down to a plastic chamber on the tub; the part at the top of that hose is the one you are after. Some electronic sensors mount lower, on the tub itself.
Q: Can I just clean the air hose and chamber instead of buying a switch?
A: Often, yes. A split hose or a gunked chamber causes identical symptoms and costs nothing to fix. Replace the switch once the hose and chamber are clear but the machine still misreads the level.
Q: My machine drains fine but will not spin — is that really a water-level problem?
A: Frequently. Most boards refuse to spin until the switch reports the drum is empty, so a switch stuck on water present blocks the spin forever. On a top loader, rule out the lid switch at the same time.
Q: Is one pressure switch interchangeable across brands?
A: Within a family, sometimes — Westinghouse, Simpson and Electrolux front loaders genuinely share the 8581328195020 switch. But looking similar is not fitment: calibration differs between models using the same shell. Match the part number on your old switch or the model number on the sticker, and send us the model number if you are not sure.
Grab a torch and read the model sticker — inside the door frame on a front loader, under the lid or on the back panel of a top loader. Search that model or part number on the store, or send it through via our contact page and we will match the right switch before you order. In-stock parts are dispatched from Sydney’s Northern Beaches the day you order, when your order is in by 12pm.
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.
