Where Is the Drum on a Washing Machine? Inner and Outer
The drum is the part you load clothes into, and every washing machine has two of them. The inner drum is the perforated basket that spins. The outer drum, also called the tub, is the sealed container around it that holds the water. Knowing which one a technician means saves a lot of confusion, because they fail in completely different ways and cost completely different amounts to fix.
What Is the Drum on a Washing Machine
The drum is the cylinder that holds your laundry. In everyday use people mean the part they can see and touch when the door is open, which is the inner drum.
It is a perforated stainless steel basket, and the holes are the whole point. They let water and detergent flow in during the wash and let water fly out during the spin. The clothes tumble inside it, lifted and dropped by moulded ridges called paddles or lifters, and that tumbling action is what actually cleans the fabric.
The word barrel is sometimes used for the same part, particularly outside the United States. Drum, tub, basket and barrel all describe the same area of the machine, though a technician will use drum for the inner basket and tub for the outer container.
Where Is the Drum Located
On a front loader, the drum is directly behind the door. Open it and everything you can see and reach is the inner drum, mounted horizontally so it rotates like a wheel.
On a top loader, the drum is below the lid, mounted vertically. Older top loaders have an agitator, the tall finned post in the centre, while newer high-efficiency models have a low impeller disc at the base instead.
In both designs the outer tub sits immediately around the inner drum and you cannot see it without dismantling the machine. That is why a leak from the outer tub shows up as water on the floor with nothing visible wrong inside.
The Two Drums and What Each One Does
The inner drum
Perforated, made of stainless steel on almost all modern machines, and the only part that moves. It is driven either by a belt from a motor or directly by a motor mounted on its shaft. It holds the load, tumbles it during the wash and spins it at high speed to throw the water out.
The outer drum, or tub
Sealed and solid, with no holes. It surrounds the inner drum and contains the water. On most current machines it is moulded plastic composite rather than metal, which keeps weight and cost down and resists corrosion. It does not rotate. Water enters it, passes through the inner drum holes to reach the clothes, and drains from its lowest point.
The bearing sits between the two, letting the inner drum spin freely inside the stationary outer tub while keeping water out of the bearing itself. When people talk about a washing machine bearing failure, that is the part they mean.
What the Drum Is Made Of
Almost every modern inner drum is stainless steel. It resists rust, tolerates high spin speeds without deforming, and does not snag fabric. Cheaper or older machines occasionally used porcelain-coated steel, which chips over time and then rusts at the chip, and some very low-end machines used plastic.
Stainless is worth having and is standard enough now that it is rarely a purchasing decision. Where it matters is second-hand: a porcelain drum with visible chips will stain clothes and cannot be repaired.
The outer tub is a different story. Plastic composite is now normal even on premium machines, and it is not a sign of cheapness. It is lighter, quieter and does not corrode. The one consequence is that a cracked outer tub is generally not repairable, which matters for the repair-or-replace decision below.
Washing Machine Drum Parts
The drum assembly is more than the basket itself. The parts that make it work, and that fail:
- Inner drum or basket. The perforated stainless cylinder.
- Outer tub. The sealed container holding the water.
- Drum bearing. Between the two, letting the inner drum spin. The classic wear item.
- Drum seal. Keeps water out of the bearing. When it fails the bearing follows.
- Spider arm. The metal casting on the back of the drum on front loaders, connecting it to the drive shaft. Corrodes over years.
- Drive belt or direct drive motor. What turns the drum.
- Paddles or lifters. The moulded ridges inside that tumble the clothes.
- Shock absorbers and suspension rods. Not part of the drum, but they control how it moves and are the most common repair behind drum noise.
- Door boot seal on a front loader, sealing the gap between the drum opening and the door.
How the Drum Spins
Two designs, and they fail differently.
Belt drive uses a motor mounted separately, turning a pulley on the back of the drum through a rubber belt. The belt is a wear part and is inexpensive to replace, at a median of 341 dollars across 74 completed jobs. A washer that hums but does not turn very often has a broken or slipped belt.
Direct drive mounts the motor on the drum shaft with no belt at all. Fewer moving parts, quieter, and nothing to slip. When it fails it is the motor, at a median of 387 dollars across 81 jobs, or the control board driving it, at 436 dollars across 163 jobs.
Front Load Drums and Top Load Drums
The mechanical difference is the axis, and it drives everything else.
A front load drum rotates horizontally, so gravity does the tumbling: clothes are lifted by the paddles and dropped through the water. That needs less water, which is why front loaders are more efficient, and it puts the full weight of a wet load on a single bearing at the back of the drum.
A top load drum rotates vertically around a central axis, with the load sitting in the bottom. Water requirements are higher because the clothes must be submerged, but the load is supported differently and the bearing sees less side loading.
The practical consequence: front loaders are harder on bearings and door seals, top loaders are harder on suspension rods and, on agitator models, on the agitator itself. Our front load versus top load comparison goes through the durability trade-offs.
Common Drum Problems and What They Mean
- Drum will not turn at all but the machine hums. Usually a broken belt on a belt drive, or a motor or control fault on direct drive.
- Drum turns by hand but not under power. Same shortlist, drive side rather than drum side.
- Loud rumbling that rises with spin speed. The bearing.
- Banging and shaking on spin. Almost always suspension, not the drum itself.
- Drum sits visibly low or off centre with the door open. Worn suspension or, on a front loader, a failed spider arm.
- Grinding with a metallic edge. Often something trapped between the inner drum and outer tub, a coin or an underwire.
- Water leaking with nothing visible inside. The outer tub or the drum seal.
Telling a Normal Drum Sound From a Failing Bearing
Every washer makes noise on spin. What matters is the character of it.
Normal is a rising whine as the drum accelerates, steady while it holds speed, falling as it slows. Water sounds and a soft rush of air are normal too.
A failing bearing is a rumble or a roar rather than a whine, it gets louder as the spin speeds up, and it is present with an evenly loaded drum. Crucially it is there on every load, whereas an imbalance problem comes and goes depending on what is in the machine.
The simplest test is the towel test. Put four or five towels in, spread evenly, and run a spin. If it is quiet, you had an imbalance issue. If it still roars, the bearing is the candidate.
How to Balance the Drum
A drum that bangs is usually not a drum problem at all. Level the machine first: put a spirit level on top, adjust the feet until it sits solid on all four, then tighten the lock nut on each foot against the cabinet. Then redistribute the load evenly.
If a deliberately balanced load still bangs on a level machine, the suspension has worn, and that runs a median of 367 dollars across 195 jobs. The full procedure is on our page about a washer that is out of balance.
Can a Washing Machine Drum Be Replaced?
Technically yes, practically almost never, and this is the honest answer to a question people ask before buying a part online.
Reaching the drum means removing the machine from its housing, taking off the front or top, disconnecting everything and splitting the outer tub. On many modern machines the outer tub is sealed as a single unit and is not designed to be opened at all, so the drum and tub are replaced together as an assembly.
The part is expensive and the labor is substantial. In most cases that total approaches or exceeds the price of a new machine, which is why we will tell you on the phone rather than after a visit.
What is worth repairing is everything around the drum. Belts, motors, suspension, seals, boots and control boards are all routine and all sit in the 340 to 450 dollar band.
What Drum-Related Repairs Cost
| Repair | Jobs | Median total |
|---|---|---|
| Drive belt | 74 | 341 dollars |
| Door lock or lid switch | 143 | 351 dollars |
| Shock absorbers or suspension rods | 195 | 367 dollars |
| Tub bearing | 11 | 380 dollars |
| Drive motor | 81 | 387 dollars |
| Motor control board | 163 | 436 dollars |
| Front-load door boot seal | 49 | 450 dollars |
Medians across 4,763 completed washer work orders, each including part, labor and service call. The overall median for a washer repair is 370 dollars, with the middle half between 310 and 445. Note how rare the bearing is: 11 jobs against 195 suspension jobs, which is why a noisy drum is far more likely to be suspension.
Drum not turning, roaring on spin or sitting off centre? Tell us which and we will bring the likely parts.
Call (470) 516-3390Keeping the Drum in Good Condition
Two habits do most of the work. Leave the door ajar between washes on a front loader so the drum and boot dry out, which prevents the smell and extends the seal life. And check pockets, because coins, hairpins and bra underwires are what end up trapped between the inner drum and outer tub.
Run a monthly maintenance wash at the highest temperature with no laundry in it, using a machine cleaner or plain white vinegar. Our guide to deep cleaning a front load washer covers the routine in full.
Washing Machine Drum, Frequently Asked
What is the drum of a washing machine?
The cylinder you load clothes into. Every machine has two: the inner drum, a perforated stainless steel basket that spins and holds the laundry, and the outer drum or tub, a sealed container around it that holds the water. The holes in the inner drum let water reach the clothes during the wash and fly out during the spin. The words tub, basket and barrel all describe the same area.
Where is the drum on a washing machine?
On a front loader it is directly behind the door, mounted horizontally, and everything you can see and touch with the door open is the inner drum. On a top loader it is below the lid, mounted vertically, with either an agitator post in the centre or a low impeller disc at the base. The outer tub sits immediately around the inner drum in both designs and is not visible without dismantling the machine.
What is a washing machine drum made of?
The inner drum is stainless steel on almost every modern machine, because it resists rust, holds its shape at high spin speeds and does not snag fabric. Older or cheaper machines sometimes used porcelain-coated steel, which chips and then rusts at the chip. The outer tub is usually moulded plastic composite even on premium machines, which is lighter, quieter and corrosion-proof, though a cracked outer tub is generally not repairable.
Can a washing machine drum be replaced?
Technically yes, practically almost never. Reaching it means removing the machine from its housing, taking it apart and splitting the outer tub, and on many current models the tub is sealed as one unit so drum and tub are replaced together as an assembly. Between the part cost and the labor, the total usually approaches or exceeds a new machine. What is worth repairing is everything around the drum: belts, motors, suspension, seals and boards all sit in the 340 to 450 dollar range.
Why is my washing machine drum making a loud noise?
Character tells you which. A rumble or roar that rises with spin speed and happens on every load, including a balanced one, points at the drum bearing. Banging and shaking that varies by load points at suspension or simply an unbalanced load. A metallic scrape at one point in the rotation usually means something trapped between the inner drum and outer tub, often a coin or an underwire, which is a much smaller job.
Why will my washing machine drum not turn?
If the machine hums but the drum stays still, the drive has failed rather than the drum. On a belt-driven machine that is usually a broken or slipped belt, at a median of 341 dollars. On a direct drive machine it is the motor at 387 dollars or the control board at 436. If the drum will not even turn freely by hand with the power off, the bearing has seized or something is jammed between the drums.
What is the difference between a front load and a top load drum?
The axis of rotation. A front load drum spins horizontally so gravity tumbles the clothes, which uses less water but puts the full weight of a wet load on a single bearing at the back. A top load drum spins vertically with the load in the bottom, needing more water to submerge the clothes but loading the bearing less. In practice front loaders are harder on bearings and door seals, top loaders on suspension rods and agitators.
What is a spider arm on a washing machine drum?
The metal casting on the back of the drum on front loaders that connects it to the drive shaft. It carries the whole load during a spin and sits in a wet environment, so over years it corrodes, and a failed spider arm shows up as heavy vibration and a drum that sits off centre. It is part of the drum assembly, which is why that particular failure usually leads to a replace-the-machine conversation rather than a repair.
What is a drum washing machine?
A drum washing machine is simply the standard design used by every modern machine: clothes tumble inside a perforated inner drum that spins within a sealed outer tub holding the water. The phrase is used most often to distinguish it from older twin tub and agitator designs. Both front loaders and top loaders are drum machines, they differ in which axis the drum spins on.
What is a drum washer?
A drum washer is another name for the same thing, the rotating cylinder that holds your laundry. When a technician talks about drum work they mean the inner drum, the outer tub around it, the bearing the drum spins on, and the spider arm that connects the drum to the shaft. Those parts fail as a group, which is why a bearing job is quoted as one repair rather than a single part.
How is a front loading washing machine drum different?
A front loading washing machine drum spins on a horizontal axis, so gravity does the tumbling and the machine needs far less water to wet a full load. That is the efficiency advantage. The trade off is the door seal at the front and the bearing carrying the drum weight sideways, which is why front loaders develop seal and bearing faults that top loaders never see.
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Something wrong with the drum
Tell us whether it will not turn, roars on spin or sits off centre. Those three answers point at three different parts.
Related Laundry Guides
If the drum is behaving oddly, these cover the specific faults.
Where We Service This
Book a technician in your metro. Diagnostic is 99 dollars and is waived when you approve the repair.
Water temperature affects both how well a load washes and how long the machine lasts. Our guide to what temperature to wash clothes at covers cold, warm and hot, and what always washing cold does to the door seal.