Before a washing machine commits to a high-speed spin it works out how the load is distributed. Weight heaped on one side of a drum turning fast produces forces the suspension cannot absorb, so the machine slows, tumbles, redistributes and tries again. Asko reports the outcome in three different ways depending on what it measured.
The Three Messages
- UNBALANCE, a plain-text alert described as unevenly distributed laundry. Published action: manually distribute the laundry and run the spinning program.
- E13.1, UNBALANCE EMPTY DRUM. Same published action in the manual for the Logic generation: distribute the laundry by hand and run the spin program. It is worth noting that one Asko manual variant for this code says instead to call a service technician, so if redistributing does not clear it, treat that discrepancy as a reason to stop retrying rather than as a reason to keep going.
- E13.2, INERTIA ERROR. Again, distribute the laundry manually and run the spinning program.
Why Asko Machines Are Particular About This
Asko laundry spins fast, and the whole point of a fast spin is to leave less water in the fabric so the dryer has less to do. A high spin is exactly the condition where an uneven load matters most, because the out-of-balance force rises steeply with speed. So a machine that is fussy about balance before a fast spin is behaving correctly; it is protecting the suspension, the bearings and your floor. The same machine will often complete a slower spin on a load it refused to spin fast.
The Loads That Cause It
- One heavy item on its own. A bath mat with a rubber backing, a single pair of work jeans, one bath sheet.
- Bedding, which ropes itself into a spiral and then packs into a quarter of the drum. Shake a duvet cover out and close its buttons before it goes in, so it does not swallow everything else.
- Waterproof items – a mattress protector, a raincoat, a car cover – that trap a pocket of water which never leaves during the spin.
- A drum packed to the top. Clothes that cannot move cannot be redistributed.
- Very small loads, which is counter-intuitive but real: two items have nowhere to spread to.
When It Stops Being About Laundry
Occasional balance correction is normal and is not worth a phone call. The pattern that is worth one:
- A modest, evenly spread, mixed load still triggers it repeatedly.
- The machine moves across the floor, or rocks visibly at the corners.
- Knocking or a heavy thud during the spin, as opposed to the rising whine of a machine accelerating.
- It started suddenly rather than gradually, particularly after the machine was moved.
That last point deserves its own note. A machine transported without its transit bolts refitted can arrive with the suspension damaged, and the symptom presents as chronic unbalance in the new location. So does a machine that was never levelled properly, with one foot not carrying weight, or a springy timber floor that amplifies every wobble.
What to Check and What to Report
With the machine switched off, push down on each front corner in turn and see whether it rocks, and check that all four feet are in contact and locked. Look at what the machine is standing on. Then, if the pattern persists, note whether it happens on every program or only at the highest spin speed, whether the drum turns freely by hand with the power off, and whether there is any noise at low speed. Suspension dampers that have lost their damping, worn bearings and a drum-position sensor reading incorrectly all produce chronic unbalance, and they are separated by exactly those observations. Book an Asko washer repair with them written down.