To provide a washing machine capable of sucking bubbles inside a pressure detecting pipe into a washing tub when the rinsing step is started even if bubbles penetrate into the pressure detecting pipe.

The washing machine includes the washing tub (a water tub 3 and a dewatering tub 4) which has a rotatable agitator 5 on the bottom and in which the laundry to be washed is stored; the pressure detecting pipe 9 whose lower end is open to the bottom of the washing tub and whose internal pressure rises as the water level inside the washing tub rises; and a water-level sensor 10 connected to the upper end of the pressure detecting pipe 9 for detecting the water level based on the pressure inside the pressure detecting pipe 9. The agitator 5 is driven simultaneously as water is fed into the washing tub in the rinsing process, so that bubbles penetrating into the pressure detecting pipe 9 can be quickly sucked into the washing tub.

COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT