Bloody Washing Machine!
 

Well with less than three weeks to go till xmas my bloody washing machine has packed in and with a baby on the way its a pretty essential appliance that im going to have to replace! :afire:

Does anyone know of any good offers at the moment like buy a washing machine and get a tumble dryer free? Ive had a look about and came across this site www.clearance-comet.co.uk but im a wee bit sceptical, has anyone ever bought anything from it before or heard any horror stories about it?

Any advice/recommendations welcome bearing in mind that its xmas and im skint!

Cheers

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

can you not fix the old one unless its a new one there carnt be much wrong with it

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

To be honest, its been playing up for a while now and its probably as old as me cos my mum gave it to me when she got a new one! If i can get a good enough deal i think id rather replace it now.

Ive been having a look around that comet clearence site and any product you buy still comes with a 1 year guarrantee so it cant be that dodgy :shrug:

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

both comet and currys have washing machines for under £200 (£169 being the cheapest). just what sort of bargin / deal are you looking for?

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

lol actually me and my missus had this problem a few weeks ago except our baby knackered the washing machine..... Forked out for a new one from Currys with an extended warranty cos they do seem to break more easily around kids

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

Have you had a look in your local argos?
If you hold out till after xmas/new year (if your scrubbing brush and the big green block of fairy lasts) you might get a good bargin in any electrical shop in their January sales.

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

Quite frankly the most common failure on a washing machine (apart from things snapping etc) is the motor brushes....


replacing these can usually be done for a parts cost of £5-£10 and usually gives you another 12 months minimum on the machine's life.

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

There are a couple of washer techs on the forum (myself included), maybe we could offer you some advice. I hate to see older reliable washers get turned in for a shiny new (and often poorer) quality one when the only need a bit of tlc.

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

what make of machine do you have and what is the exact problem you have or near as dammit exact ie not heating drum not turning etc

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

That reminds me Handyman - how are you with Dishwashers?

:D

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

You know that there is a comet clearence store in Glasgow dont you?

I was there just last week, you can pick up some bargains if you dont mind the odd cosmetic thngus and you are paying cash. Everything still comes with a years warrenty, it sthings that have been sent back i believe!!

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

not my best subject, they are a pain to work on. everythings crammed into a bit at the bottom.

Whats the problem with it?

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

Most likely a blockage in the rinse pump & main wash pump.... Could use a hand removing & manually draining it so it can be investigated....

Been through the pressure switches / Programmer & logic board (computer controlled unit) and everything else seems ok, only other possibility is a blown wash motor.

Fancy a trip to Oldham at some point? lol

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

i will never understand why engineers are frightened of dishwashers may be its because they have to do a bit of work ie kneel down or even worse drain the water out
by hand thats been standing for a week :D

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

I bought my washing machine from a Comet online auction ( still comes from Glasgow clearing) you just have to know exactly what you are buying. If you pay £169 for a washer you will get just what you pay for.:rolleyes:

As Handyman said, do not get rid of a machine because of its age, I have hundreds of customers with appliances well over 20 years old still working perfectly. Tell us exactly what the fault is and give a few more details such as make and model, try and find someone local who you can trust to check it out.
Dishwashers are a completely different animal to washing machines. I do a lot of dishwasher repairs but stick to Hotpoint/Creda and Hoover only. Even though I worked for Hotpoint for 12 years, dishwashers present a challenge because even within the same brand, the way that certain functions are controlled such as fill, drain, heating, timer advance, detergent dispensing etc can vary greatly from one model to another. Without specialised product knowledge dishwashers are more difficult to repair than washing machines.
Lord Nikon, I work in the Oldham area, let me know what make your dishwasher is and I will try to point you in the right direction.
Jim.

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

Thanks for your comments everyone.

Ive been told that the comet clearance center was in glasgow but im not sure exactly where, if you can give me the address aliferste, il pop in and have a look.

Ok here goes, my washing machine is a Zanussi Z917. It leaks water from the tray where you put the powder (ive cleaned it out and theres no blockage as far as i can see) and from the small door on the front. Theres an awful rattling sound when the machine spins clothes and whenever i wash a load of whites or light coloured clothes i find small orange stains in strange places which i suspect might be rust!? if thats possible..

Also handyman, jonboy, lord nikon and iadom, how are you with tumble dryers? I have an electra 459 that still works but doesnt produce any heat?! It was with the house when we bought it and i dont think the people ever cleaned out the filters cos they were all clogged with fluff! ive cleaned it all out but i think the motor might be burnt out as theres still no heat.

Thanks again everyone, your help is very much appreciated!

Tracy

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

If the drawer leaks whilst filling then your water pressure is to high. The Zanussi machines from years back where prone to this and all machines can suffer in the same way. If you have a combi boiler then your hot water will be filling at a much higher pressure than a normal gravity fed supply. Try to reduce the flow of water by adjusting the hot & cold taps connected to the washer, you should get a steady flow but not a loud gushing noise. If it leaks from the drawer during spin then you have a partial blockage somewhere. It is essential on most imported machines to keep the filter at the bottom clean. Another possibe cause is that the machine is overfilling due to soap build up in the pressure chamber, this would cause the water level to be far to high in the drum. Does it appear to be filling higher than normal?
Only an examination will determine the exact cause of any noise but coins and bra wires in the drum can be a factor. If you rotate the drum by hand does it seem smooth and not over loose? If it rotates smoothly and quietly by hand then it would suggest that this machine is well worth repairing.
Regarding the rust marks on the clothes, this is either the aforementioned bra wires in the drum or due to Iron deposits in your water supply. If the inside of your soap dispenser shows signs of rust or reddish stains in the rinse or cold fill side of the drawer then you have iron in your water and other than moving there is little that can be done to prevent the occasional staining. Most dry cleaners can remove these stains.

Re the tumble dryer, again the model and make would help but if it has had a blocked outlet then the most likely cause of no heat is safety thermostat failure. These are usually fairly inexpensive to replace. Hoover/ Creda early models approx £5 to £8. Later Hotpoint/Creda models have two stats that cost between £8 and £12.

EDIT, you have given the dryer model, missed that sorry. The Electra appliances can be anything. They where produced for the Electricity boards by many different manufacturers but the principals are the same, at worst a faulty heater but more likely the stats, both inexpensive to repair.

If you look on the back of the dryer you can sometimes find a small label or plate that will identify the manufacturer.

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

Hmm an fellow X hotpont eng in these forums
dont tell me you hate creda bearing changes :D

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

The old Creda manufactured bearings could be a pain. I worked for Hotpoint in the 60/70s and have had my own business for over 23 years, did you ever have to change drum bearings on the old English Electric manufactured Liberators, now that was a bearing change:shocking:

Have to go now, another 7 calls to do after dinner.:)

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

I always used to hate doing zanussi bearings. The one where you have to remove the drum and split it remove 20 odd screws. Then I found myself with no assistance to hang a drum once and hit upon a fool proof way that some of my mates in the business still use. you just get a old drive belt thread it through the chassis onto the spring pop the other end on your shoulder and stand up, the spring then hangs straight in place with little effort.

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

i worked for indesit for ten years then moved to creda/hotpoint for another ten years i had to retire 5 yr ago due to ill health and even tho used to get loads of agro from joe public i miss it like mad i think field service engineers are a breed on their own not many jobs do you find all these requirements 1 driver 2 map reader 3 storeman 4 accountant 5 electrical and 6 mechanical sound 7 diplomat 8 able to make on the spot dicisions :smokin:
and above all thick skined the list goes on :D :D

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

just a NOTE if you are going to have a go yourself
first thing you do is UNPLUG THE MAINS SUPPLY AND IF ITS ON A FUSED SPUR REMOVE THE FUSE AND EVEN THEN SWITCH OFF THE MAINS SUPPLY TO THAT SPUR

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

Plus remedial plumber, fitted kitchen dismantler.

My biggest headache each day is caused by fitted kitchens. Only one in ten seem to have been fitted by someone who has more than one brain cell. It should be simple common sense, that the reason the outlet and fill pipes and mains cable are the length they are, is to allow the machine to be removed from under the units without having to disconnect them. How can you water test or trace an intermittant fault if you have to disconnect the feed to the machine.
I could write a book about gormless plumbers and kitchen fitters, plumbing a cold fill tap to the gas pipe, installing a washer then tiling accross the front with thick quarry tiles that had to be chiselled out to access the appliance, sink wastes draining into the washing machine the list is endless.:mad:

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

Hey, was just reading this forum as i've got a prob with my washer / dryer and wondered if anyone could advise on what to do:

Washer / Dryer: Integrated Zanussi Washer-Dryer ZJD1219
Cost: Approx £400
Age: Approx 2 years

Prob: Water fills and empties constantly when on, and doesnt perform any of its normal functions. When you try and change the program (to try and stop it constantly filling / emptying - it flashes E40 (Which is the door open warning).

Action Taken:
>I've cleaned the filer at the bottom.
>I've disconnected from the drain to make sure no blockages
Now, i've seen that the warning is E40 (Door open), i dont know what else to try.

Zanussi Approved service centre in Glasgow want to charge:
£75 (inc VAT / inc Call-out / inc Labour) = Does not include any charges for Parts.

Can anyone advise on what to do? I'm skint and really need this machine to work : (

Thanks all. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Regs

John

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

I'm sure if your patient there will be someone with recent zanussi experience be able to help. we have a couple of washer engineers on this site.

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

Try unplugging and reconnecting the ribbon cable from the power card to the facia, several zanussi models have been plagued with a loose connection.

BTW Way to ressurect a thread lol, 3 yrs since last post in here

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

I wonder if they got a new washer? That "baby on the way" must be nearly 3 now :D

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

Probably has his / her own account on here then by now lol

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

Thanks Chaps - i'll give that a shot, and keep you posted on outcome.

Regards

John

: )

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

I had to just create one..wondering if you can help..I have a Hotpoint, I love my Hotpoint..thing is, I managed to replace the brushes by myself (go me!!..ok, I got step by step help over the fone from a friend), but..I now cant get the door to open without reaching down inside and opening it from the inside, same thing happened when I moved it from a different house...any suggestions..?

Thanks LOTS in advance...

Jo xx:confused:

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

Heeee heeee! I love it when dinosaur threads are resurrected!

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

Chances are it's the pressure switch to the catch release which has become blocked or flooded.

First empty the drum completely by pulling the drain filter, this will also allow you to collect the spare coins which have collected there, remove the soggy mass of fluff etc. Next there will be a hose running to the door release on the machine, disconnect this and blow through it, then reconnect it, it should cure the problem.

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

Can anybody help me!!!!!! I have a hotpoint ultima wf860 washing machine, it is showing a 'test' symbol on display so you can not enter any other programme to do any washing!!! I have a very messy husband and three mucky children> Please help......

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

I googled and got this, does it help?


It sounds like the Diagnostic Mode as accidently been activated by catching the two centre buttons. When this happens the appliance displays test and go through a test cycle.

You can normaly fix this very easily by pressing both the ON/OFF and START/CANCEL buttons together and holding for more than 5 seconds. The display should then display DOFF and then return to ON.

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

Since there are helpful folks in here, I thought I may as well post my little request for advice:

We've got an Ariston A1636 washing machine, less than a year old. A few weeks ago, I noticed that we'd lost one of those jacket hood drawstring toggle-thingys (you know, you tighten the hood drawstring and this little plastic thingy holds it in place?) in the wash.

Lately, our clothes seem to be coming out of the wash more damp than I seem to remember. If our washer ate the drawstring toggle, would it have washed out completely, or could it be caught a filter in there somewhere, making the clothes dry less during the final spin?

I don't hear anything rattling at all in there, and as I say, I could be imagining the damper clothes thing. Just wondering if there's anything preventative I should do, or just not worry about it?

Thanks much in advance!

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

You have of course checked the filter haven't you?:) or the piece of string is wrapped up inside your pump

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

I think it is just the toggle, not the drawstring, as well, Scrubbs??

In which case i would think it would make a noise if it got in the pump ????

At less than a year old it should still be under warranty, but beware, as they often have a disclaimer regarding faults due to blockages, afaik.

It 'sounds' like the spin speed has slowed, but if the toggle got somehow jammed in the drum seal, I'd, again, expect it to make a noise???

- did you check the filter, KaySquirrel?

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

It's just the toggle thing, not the string. It's not a big toggle, smaller than a shirt button.

I haven't touched a thing yet! (Curry's installed it for us, so I've got no idea how these British machines are hooked up or anything. I thought I'd better ask here before poking around.) Will have a look in the filter and see what I can see. Thanks! :)

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

http://www.howtomendit.com/answers.php?id=43188
For you kaysquirrel ;)

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

Hey thanks! :) I've seen that site before, but didn't think to search it! We've got the manual for our machine, which says the 1636 model doesn't have a water pump, but an 'integrated filter system'. But we'll see when I pull it away from the wall and check the back!

Re: Bloody Washing Machine!
 

Update: Pulled it out & looks like the manual was right, there is no filter that I can get to for the 1636. I checked the drainage hose though, nothing caught in there.

A Google search tells me that apparently our model has an internal filter that's located next to a high voltage panel, so would need an engineer to unblock. It can't be blocked totally 'cause the clothes are getting drier and the machine is emptying of water.. Hopefully it's just that the last few loads have been unbalanced or something (manual says in that case, it would have spun at a lower speed than normal to prevent damage..)

Oh well, we'll see how things go from here. *crosses fingers* Thanks for the help! :)

Also, I pulled out a few dozen dustbunnies from behind there. Will be happy to give them away free to a loving home. ;)