Washing machine problems.

[Grumpy]

Re: Broken Washing Machine

Ran the machine empty and spin worked, tried with clothes and spin would not work

Sounds like it might be carbon brushes.
When they`re are worn down to a certain point, there is just enough to turn an empty drum.
Once, the drum wouldn`t turn at all for me, took off the back of machine and I happened to manually turn wheel slightly....motor came to life immediately.
Be careful when back of machine is off.Don`t open back if you have no experience with machinery.
Put machine on a wash cycle with a few clothes.Check to see if drum moves during this cycle.No movement may indicate motor not working and brushes may be reason for this
Motor can be awkward to get to and brushes tricky to take out, but will clearly show as being worn or not.

 

[Carpenter]

Re: Broken Washing Machine

You must be referring to an older machine type I would have thought that newer machines would be fitted with induction (brushless) motors? Induction motors are more efficient, offer longer life and do not contain user serviceable parts.

 

[ClubMan]

I have not used these people myself for a washing machine repair but have bought parts from them and they were very helpful:

www.mastercare.ie/

Good call sueellen. Just got a replacement fridge thermostat/switch unit and a replacement washing machine door gasket/seal from them and they were very helpful and fairly competitive even compared to eBay.

For spare parts these guys are also very good:

Spare Parts Centre, 9, North Frederick St., Dublin 1
Phone 8726565/8746141 Fax: 8746860.

I have recommended them myself before but this time around they were quoting twice the price for the same parts from Mastercare and seemed a bit ill informed and hesitant about parts etc.

 

[Sue Ellen]

Good call sueellen. Just got a replacement fridge thermostat/switch unit and a replacement washing machine door gasket/seal from them and they were very helpful and fairly competitive even compared to eBay

Good to hear. I'm convinced they were once upon a time based at the top of Capel St, you might recall them yourself. If its the same crowd they were/are great for unusual sized hoover bags.

 

[ClubMan]

I don't recall them being in Capel Street but it could have been before the time that I found myself needing spare parts!

 

[Riverside]

Hi,
I have a zanussi aquacycle. The rubber door seal has black mould on it and I have tried bleach at 90 degrees which improved but did not get rid of the problem. So I bought a new door seal. I was just wondering if it is difficult to change this or should I just call a professional? I thought it would be easy enough, but now the seal has arrived I dont know how to go about it. I gave it a tug but it looks well sealed on to the outside of the machine. Does it need to be separated with a blade?

 

[ClubMan]

Hi,
I have a zanussi aquacycle. The rubber door seal has black mould on it and I have tried bleach at 90 degrees which improved but did not get rid of the problem. So I bought a new door seal. I was just wondering if it is difficult to change this or should I just call a professional?

Had the very same problem with our Ariston machine (the rubber was worn and was marking clothes) so I changed the door seal/gasket at the weekend. It was a little tricky but worked out in the end. There will probably be a clamp at the front holding the gasket in place at the door and another one inside holding it onto the drum. The latter was tricky to remove and I ended up having to take off the top and remove part of the front panel in order to get enough working/leverage room to unscrew the clamp. Obviously I had to isolate the machine from the mains while working on it and I had to disconnect some of the internal wiring too (if you do this then label all wires so you know how to connect everything back up). Some people suggest taking digital photos before you do anything so that you can reference them if you get confused later on! I also managed to dislodge the powder drawer water feed and ended up having to adjust this to correct the damage that I had done... I presume that most machines are similar in the way that the gasket is fitted and some may be easier or more difficult than mine to work on. If it all sounds too much then get a professional. If you can get you hands on a technical manual for your machine (e.g. online or from a parts supplier like www.mastercare.ie) then it might help you to plan the job.

 

[Riverside]

Hi Clubman,
Thanks for your helpful response. It all sounded a bit much though, so I called the guys you recommended (mastercare) - they were out the next day. €50 and 15 minutes later the job was done. So thanks again!

 

[ClubMan]

Fair enough. €50 in total? If so that's not that bad since the rubber seal/gasket would probably cost €20-€30 alone. I know that it took me a few hours on Saturday to do mine (at least it was more entertaining than the Ireland-Wales game!) so if I was charging myself for labour....

 

[Washerhelp]

This link tries to answer the question in detail and offer prevention tips. Replacing the door seal will get rid of the black mould but if nothing else changes the new one will also eventually get ruined too. Washing machine smells - causes of grease, slime and black mould inside washing machines

 

[ClubMan]

Excellent link/guide - thanks for posting that. It's a strange niche/speciality site but very informative all the same.

 

[polly2000]

I've gone back to using regular biological powder. The tabs etc cause the mould etc