If you suspect that your washing machine has developed a faulty heater, there are some checks you can carry out - as explained by eSpares in this video.
Hopefully by watching this video you will be able to identify the issue that you might be experiencing with regards to your washer dryer.
What You Will Need:
- Multimeter (digital or analogue)
- Screwdriver
Switch Off Your Appliance
Safety First! Please make sure that you have switched your appliance off at the mains before starting your repair.
What’s Wrong? - Machine Won’t Finish A Wash Cycle
The usual symptom of faulty heater is that the machine won’t finish a wash cycle - and this is usually going to result in the machine either continuing to wash or in displaying a fault code as it waits for the water to get up to temperature.
Obviously if the machine has a faulty element then the water’s never going to get warm.
Cause 1: A Faulty Heater
In order to access the element on most machines we need to get to the back, although it may be on yours that you access the element from the front of the machine - in this video we will just turn the machine round and remove the back panel.
The element here is located under the drum. Start by disconnecting the connections from the terminals, and then grab a multimeter that has been put onto a low resistance setting. Proceed to place the probes of the meter onto the terminals of the element.
For a working element you should get a reading of between twenty and fifty ohms - and on this element in this video we are getting about twenty-seven, twenty-eight - so that should be ok.
Cause 2: A Faulty Temperature Sensor
The temperature sensor is located next to the element, and what you need to do is pull that out and disconnect it from its plug. You now need to use the multimeter again, this time putting it on a higher resistance setting.
Proceed to place the probes onto the terminals inside the sensor, and for a working sensor you should be getting a reading between twenty thousand and fifty thousand ohms. On this sensor we are getting about forty-seven thousand, so that’s ok
You can check that your sensor is working as well just by placing your hand over it, and if it’s working the reading should go down - which it is so it looks like the sensor is ok as well.
Cause 3: Damaged Wiring
Once you’ve checked both the element and the sensor, have a look at all the wiring around it just to make sure it’s not burnt, damaged or loose anywhere.
Cause 4: A Faulty Control Board
Once you’re happy that the wiring is ok, and you still can’t find the source of the fault, it’s likely to be due to a problem with the control board.
If this is the case, you can see more about how to find out in another eSpares video - How To Diagnose Washing Machine Control And Program Problems (add link to video here)
Need To Locate The Spares For Your Washing Machine?
We do hope you have found this video useful in helping to identify exactly what is causing your machine won’t finish a wash cycle. You can also see our full range of Washing Machine spare parts on our website.
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