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Ok got a little problem I need help sorting.
First of all some of you may remember about 18 months/2 years ago I posted about my elec main trip kept er tripping and I could not find the appliance that was causing it. I couldn’t figure it out because it didnt seem consistant. It took loads of running with different thing on, some off, trial and error but I could run everything and no tripping one day but the next day run the same and it would trip.
Anyway after about 3 months it got more regular and a pattern immerged, after 6 months there was no doubt because it tripped everytime I had the washing machine on.
Ah you all say, yep washing machine is a good candidate as any, they can trip fuses when the heater starts playing up……BUT….mine trips the main fuse, and it trips as it goes to the spin cycle, and as it finishes the spin cycle, just as the door lock is about to release.
So, I cannot afford a new washing machine, how do I stop it from tripping the main fuse? Surely the plug sockets should be on their own fuse? And the washing machine, what part do I need to replace (if I can) to stop it from tripping in the first place? Doubtful its the heater cos 1) it has a cold water and a hot water inlet so doesn’t that mean it works off the hot water supply rather than using the heater? and 2) the wash cycle doesn’t trip the fuse.Need to sort this out because its doing my head in, everytime I have the washing machine on it trips the elec and I end up stumbling around in the dark gettin a chair to stand to reset it grrrrrrrrrrr
Ideas? (and the first person to say get a new one gets hit with a big stick [
] )Hi Gix
First off, can you check that the ‘main fuse’ you are on about is marked “RCD” or “RCCD”. This device trips out generally when there is an earth fault. This can be caused by quite a few things in the m/c. It’s there to protect you though!
It doesn’t matter if you fill with hot water, it still heats this water to the required temperature. On first entry to the machine, the water is still a bit cool as it is the remainder of what is left in the pipework.
Have you got a decent multimeter?
quote:
Originally posted by GixIdeas? (and the first person to say get a new one gets hit with a big stick [
] )You could always use your big stick to reach the fuseboard
main fuse its tripping is RCCB?
I havent got a multimeter let alone a decent one!
Is it possible it is the heater even tho it trips on spin?Radar, thanks for link but it just tells me what I already know –
“The most common causes for a washing machine fusing or tripping the electrics are the motor, the heater, the suppressor, a wire shorting out or water getting onto an electrical part.”
Common sense but I dont know what a suppressor is (I know the others lol) and dont know how to go about fixing it.
If the fuse in the plug isn’t blowing then the RCCB is most likely tripping on a live/neutral in-balance (im-balance?) as an earth fault can easily generate more amperage than the fuse in the plug. This can be caused by the main motor on its way out with a bad winding, if its a winding, you can get the motor rewound, not sure on cost I never ask coz its on account! LOL.
Random bad windings aren’t easy to find, but I can pop round and test the rccb for you.
Let me know if you want it doing.
hmmmmm so if its the motor its fooked then, usually repairs just aint worth it nowadays unless its a diy repair.
would appreciate a testing session on my elecs if you got the time hun cheers, just tell me when and i will pop kettle onquote:
Originally posted by Gix
just tell me when and i will pop kettle onif the kettle will stay on! LOL! Will find out my work schedule tomorow.
RCCB = RCD
You can generally test the spin and not the element by putting it on spin only several times until it trips.
If it is the motor then you could swap it for the one in your Gixer. Should dry your clothes real fast!
You a sparky then Champs? (Love the kettle joke by the way…..)
Ay up Gix, long time no post!
Best thing to stop your m/c tripping is to take your drugs out of your jeans before washing!
On a serious note, there is normally a trip switch connected to a polystyrene float mounted at the bottom of the m/c. If the machine leaks or water collects in the tray / base underneath the machine, the float rises tripping out the machine. i had a similar problem on my dishwasher, it may be that or maybe all models are different?
ok when I put it on spin only cycle, it is ok, but its when its on one of the full cycles (any of them, cycle makes no difference, all the spin cycles on all programs do the same). There is a seperate drain, and a seperate spin cycle. On the seperate cycle it is fine, but on the programs it trips as it starts the spin cycle of program and when it finishes. Now how do I know it does it at end? Cos to start with I was moving the dial a mm to get it onto the spin cycle once it had tripped first time, but then of course I found it was doing the same when it ended the cycle, but now because I got fed up of stumbling around twice in the dark, once it trips first time I put it on the “standalone” drain and spin.
Could be the brushes on the motor, always worth checking. Otherwise the capacitor is a cheap and easy fix.
Does the direction change OK in the main wash cycle or is it always the same way? If the spin cycle changes direction for the first time during the cycle then brushes or cap are likely culprits.
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