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When this very noisy machine was 4.5 years old it started making small circular holes in man made fibres and cottons.
The Hotpoint Engineer explained that using the wrong program could cause this or alternatively if the perforations in the Drum were too large. I told him that we had been users of Hotpoint Machines for many years and we knew which programmes to use. This machine was,and still is, used on programmes F,D and E.
He said that rather than check all the holes he would just fit a new drum assembly. Initially the repair appeared to be successful but alas 18 months later the problem has returned. Its not a constant problem it just happens occasionally.
Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this problem?
Re: Hotpoint WMA31P makes small holes in garments.
Drum paddles working loose is a common problem and will lead to holing of clothes. Also consisten overloading can lead to holes.
Regards,
Penguin45.Re: Hotpoint WMA31P makes small holes in garments.
Penguin45,
Many thanks for your guidance.I have given the paddles on the drum a close inspection and they appear to be in good condition.They are well secured to the drum which also looks to be in good condition.Are there any other possibilities?
Regards
JazzjimRe: Hotpoint WMA31P makes small holes in garments.
You could try washing less? If the clothes don’t have enough space, that could cause the problem.
Or, it could be a phantom bra wire. Ever hear a scraping noise when the drum turns?
Re: Hotpoint WMA31P makes small holes in garments.
Hi Goatboy,
Thanks very much for your very useful input.I’m fairly sure that the machine is not being overloaded!?
I have made the necessary enquiries and established that there is no possibility of any Bra Wire being invloved. There is,however, a scraping noise to be heard occasionally when the drum is turning. Its a metal upon metal sound.
When the Drum assembly was first replaced this scraping noise disappeared but after about 6 months it returned -to do brief and occasional performances.
Does this help narrow down what may be the problem?
Regards
Jazzjim ❓Re: Hotpoint WMA31P makes small holes in garments.
Maybe the front bearing is about to collaspe again? 😯
Has the machine started getting noisy on spin again?
If it’s not the baffles, a foriegn body, overlaoding, or another broken drum, then it must be some kind of evil clothes pixie.
If your ever driving though Burnley, drop it in, and I’ll have a look 😉
Re: Hotpoint WMA31P makes small holes in garments.
most definetly sounds like a bra wire hence occasional scraping and no noise after drum replaced untill recently use a clothes bag for bra,s with wires
Re: Hotpoint WMA31P makes small holes in garments.
Honest no Bra wires.
Much appreciation and many thanks for everyone’s input. Between your input and some morsels of info from past visiting Hotpoint engineers VIA my Wife I think I now understand the problem with this machine. I’m fairly sure its the bearings.
We have had many Hotpoints and up until this most recent one have found them to be excellent machines,capable of very heavy use. This machine has never had the same level of usage due to changes in domestic circumstances.
It looks to me that someone in Hotpoint decided to redesign their machines and so it came to pass that this model(Perhaps other models also) has a couple of blocks of concrete incorporated into the chassis. It may have been seen as a way of anchoring the machine,but what it actually does is to put an immense stain on the bearings whether the machine is is being used or when its just standing there.
From about 6 months after its repair it has drifted slightly but progressively into becoming more and more noisy and has now reached a point where it dances in the kitchen when its on a spin cycle.
I believe that having it repaired is just a waste of money because the basic design is flawed. I have been making this claim to Hotpoint for some time but they have consistently denied it.Now that I have a clearer idea of the nature and consequences of the design failing I may, if the time becomes available, do a little bit more probing and challenging their denials.
I don’t like it but I think I am going to have to migrate to a BOSCH rather than repair this one. 😉Re: Hotpoint WMA31P makes small holes in garments.
Warning – This post contains Goatboy’s opinions
Hotpoint had the same drum design for years! They sold millions of those machines, the 95** or the WM. The country ran off them! If you washed every day, you might be able to wear out the bearings in about 5-10years.
A few years back, Hotpoint spendt millions out pounds designing a new machine, the WMA. It had a revolutionary new drum seal, the seal that stop water getting into the bearings, but it didn’t seal very well. So now on WMA’s, water gets into the bearings at a young age, and the bearings become noisy and collapse.
Alot of these machine broke under guarantee, which cost Hotpoint more money. The drum seal has been updated a few times, but (IMHO) it’s still not very good. Hotpoint lost so much money because of this, that they were taken over by The Merloni group. And the rest is too depressing to carry on typing…
If you have a WMA, and if your lucky, the machine will collaspe under guarantee, and you’ll get it fixed for free. Iadom might want to correct me here, but I think, even with the updated drum seals, there will always be bearing problems with this tub.
Re: Hotpoint WMA31P makes small holes in garments.
Hi Goatboy,
Many thanks for that information,it has helped me return to reality and abandon what would in all probability have been a lost cause. I will stick to buying the new Bosch.
It just really irks me that given the vast number of highly gifted technical people in the UK,and this Forum underlines this point,I have spend a lifetime slowly and most reluctantly having to switch to buying Foreign goods.Yours depressed.Jazzjim 🙁Re: Hotpoint WMA31P makes small holes in garments.
The WMA was probably a beautifully designed piece of kit, until the bean counters got their hands on. Hotpoint insisted in competing in the bottom end of the market, instead of standing their ground in the mid-upper market as some makes do. Consequently, every penny that could be shaved off, was.
Great shame.
Penguin45.
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