Hotpoint BCI450 Failure

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  • February 27, 2011 at 11:47 am #61335
    _ben_
    Participant

    Hi,

    I posted this on DIYnot.co.uk forums and didn’t get a response – wondering if anyone can help here?

    Whilst mid-cycle our dishwasher decided to trip the ring main RCD and belch out a load of toxic fumes.

    On closer inspection I’ve found that the wiring connector to the inline heating element to be totally melted… I’ve checked the following:

    1. Resistance between load terminals of the heating element – there is continuity.
    2. Resistance between either heating element load terminal and Earth – there is no continuity.
    3. Resistance between melted dishwasher load wiring and Earth – there is no continuity.
    4. General condition of the PCB – no burn marks or water damage.

    Originally I figured it must have been the heating element that was at fault – however – I’m not so sure now given the above eletrical testing.

    Does anyone have any ideas?

    Also, I noticed on the underside of the PCB is a small push button and five (or so) LEDs – presuming this is some test feature of the PCB, can anyone shed any light on whether this will help identify whether it itself is faulty?

    Thanks,
    Ben.

    February 27, 2011 at 11:59 am #345711
    Specialist01269
    Participant

    Re: Hotpoint BCI450 Failure

    Hi: When you tested the Element for continuity did you disconnect the wiring to it? If not then you need to check again with wires removed.
    When you say there is no continuity from the Terminals to Earth, what sort of meter did you use? a normal Multimeter is not good enough to carry out this test unless there is a dead short, you need an Insulation tester set at 500v to test for leakage.
    Where does the burnt wiring go to? Heater, Motor? Until you find out what caused your Burn out DO NOT RECONNECT TO THE MAINS.

    PLEASE REMEMBER: POWER OFF & PLUG OUT BEFORE OPENING THE APPLIANCE, A :zap: can seriously shorten your life.

    February 27, 2011 at 12:22 pm #345712
    _ben_
    Participant

    Hi,

    Thanks for the speedy response. When testing the heater it was completely removed/disconnected from the machine. Also, the machine was totally isolated from the mains.

    Unfortunately I’m only able to test with a multimeter and see what you mean about a proper Earth leakage test (thanks for that top tip!!).

    It was actually the connector block to the heater that had melted – no other wiring was affected. I guess with my limited testing facilities it will be difficult to 100{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} confirm whether the heater is at fault?!

    Thanks,
    Ben.

    February 27, 2011 at 12:47 pm #345713
    Specialist01269
    Participant

    Re: Hotpoint BCI450 Failure

    The problem you had may well have been due to bad connections at the Heater terminals, this will cause overheating & can eventually cause the problem you’ve experienced. If useing just a Multimeter to check leakage it needs to have a resistance range of at least 40 Megohms, although this is not a conclusive test it will give a good indication. How much of the wiring is burned?

    February 27, 2011 at 1:14 pm #345714
    _ben_
    Participant

    Re: Hotpoint BCI450 Failure

    I’ve popped a picture in the user gallery, wiring is only damaged up to the connector block.

    You can see from the photo though that the molten plastic splattered all over the place.

    Specialist01269 wrote:The problem you had may well have been due to bad connections at the Heater terminals, this will cause overheating & can eventually cause the problem you’ve experienced. If useing just a Multimeter to check leakage it needs to have a resistance range of at least 40 Megohms, although this is not a conclusive test it will give a good indication. How much of the wiring is burned?

    February 27, 2011 at 1:57 pm #345715
    Specialist01269
    Participant

    Re: Hotpoint BCI450 Failure

    Hi: Sorry to tell you but looking at that I would’nt advise trying to re-use the existing heater, it would be safer to replace it & have new Crimp connectors fitted to the cables.
    No disrespect to you but it may be an idea to contact a good local repairer to carry out the repairs for you.
    You could also check the repairs@ feature to see if we list a repairer local to you.

    February 27, 2011 at 2:01 pm #345716
    _ben_
    Participant

    No problem at all. Would like someone with the proper test equipment to come and determine whether there’s another fault somewhere else in the appliance – no point spending £50 on a new heater only to find it needs a £70 PCB and new wiring loom!

    Thanks for your advice.

    Ben.

    February 27, 2011 at 2:16 pm #345717
    Specialist01269
    Participant

    Re: Hotpoint BCI450 Failure

    No problem Ben, glad you are going to get someone in to check it out. Please make sure find a good local company & let us know what happens.
    Nice picture by the way, just for you to know the Heater for your machine is listed at just under £48.00 in the UKWG shop.

    Andy

    March 9, 2011 at 3:57 pm #345718
    _ben_
    Participant

    Re: Hotpoint BCI450 Failure

    Hi,

    As requested I wanted to provide a quick update on the issue. On closer inspection of the heater unit by a local electrician the fault was determined to be in the wired connection to the heater itself.

    Two new insultated connecting tags and a replacement heater has resolved the problem.

    For the sake of getting the dishwasher back in action asap I was able to source the part from a local supplier – surprisingly had one in stock.

    All advice was appreciated and I now have a happy dishwasher!

    Thanks,
    Ben.

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