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Hi All,
I am left feeling very frustrated after a phone call to the Hoover Service Department. In Jan 2009, I bought a Hoover SE147 washer and a VHC 180 drier believing Hoover to be a better brand than the Hotpoint machines they were replacing.
Last week the Washer developed a fault. The symptom is that the door will remain locked after a cycle has completed and the top “Buttons indicator light” (description from the manual) flashes in a pattern of 14 flashes then a pause. This pattern repeats until you change the control dial.
I am competent in the basics of appliance repair and immediately went through the suggested checks in the manual, i.e. clean drain filter, check for kinked pipes etc, however the problem prevails as I did not find much to write home about in doing those checks.So, I called Hoover this morning hoping to talk to someone who could tell me what the 14 flashes of that light meant. Instead I got a call-centre operative on autopilot… he said that Hoover do not have any technical advisors available for customers to talk to, and that a Service engineer is required. £115 flat charge as the machine is still inside the 5yr parts warranty, or I could sign up for an extended warranty for £13.50 per month by Direct Debit…
In spite of my requests to understand whether I needed to have an engineer out by asking for the meaning of that code, I was left hanging… pay-up or nothing… 😯 :eeek:So, can anyone tell me what that flashing code means? I have done a search on this forum and the web and it seems Hoover are very cagey about giving out their technical info… I have seen comments such as “all hoovers use the same codes” and that “e14” or “f14” might mean that the heating element might have gone… Can anyone confirm that this is the problem as it is a flashing light pattern and not a digital character code? Could it be something else, e.g. circuit board or some other component? A quick search of element prices shows the going rate to be around £30, which is a lot cheaper than the £115 quoted…
Thanks in advance
KevinRe: Hoover SE147 Washing Machine fault
Hi Kevin,
This is one of the newer “Cuore” series of control boards and not directly related to the previous ones that you will see kicking about. It’s one of the reasons I’m reluctant to publish all the fault codes to the public as, you first have to know what series of machine you actually need codes for to even begin.
Error 14 is a fault detected on the heating circuit which can mean a faulty heater but also faulty wiring, faulty thermistor or if all of those are okay it could be a relay on the board itself although that is unlikely.
The water or wash heater is here and this is the most likely suspect.
The NTC probe, if needed, can be found here.
HTH
K.
Re: Hoover SE147 Washing Machine fault
Thanks, that does help.
In your opinion, is the heating element something that is suitable for a DIY repair? (Assuming all the usual caveats of unlpuging and working safe are followed). To put my skills into context, on my previous Hotpoint washer I replaced all of the following: Motor brushes, door seal, drum bearings.
Re: Hoover SE147 Washing Machine fault
If you’ve done that lot then swapping a faulty heater should be pretty straightforward.
K.
Re: Hoover SE147 Washing Machine fault
Can anyone tell me what reading I should be looking for when I check the heating element. Google shows a similar Hoover machine has 25-30 ohms across the element, would this be the same on the SE147?
Re: Hoover SE147 Washing Machine fault
Elements tend to be simple, you either have a circuit or you don’t pretty much. 😉
K.
Re: Hoover SE147 Washing Machine fault
I did the repair on Saturday.
1 ) unplug the machine
2 ) remove back cover
3 ) disconnect wiring from heating element
4 ) use multi-meter to test element – dead circuit
5 ) slacken pinch nut and remove element
6 ) purchase new element (£23.50 from local supplier)
7 ) fit new element in reverse order to above
8 ) replace back cover
9 ) Plug in machine, test… no error codesSo, Hoover wanted to charge me in the order of £118 for an engineer on a single visit to come and diagnose problem and use “5 yr parts warranty” to replace parts… or sign up to a Direct Debit of £13.50/month to have access to multiple engineer visits…
Simple arithmetic!!! 😛
Not happy that Hoover refused to give me enough info to fix the machine myself 👿 , so Thanks to kwatt for confirming the meaning of the flashing code I had… 8)
Re: Hoover SE147 Washing Machine fault
Hi all,
The Hoover SE247 in my laundry has developed a new fault.
This time the symptoms are that the wash stops mid-cycle and the door remains locked and there are three lights that flash constantly with about a second interval; these lights are the Door security; the No-spin indicator light and the 3h light. All three flash together non-stop.
Can anyone help?
Thanks in advance
Re: Hoover SE147 Washing Machine fault
KevB wrote:I did the repair on Saturday.
1 ) unplug the machine
2 ) remove back cover
3 ) disconnect wiring from heating element
4 ) use multi-meter to test element – dead circuit
5 ) slacken pinch nut and remove element
6 ) purchase new element (£23.50 from local supplier)
7 ) fit new element in reverse order to above
8 ) replace back cover
9 ) Plug in machine, test… no error codesSo, Hoover wanted to charge me in the order of £118 for an engineer on a single visit to come and diagnose problem and use “5 yr parts warranty” to replace parts… or sign up to a Direct Debit of £13.50/month to have access to multiple engineer visits…
Simple arithmetic!!! 😛
Not happy that Hoover refused to give me enough info to fix the machine myself 👿 , so Thanks to kwatt for confirming the meaning of the flashing code I had… 8)
im sorry, but your missing the point…
so hoover ,in fact, any company should indeed set up a multi million pound service and technical department so they can just tell people how to fix their machine, for free, using (probably) pattern parts bought from somewhere else?
how do you feel when people devalue your job, or in fact ur need to make money and survive?
however, your fault is pretty simpletake out your multi metter and check out the components that are in use during that part of the cycle
i know ull think im being cynical, but people sometimes need to look at the bigger picture, rather than thinking everything should just be free all the time.. do you work free?
Re: Hoover SE147 Washing Machine fault
KevB wrote:Hi all,
The Hoover SE247 in my laundry has developed a new fault.
This time the symptoms are that the wash stops mid-cycle and the door remains locked and there are three lights that flash constantly with about a second interval; these lights are the Door security; the No-spin indicator light and the 3h light. All three flash together non-stop.
Can anyone help?
Thanks in advance
For the record, this turned out to be a blocked drain-pump filter, a penny had gone through the wash and was blocking the drain sieve completely. Once I cleared that blockage the machine behaved normally once more.
Re: Hoover SE147 Washing Machine fault
helo_75 wrote:
im sorry, but your missing the point…
so hoover ,in fact, any company should indeed set up a multi million pound service and technical department so they can just tell people how to fix their machine, for free, using (probably) pattern parts bought from somewhere else?
how do you feel when people devalue your job, or in fact ur need to make money and survive?
however, your fault is pretty simpletake out your multi metter and check out the components that are in use during that part of the cycle
i know ull think im being cynical, but people sometimes need to look at the bigger picture, rather than thinking everything should just be free all the time.. do you work free?
Without getting into a tit-for-tat discussion, let me state my case. I work in an industry where specialist knowledge is important and I can appreciate the point you are trying to make.
However, what I do not agree with is the assumption that a “simple” machine like a washing machine requires an expert to come and solve a 5 minute problem for £££’s.
Many people have the ability to perform simple-to-moderate repairs, if they have the correct information. By refusing to give out the necessary information to enable home-repairs, Hoover have lost any chance of me being a repeat customer.
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