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Hi.. I wonder if someone might have some thoughts.
Last week, one of my MCBs tripped.. I switched it back on and hunted around the house looking for something that wasn’t working and found nothing.
But today noticed the Washer/Dryer (Zanussi WJD 1667) was off. When I checked the fuse in the switched spur, it was blown, as was the fuse in the plug.. So it must have been a short circuit between Live and Neutral to blow 2 x 13A fuses and trip a 32A MCB.
I have replaced both fused and nervously switched it on expecting a bang, but i was fine. I then put a wash through it with no trouble, so its currently working
But its more than a little worrying that it did this and certainly going to happen again. At a minimum, If I am not at home, it will take the power out to the kitchen and defrost the freezer.. But thats the least of my worries if there is an over-current fault as this could be lethal..
When this happened, the machine was plugged in and switched on but WAS NOT running… It did not blow the RCD, so its doesn’t appear to be a earth leakage fault.
Anyone have any thoughts as to the cause? I will strip it at the weekend and hope to find something obvious, but if not I wonder if I should start with the filter/suppressor?
Any other suggestions?
Jon
Re: Zanussi WJD1667 Blowing MCB and Fuse
I would be hesitant to strip it down, you may waste a lot of time doing that & cause other problems.
You need an insulation tester to be able to check it effectively.
Until that can be done I would pop the fuse out of the spur or ideally leave the machine unplugged to prevent you worrying…Re: Zanussi WJD1667 Blowing MCB and Fuse
Yes it does sound as though the mains filter might well be the problem.
Re: Zanussi WJD1667 Blowing MCB and Fuse
timdowning wrote:I would be hesitant to strip it down, you may waste a lot of time doing that & cause other problems.
You need an insulation tester to be able to check it effectively.
Until that can be done I would pop the fuse out of the spur or ideally leave the machine unplugged to prevent you worrying…I have a megger and will use that first, but I don’t think this is an insulation problem, as the RCD didn’t trip, so there was no earth leakage.
This was more of a short circuit, which drew so much currently that it instantly blew 2x13a fuses and tripped the 32A MCB.
I havn’t got much experience with white goods, but I assumed I could remove the top and back and look for something obvious (i.e charring, or exposed wires).
Re: Zanussi WJD1667 Blowing MCB and Fuse
jweaver wrote:I havn’t got much experience with white goods, but I assumed I could remove the top and back and look for something obvious (i.e charring, or exposed wires).
……….don’t overlook that Mains Filter, where Live & Neutral often clash. 😉
Re: Zanussi WJD1667 Blowing MCB and Fuse
Martin wrote:
jweaver wrote:
I havn’t got much experience with white goods, but I assumed I could remove the top and back and look for something obvious (i.e charring, or exposed wires).……….don’t overlook that Mains Filter, where Live & Neutral often clash. 😉
Thats the first thing I am going to look at.. At the end of the day, it wasn’t running and the door was open, so pretty much everything was off (Pump, motor, interlock, heater).. So it can really only be wiring.. The Filter.. Or the main board.
If it was the main board, I guess it wouldn’t be working now.. So I am hoping its the filter.. That said, I am not hoping too much, as I found the replacement was £50+ and I didn’t expect that….
I am tempted to take it out for now and see what happens. I only use the machine 2-3 times per month.. I know its a legal requirement, but its only temporary.
And thats got me thinking.. I would assume that most filter/supressors are the equal, but just in a different package.. Could I just buy one for a different make/model, and modify the mount so I can fit it in mine..
As long as its rated at the correct voltage/current, they all do the same job…
Re: Zanussi WJD1667 Blowing MCB and Fuse
jweaver wrote:As long as its rated at the correct voltage/current, they all do the same job…
Yes they do!
Re: Zanussi WJD1667 Blowing MCB and Fuse
I have the lid off and there is nothing obvious…
However what I did notice is that all of the wires around the mains input are covered in black ‘dust’.. Could it be just dirt? Or could it be soot/carbon from a flame?
I am thinking that something in that area ‘flashed’ as it shorted, leaving this coating of soot over the area.
Its not all over the place, its in one direction, radiating from the connectors on the Filter.
So I am thinking that it went bang, and let out a jet of flame as it died..
Its only a theory, but its the only evidence I have of a fault.
Since the problem can’t be reproduced, its impossible to know.. Even if I bypass the filter for now, or replace it, I just won’t know…
So I am not sure what to do now.
Jon
Re: Zanussi WJD1667 Blowing MCB and Fuse
I doubt anything that dramatic happened.
You’ve got two options, leave everything as it is if you want the chance of the machine replicating the fault or change the mains filter as a precautionary measure.
Your call.
This should be the correct part;
http://www.partmaster.co.uk/search.pl?q … 83&x=0&y=0
Much better price.Re: Zanussi WJD1667 Blowing MCB and Fuse
timdowning wrote:Much better price.
Pretty good here too………
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