Running a UK washing machine on 220V 60Hz

Here’s an odd one.

I have a Hotpoint WMFG 741 and I’ve brought it with me to the Philippines where the mains voltage is 220V 60Hz. I was prepared for this to be an issue, but hoped it wouldn’t be insurmountable.

So, how well does it work?

Filling and washing are fine, but the drain pump doesn’t like the higher frequency and the impeller just wobbles rather than spinning. I initially got round this by obtaining a generic pump locally (actually a 24V one with suitable adaptor) and inserting it in the drain pipe just after the main pump.
This kind of worked, but it didn’t like pumping air so I had to drop the hose to ground level to prime it. Once primed it pumped out just fine.

But then it got weird. After draining the drum spins a little, then it all stops. Then it sits there doing nothing for about four minutes before the drain pump starts up and the short spin starts again. This lasts about one minute then it stops and does nothing for another four minutes. It seems to get stuck in this loop.

Eventually I found (on eBay) a 220V 60Hz pump for a Whirlpool machine which looked like it would probably fit so I took a gamble and bought it. It duly arrived and did indeed fit; The pump body was different but the plate containing the motor and impeller was the same so I swapped them over. Ran the machine and it drains just fine. However, the behaviour after draining is just as it was before, most perplexing.

I’ve resorted to doing a wash cycle, then once it’s drained I turn off, turn back on and do a couple of rinse cycles before a spin and pump out cycle. They all end with the short spin thing, meaning that the clothes don’t ever get a proper spin cycle and come out wetter than they should. It’s not the end of the world, but I would like to be able to “fire and forget” rather than have to babysit the machine.

My gut feeling is that it doesn’t think it has emptied properly, and is waiting for some signal. Is there a sensor somewhere, or does it sense the load on the motor drive circuit and can ‘feel’ when there’s no more water in the pump. If it’s the latter then I may well be up a gum tree. 😕

I’ve done some googling and the only issues I can see people having with 50/60Hz operation is with the drain pump, which I have replaced.

Is there anything else I can check to see what may be the problem? I haven’t seen any error codes, but then maybe I haven’t left it in this loop long enough yet.

Thanks for reading this.