AEG leaking from matrix

[johnnyrod]

I have an AEG 40650 from 2005, has been working fine all these years. Yesterday the flood switch came on, there was indeed water in the bottom tray. I tipped it out and investigated a bit, it seems to be leaking from the matrix (is that the name?), the big flat plastic warren of passages on the left. It has a couple of slots in the back, and when the machine fills, it leaks a few tablespoons out of these. It looks reasonably clean, a few pinkish scale marks but the water seems to be flowing past them easily enough. I took it off to clean it, water came out of the big black rubber hose at the bottom without any problem. I tried sloshing a bit of hot water into it and shaking it, not sure it made any difference. I don’t know if it’s related to the softener, something I read. We’ve been using 3 in 1 tablets so I haven’t put any salt in it for ages (this is a hard water area), I thought the tablets would do that, and the dishes haven’t been streaked. I refilled it today and ran it again, still leaking but washed fine otherwise. I also checked the drain trap inside the machine, which was fine, all over it looks pretty clean. What should I do next? Thanks a lot, John

[johnnyrod]

Re: AEG leaking from matrix

I’ve run a cleaning bottle through it at 70C, and before that I rodded the fat black hose that comes off the bottom of the matrix and disappears underneath, it all looks pretty clean. I’m pretty handy with a spanner but am at a loss now as to what to do, I would really appreciate some advice from someone. Thanks.

[TheSpinDoctor]

Re: AEG leaking from matrix

Does the water come out of the clear pipe that comes out of the bottom of the regen dosage?

[johnnyrod]

Re: AEG leaking from matrix

Thanks for the reply. To be honest, I’m not sure, I know where the softener and salt bottle combo are, but not where the pipe is. I took a photo of the matrix:
http://www.johnnyrod.co.uk/dw.jpg
When it starts to fill, water goes down the right-hand of the four pipes and up the left-hand one, there doesn’t seem to be any flow in the middle two (maybe these are for a different part of the cycle, I can’t figure out this thing). It then goes up (red arrows), swirls about a bit in the bit that looks like a hopper, and weirs over both sides. At this point it starts dribbling from the slots on the back (green box).It does flow down past the water marks, but where the blue arrow is there is no flow. I don’t know if there should be, some of the dividers seem to be more like baffles rather than making closed channels. Once it’s filled it washes fine, it just leaks on filling. I’ve an inkling I haven’t answered your question though. I’m also not sure, if this needs cleaning, how to do it, most of the inside seems to be inaccessible.
Many thanks, John

[johnnyrod]

Re: AEG leaking from matrix

Me again, this is the softener:
http://www.diy-spares.com/cgi-bin/produ … ath=108277
It doesn’t have a pipe off the bottom, it only connects through the matrix.

[TheSpinDoctor]

Re: AEG leaking from matrix

On your 1st pic there is a corrugated pipe coming off the bottom of what you call the matrix. That is the pipe I am referring to.

[johnnyrod]

Re: AEG leaking from matrix

Nope nothing out of there.

I have however fixed it. The muck where the blue arrow is on the photo was the problem. Where there is alittle sluggy stuff on other bits it doesn’t seem to be interfering, but the bit where the blue arrow is was causing a partial blockage, so on filling, the water couldn’t get to the fat black pipe quick enough. Once I figured that out and cleaned it out, it doesn’t leak and it doesn’t overflow the sides of the hoopper-shaped thing in the middle. Cleaning was a right laugh as it’s past a couple of narrow 90 degree bends, but the bobbly red cable tie on the back of the machine that tidies the hoses turned out to be the best tool for the job.

Thanks for the replies anyway, why is the matrix such a complicated beast?!

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