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Now we have been asked to attend a BWD129 which has overheated and actually got so hot it melted the drum lifters, one half of the thermistor was on the floor black and charred the metal file piece laying inside the heater box.
Now it transpires during this call that another company has recently repaired this appliance two weeks ago and replaced the dryer element. At first I could’nt understand how this had occurred as surely the Overheat Thermostat should have come to the rescue and cut the heater circuit. Having looked at the appliance there is no Overheat Thermostat fitted to this machine with the Thermistor being left to regulate the heat.
Now Currently I have explained to the customer that I need to check some parts out to repair this appliance but I have never seen this model or any other Hotpoint WD with no overheat provision in place. The manual for this appliance shows one as being fitted so I am left to conclude that along the line someone has removed this component from the appliance and as the customer states that this other company have always serviced her machine then they may have some responsibility in this. What concerns me is that had she not have come back early having found the lower floor thick with acrid smoke the house could have caught fire and this was indeed a lucky escape. Her insurers will want a report she tells me and I can only comment on what I have actually seen here, that being that the appliance had no overheat thermostat fitted the result being that the machine was able to get so hot as to melt internal components and damage the customers clothing, dryer element and Thermistor.
What would be the best way to proceed here as I cannot fabricate a report but I do not want to get into any bother with the other company as I cannot say for sure that they removed this component but the customer has at least nine invoices totalling nearly £ 800 of repair work that they have done over about three years on this appliance and the customer states that she has always use them up until now the only reason that she has not called them back that she thought they were getting a bit pricey !
Re: Hotpoint BWD129 Overheat Problem
the machine should have a thermal cut out cable on the dryer element.
whoever changed the dryer element would have removed the thermal cut out because it would be open circuit.
I went to one of these and the pcb was faulty causing the dryer heater to be on all the time.
i ended up changing both dryer and wash elements and the pcb and the thermal cut out.Re: Hotpoint BWD129 Overheat Problem
What element is It ? Are the connections on the top of the heater box or on the back of it,
If the connections are on the top it will either have a spiral or folded element with either a one shot stat screwed into the heater box from inside or the inline type thermal fuse that’s screwed to the top of the heater box.
If the connections are on the back its intergrated into the element.
If its the type with the connection on top without the one shot screwed in I’d bet some one removed the thermal fuse
Never seen one of these melt down TBH
As for cause of it coming on Iv seen a few of these leaks from the drier box foam seal that’s seals it to the drum, especially if its been removed and not replace, water leaks onto the module during a spin and shorts it out and causes the element to come on.
If I was a betting man id say they come out and found the thermal fuse blown, removed it and left it as that, not Actually knowing what’s really going on.Re: Hotpoint BWD129 Overheat Problem
The connections are on the rear, connect part no 5045175314816, there is no one shot red spot cut out on this or the other type of cut out where the thermal fuse in in series with the dryer feed, If the over heat stat is intergrated into the element as you suggest then it must have failed to operate as any cut out stat should have operated long before this damage occurred. I personally have not see or fitted the type of element fitted to this machine but now you say the TOC is wound into the element how can a dryer element get this hot, melt the lifters into a mass welded to the inner drum and the TOC not operate ?
Re: Hotpoint BWD129 Overheat Problem
Hi
If it was me attending this job I would make a quick report of the problem and then walk away from it, before you end up with any problems.
Mike
Re: Hotpoint BWD129 Overheat Problem
Well this was what I was thinking but in order to make any kind of report the report must contain facts and I can only make comment on what I can observe
Re: Hotpoint BWD129 Overheat Problem
The answer to this is No ! begging the question how can he built in thermal fuse not open and prevent this overheat situation ?
Re: Hotpoint BWD129 Overheat Problem
£800 worth of repairs over three years. Sounds like it was either unsuitable for the customer or a bad machine.
If I was you, follow the evidence and see where it takes you. Think CSI Miami.
If there are no thermal cut out when there should have been then you have it. Take photos and find photos of same machine on what it was suppose to look like. Check on invoice on who repaired the heater last and use it on the report.
Re: Hotpoint BWD129 Overheat Problem
The thermal cut out is built into the base of the element on one input side, it possible in certain conditions that if the fan is running and moving heat away from the element the cut out would not blow as its not getting hot enough.
Iv never liked the thermal fuse being built into elements because of this very issue, they rely on the element over heating not just the machine.
The fan running pulling heat away from the element and getting the drum hotter and hotter but element base still below the cutout, this is also worse when its a slow gradual build of head rather than a rapid over heat due to the fan failure.
Re: Hotpoint BWD129 Overheat Problem
Yes this appears to be the case here and one that gives rise to concern, the capacity for a fire to occur with this setup is very real and you have to wonder at the R&D stage how the manufacturer either missed or allowed it. This particular client was indeed lucky and I will be on the lookout for this in future.
The upside is now that I have managed to sell them a New LG Washer, Tumble Dryer and Freezer so rather than walk away I have managed to turn a negative into a positive having gained a new customer.
Re: Hotpoint BWD129 Overheat Problem
The problem is we have no idea if its a genuine Indesit element or not?
Aftermarket parts are often cheaper but don’t always behave the way a genuine one is expected to.
Iv never seen this happen on another one so its either a strange set of circumstances have come together to produce this outcome or the element is not rite.
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