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My 4 year old WD420 cold fill washer/dryer was working fine a week or so back and then it failed on a drying cycle. It appeared to be working but suddenly stopped whatever it was doing and three of its indicator lights started flashing. I called Hotpoint Customer Services who appeared mainly interested in selling me a repair visit by one of their engineers. It was suggested that I turn off the power for ten minutes or so, to reset the electronics, and try again but this made no difference. I have since then done a full 40 degree wash and it progressed to the end but the water did not heat up, so I imagine the heating element has gone. Hotpoint want just over £100 to fix the machine, with a 90 day guarantee, or over £16.00 a month for a year, with this and any further faults fixed during the year and machine replacement if they can’t fix any problem.
I’m informed elsewhere that I could rent a new machine from our local electrical service shop but I haven’t looked into this yet. I’m not over enthusiastic about trying to replace the element myself because of the complications likely to arise due to scale build up etc.
Any comments, please?
Re: Hotpoint WD420 Washer/Dryer problems
By number from top down, which of the left hand, vertical lights was flashing?
The heater for the dryer is a totally different part to the wash heater.
Scale build up makes little or no difference to wash heater replacement. It is quite a fiddly job to get the old heater out irrespective of the area you live in as regards water softness.
The element is not expensive and you would be likely to get this repaired by a local independent for less than the £104.97 the Indesit Company will charge you.
If the wash heater is faulty the machine should not complete the wash cycle. Try it with no clothes or detergent in on a 60° or a 95° to check out the wash heater properly.
Or remove the mains plug and test the element with a suitable megger or multimeter.
Re: Hotpoint WD420 Washer/Dryer problems
iadom wrote:By number from top down, which of the left hand, vertical lights was flashing?
It was the horizontal Door Locked, Rinse & Spin and Dry lights (over the central wash temperature and dryer control knobs) which were flashing.
The heater for the dryer is a totally different part to the wash heater.
Scale build up makes little or no difference to wash heater replacement. It is quite a fiddly job to get the old heater out irrespective of the area you live in as regards water softness.
The element is not expensive and you would be likely to get this repaired by a local independent for less than the £104.97 the Indesit Company will charge you.
I need to be sure that the element is at fault first.If the wash heater is faulty the machine should not complete the wash cycle. Try it with no clothes or detergent in on a 60° or a 95° to check out the wash heater properly.
I’ll try that.
Or remove the mains plug and test the element with a suitable megger or multimeter.
Slight problem in that I’m under treatment for what I’m hoping will turn out to be a severe case of sciatica so I’m going to struggle to get the machine out of it’s cubby hole under the worktop. If I can do this, though, are you suggesting I remove the back panel to get at the element?
Re: Hotpoint WD420 Washer/Dryer problems
The fault codes are given by flashing the On/Off light rapidly and slowly flashing a combination of the left hand, vertical lights.
The heater is accessed from behind the lower back panel.
Re: Hotpoint WD420 Washer/Dryer problems
Some new information, some errors corrected.
john_o wrote:
iadom wrote:
By number from top down, which of the left hand, vertical lights was flashing?Correction: It was the horizontal Door Locked, Dry and Power on/off lights which were flashing. The vertical lights stayed off.
I ran another 30 minute Dry program today. Unlike last week, it went through all the motions, but with the three lights flashing together occasionally during the first half hour or so but then coming back on continuously for around another half hour so that the program eventually took 50 minutes to complete. The drum was still cold when the Door Locked light eventually went out to signal the end of the run.
The heater for the dryer is a totally different part to the wash heater.
Scale build up makes little or no difference to wash heater replacement. It is quite a fiddly job to get the old heater out irrespective of the area you live in as regards water softness.
The element is not expensive and you would be likely to get this repaired by a local independent for less than the £104.97 the Indesit Company will charge you.
The local UK Appliances shop is quoting £39.50 + VAT for a diagnosos, + the cost of any parts, ie no further call out charges until the problem is fixed. I still need to be sure that one or both of the elements is/are at fault first.[quote:3744wajq]If the wash heater is faulty the machine should not complete the wash cycle. Try it with no clothes or detergent in on a 60° or a 95° to check out the wash heater properly.
I tried that and the program ran to completion. I then found the drum to be cold but, as there is a cold fill and rinse in there somewhere, I guess this isn’t surprising. Meanwhile, I detected no sign that the machine had heated up during the wash and I could detect no warmth in either the door glass (it is double skinned, though) or the waste hose during or after the wash. I’ll have another go and stop the program in mid wash, then drain the machine and cancel the program to see if the drum then feels any warmer.Re: Hotpoint WD420 Washer/Dryer problems
john_o wrote:Did that last update make sense?
Sort of.. 😆
As I have already stated, if the main ( wash ) heater is faulty it should not complete the full wash, rinse & spin cycle. It should just sit there washing away until you get fed up and switch it off.
After three or four cold rinses the drum will feel cold.
The dryer side is not affected by the wash heater.
You have to bear in mind that this machine has Indesit electronics in it, the most unreliable, fault prone PCB’s on the current market. A change in the wind direction is often all that is needed to cause them to go AWOL. :rolls:
If you are unable to test the various components electrically then the offer from your local shop is very reasonable indeed. 8)
Re: Hotpoint WD420 Washer/Dryer problems
Here’s a tip to help you get the machine out.
Spray the floor in front of the machine with ‘Pledge’ ‘Mr Sheen’ or any other cheap polish, these all contain silicone and make the floor slippery. Open the door, put your foot against the base of the machine, tip the machine slightly forward and pull. You will find that it comes out easily. To put it back, spray polish from where the feet sit to the wall.
Re: Hotpoint WD420 Washer/Dryer problems
magglyn wrote:Here’s a tip to help you get the machine out.
Spray the floor in front of the machine with ‘Pledge’ ‘Mr Sheen’ or any other cheap polish, these all contain silicone and make the floor slippery. Open the door, put your foot against the base of the machine, tip the machine slightly forward and pull. You will find that it comes out easily. To put it back, spray polish from where the feet sit to the wall.
Will it be necessary for me to clean up the polish after I put the machine back?Meanwhile, I ran another 95° wash today but cancelled it after 25 minutes by which time the water was quite warm. I guess the wash heater element is OK. Thanks, iadom.
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