ISE W1607W F11 error code

[frootloops]

Hi,

My ISE W1607W has started giving us an F11 error code every few washes. I’ve checked through the wee hatch at the front and there’s nothing in there. We haven’t changed the amount (or type) of washing liquid we use in years so I don’t think it’s the excessive foam/air lock type issue I’ve seen referred to.

Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions to what else I could try before calling out an engineer. It’s all getting to be rather frustrating. I’ve had more issues with this premium washer in one year than I had with my budget zanussi in 10!

Kind regards

Russ

[kwatt]

Re: ISE W1607W F11 error code

Hi Russ,

There’s a 99.99{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} chance that there’s something in it blocking the drain. In fact, I’d be massively shocked if it wasn’t something in there.

Check really carefully at the back of the drain pump and into the outlet at the back, which is a favourite place for small toys, colour catchers and the likes of 5 pence pieces among other things to get trapped.

It’s almost a stone eyed certainty to be a blockage like that that’s causing you a problem and, if you get someone out and that is the cause then you will have the same odds, 99.99{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d}, that you’ll be stung with a charge to clear it.

K.

[frootloops]

Re: ISE W1607W F11 error code

Hi K,

thanks for the quick response.

I checked in here

And there was nothing. Nothing as far as I could feel in the exit either. I also took the outflow hose off of it’s connection to the sink fittings and blew back through it. The remaining water in the pipe flowed freely out and there were no items in it.

Is there anything else I could check? I’d hate to call someone out just to find there was something else I could have done.

cheers

Russ

[kwatt]

Re: ISE W1607W F11 error code

Hi Russ,

Okay, option two if there’s nothing in there…

Given the demand for lower energy use most machines now use a pressure sensor rather than an old clunky pressure switch. These are good in that they are more accurate and allow much greater sensitivity and accuracy of the water level in the machine. The downside is, they’re also far more sensitive to foam holding them open fooling the machines into thinking that they haven’t drained when they actually have.

This foxes the logic of the machine into thinking that it hasn’t been drained and therefore there’s a problem, so it reports an error that doesn’t actually exist.

A while later, the foam breaks down, the pressure is released and all is well once more.

It’s a leap forward, honest and, the only way to get the low energy use as the vast bulk of energy on any wash cycle is burned heating water.

There are two major causes of this and, it would give you the intermittent nature as well and, TBH, I should have thought to say before but didn’t think at the time.

No1 is:

Either the quantity (more likely) or quality of the detergent used.

This varies on a myriad of factors including largely hardness of your mains water but also reason No2.

The machine will do its best to compensate for that but there’s only so far it can go or, any washing machine can to do so.

No2 is:

The volume of clothing, the soil level of the laundry and type all in combination with No1.

If you put a bit too much detergent in for the soil level and, especially so in soft ware areas and you’re washing the likes of a fleece type thin as an example, you’re going to make a lot of bubbles. An awful lot.

That can cause issues like this on any machine that uses a digital pressure sensor, not just an ISE and I’ve seen reports of it being an issue on many brands and, for some reason, the issue seems to be on the rise. Whether that’s down to the detergent or whatever, I really don’t know. What I do know is that the washing machines, in this respect, have’t changed very much in the past few years.

More on how it can even cause leaks in more extreme cases here in this article: http://www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/help/fix- … hines.html

What I can also tell you is that I don’t believe in intermittent faults in an electro-mechanical device. I think that they are a bit of a myth or a relic from bygone age.

If a component fails for some reason it will stay that way, it will not somehow take it upon itself to self heal. Then, some time later go faulty again, then self heal, then go faulty.

When you think about it, it’s a bit crazy to think that’d happen. Especially so when you consider that the washing machine or, any other appliance, is designed to do the same thing over and over and over again and being specifically designed not to vary at all, especially so mechanically.

Therefore whenever I get a so-called “intermittent” fault I will always start by advising engineers and customers to look at what is being varied from cycle to cycle first as, it is much more likely to get a result and a reasonable explanation of the root cause.

Of course the big problem for we mere field techs is that, we cannot repair a fault that we cannot find and if it tests mechanically and electrically okay, we either have to assume user error or start guessing. I don’t like guessing.

If you run the machine on a hot wash (as hot as it will go) empty of any clothing then it will clear out any residual detergent. Then try reducing the dose a bit and see how that goes as I’ve a feeling, given how clean the pump chamber is, that this will probably be the reason given the nature of the issue that you have.

In soft water areas, where Jim is for example, we’ve seen the detergent dose reduced by over 70{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} and no impact on wash results. Where I am, soft water but not that soft, we use less than 50{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} of the packet recommendation and it’s absolutely fine.

That’s a mammoth saving in monetary terms, more than you could ever hope to save on electricity per wash.

Sorry for the long winded reply but I hope it helps and makes sense.

K.

[frootloops]

Re: ISE W1607W F11 error code

Hi,

Thanks for the detailed reply. I agree about the unlikelihood of intermittent faults in an electro-mechanical system. Unless there is heat involved I guess which may cause failures through expansion/contraction of electrical joints.

We’ll give using a bit less detergent a go (Ariel, which I assume is reasonable quality, and in a soft water area.) I find it hard to believe though that industrial settings like prisons as mentioned in the “people that use this awesome washer” page of the manufacturer website would put up with such a temperamental and seemingly delicate system.

cheers

Russ

[iadom]

Re: ISE W1607W F11 error code

I have exactly the same machine, very soft water in this area. In most cases use 50{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} or even less than recommended dosage for a full load without any problems and excellent wash performance. Ariel powder or tablets, never use more than one tablet and often break a single tablet in half for smaller loads.

Bear in mind that in prisons, hotels and other semi commercial use the machine will be washing full loads of mainly ‘ heavy’ laundry.

Jim.

[kwatt]

Re: ISE W1607W F11 error code

To be honest Russ, it’s not that the system employed is delicate at all but it has to be far more accurate than they were in the past in order to meet the low energy use demands of customers and legislation there is no other way by which to physically do it.

Prisons, hotels and so on yes, Jim is correct in that they tend to do large and dirty loads in the main but they also get the same kinds of issues on occasion, usually because the users simply don’t care. We’ve even had them melting soap drawers by using acid or some other chemicals as they thought it would be okay but, mainly they tend to use industrial detergents which can cause issues in what is, for commercial use at least, low capacity washing machines.

The things that always gets me is that, over the past twenty years washing machines have become more and more efficient, by an order of magnitude in my time in the industry. Yet, in that time, the pack dose instructions for detergents has remained almost constant other than the addition of telling people to use more in large capacity machines.

The question I’d ask is, how can that be?

If I were cynical I might think that detergent companies and retailers might not want the volume of the stuff that is being used to be reduced. But then, surely that couldn’t be, could it?

K.

[frootloops]

Re: ISE W1607W F11 error code

Just thought I’d fire in a quick update: not had any issues since we reduced the amount of washing liquid. Thanks for all the help

[Martin]

Re: ISE W1607W F11 error code

Would’nt powder rather than liquid be better in avoiding this problem?

[kwatt]

Re: ISE W1607W F11 error code

You’d think but often you will see it on both.

Problem solved at any rate, good news. 🙂

K.

[Author]

Posts