ISE10 rinsing in hot water

[jpmor]

Hi, we have recently noticed that clothes have come out of the washing machine feeling rather warm and much more creased than normal even from a 30 degree wash. The machine is connected to the cold tap and cold water is definitely coming in to it – verified by pulling out the tray and checking the temp of the water. If I put the machine on a rinse cycle then after a few minutes the door starts to feel warm. and when the rinse has finished the drum is warm to touch. If this is an issue that is likely to chew up an engineers time to diagnose then it may be more cost effective to buy a new machine, although I would rather not have to do that. Any thoughts are appreciated

[iadom]

Sounds rather odd? If it was filling with cold water it would take more than ‘a few minutes’ for the door to feel warm if the heating element was being switched on by a faulty control unit. A very uncommon fault on these machines , something I have never experienced or heard reports of.

Has the machine been moved, disconnected recently?

[jpmor]

iadom wrote:Sounds rather odd? If it was filling with cold water it would take more than ‘a few minutes’ for the door to feel warm if the heating element was being switched on by a faulty control unit. A very uncommon fault on these machines , something I have never experienced or heard reports of.

Has the machine been moved, disconnected recently?

Thanks for the reply. No, the machine has been connected and used continuously for several years. I did wonder if it was simply the water coming in slightly warmer during the recent hot weather but the water in the tray feels cold at the start of the rinse cycle.

[iadom]

By this time of year the mains water should be quite cold by now. In theory the heater could be switched on during the rinse cycle but would be an extremely rare event. One way to test would be to observe your electricity meter. First ensure that no other high load appliances such as kettles, ovens, tumble dryers, dishwasher etc is running. Set your machine to the rinse cycle and observe the meter, if a heating element is drawing current then either the disc in the meter will be spinning round quite fast or if your meter has a flashing red light it will be blinking rapidly. If you have access to a clamp meter you could use that to see if the heater is operating during a rinse cycle as well.

Sadly if the heater is being switched on during rinse then I would suspect a (very expensive) main board failure.:(

[jpmor]

Thanks for the update – I’ll test it again tomorrow and check the meter. We also have an issue where the door doesn’t unlock at the end of the wash – perhaps that is related to the main control unit too ? Do you have any idea how much it would cost if it turns out to be that and it needs replacing ?

[iadom]

Depends on exact model number, if you look in the shop (link above) and look for ISE control modules you will get some idea, most appear to be around the £200 mark for ISE 10 models though. The auto door release can be disabled in the controls settings menu, worth checking this isn’t turned off.

[jpmor]

I checked the electricty meter whilst the machine was on a rinse cycle – it hardly moved although the red light was blinking However, the drum was warm at the end the cycle

[iadom]

If you have a meter with the blinking red light you need to observe the speed of the flashes before you try the machine and compare that with the flashing when it is running, you will hardly notice any movement in the numbered section of the meter.

[jpmor]

Yes, it was definitely blinking much quicker when the rinse cycle was happening.

[iadom]

Sadly that would suggest the heater is being activated. If you feel capable you could remove the back and take the connections off the heater, tape them safely out of the way and try it again. Be sure to remove the mains plug first before doing that. The heater is located in the back of the outer drum approx 6:00 o clock.

[jpmor]

Thanks for the reply – I will follow your suggestion to disable the heater. Re the door not opening automatically at the end of the wash, you suggested checking the ‘control settings menu’. My machine is a model 1606W – does it have this menu ?

[iadom]

Copied from user manual.

Keep an eye on children!
• Always close the door and start the programme
immediately once you have added
detergent.
• Do not allow small children to use or play
with the washing machine.
• Store detergent and fabric softener out of
the reach of children!
Automatic door opening
The machine comes with an automatic door
opening function, which means that the door
opens automatically once the programme has
finished.
If you wish to prevent small children or pets
from climbing into the machine, you can deactivate
the automatic door opening function.
1. Turn off the machine using the main power
switch.
2. Press the Door Open button while simultaneously
pressing the main power switch.
Release the buttons.
3. Press the Key button and the red field goes
out. Automatic door opening is now deactivated.
4. Press the Start/Stop button to store the
setting.
If you want to reactivate the function, follow
the instructions above. When you press the
button with the key symbol (point 3), the red
fields light up. Store the setting by pressing
the Start/stop button.

[jpmor]

Further development. When washing some clothes today, steam was coming out of the powder drawer and the door was red hot 🙁

[iadom]

The thermistor that controls the water temperature is slotted into a small sleeve on the outer drum just above the motor. This can be subject to water ingress or may have come loose or failed. It’s getting more like engineer time TBH.

[jpmor]

Would that also explain the rinse being done with hot water ? If it is a thermistor, are they expensive to replace ? At this point I’m weighing up whether it is an issue worth fixing or just buying a new machne

[Author]

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