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Hi
just been contacted by a lady who`s washer set on fire burning the worktop and scorching the tumble dryer next to it I said I had never heard of one but when I googled it there have been quite a few this year reported by various fire brigades around the country.
So has anyone else had any direct contact with washers setting on fire?Re: Washing machine fires
Yes. Some years ago for me. The old 95 series Hotpoint with the black door lock. Hoover changed the switching of their door micro-switches from live to neutral, in my opinion, to take away the potential difference between switch and cabinet.
I think the big problem is the amount of plastics involved. The cables / harnesses can start smouldering with water ingress onto switches or door locks, but because there isn’t any earth leakage it doesn’t create an out of balance current situation to trip the RCD.
Neither do you get much of an overcurrent situation to trip the MCB or fuse in plug. 13 Amps is a lot of current.
This is why I am also very reluctant to repair breaks in dishwasher door wiring anywhere near pivot points or where the harness is age hardening.
A lot of fire brigades keep records of appliances that are repeat offendersRe: Washing machine fires
early zannusi jetsystems specially in hard water areas did many a fire incedent report
Re: Washing machine fires
In the last few years the Samsung ones have gone up due to faulty PCB’s and interlock problems.
Bryan
Re: Washing machine fires
saw a bush machine recentlty the pcb went on fire what a mess.
only time i have seen a machine which had actually been on fire
in twnenty years.Re: Washing machine fires
lotusray wrote:candy washer driers early 90s almost gtd
I made good money out of that fitting TOCs and doing repairs at the same time as the plastic fans had broken up.
Good times.
K.
Washing machine fires
Davecas wrote:So has anyone else had any direct contact with washers setting on fire?
These days there are very few incidents of ‘modern era’ machines failing so dramatically that they can catch fire. Thanks largely to the fact that most houses have ECB’s/RCD’s and they cut off the power long before there’s any chance of a serious fire taking hold. And the fact that EU regulations on machine safety has been improved no end since the 1990’s even. Years back it was commonplace to be asked by insurance companies to access machines that were fire damaged. And back then most were spectacular examples of how easily fire took hold. In the last couple of years I’ve had no such calls over fire damage but have still laid witness to many where the PCB’s have burnt out but non caused any exterior damage.
So in truth the event is rare though the fact remains that you cannot foresee or prevent fires from occurring when let loose to the consumer. The mentalists that take the feet or lids off the machine in order to shoehorn it under the sink unit. Cover the dryer air intake with the dog basket. Or leave the machine on standby-by 24/7. The overloaded multi-point extension and switching on the machine and going to work or retiring for the night.
Another fact is that fires almost always occur in homes where one of those reasons is to blame. And you can guarantee that in all instances where the Fire Service has been called out, non have got smoke detectors fitted!
Re: Washing machine fires
These days there are very few incidents of ‘modern era’ machines failing so dramatically that they can catch fire. Thanks largely to the fact that most houses have ECB’s/RCD’s and they cut off the power long before there’s any chance of a serious fire taking hold. And the fact that EU regulations on machine safety has been improved no end since the 1990’s even.
Not quite true martin. Due to the appliances being made by accountants and the manufacturers opting for the cheapest product available they cut corners.
In the last 5 years I could name at least 3 manufacturers that has had appliances go up due to faulty components which has nothing to do with how the appliances are used or installed.
bryan
Re: Washing machine fires
Back in the late eighties while I was working for Indesit, they had a problem on one of their models.
The timer unit sometimes switched the heater on when there was no water in the machine, and as the heater was directly above the pvc sump hose, this had reportedly gone up in flames once or twice.
The solution was to fit a redesigned timer on all of these models regardless of what the reported fault was.
Imagine the scene when I turned up to one house to do a timer swap, there were three fire engines outside damping down what was left of the building.On the job ticket I wrote ‘Customer no longer requires service due to house being burnt down’.
My manager actually sent that off to H.O. where it caused a bit of a shit storm, even though we did also put that the fire was due to a chip pan being left on. 😉Re: Washing machine fires
update,
looks like fire did start in washer from door interlock/loom connection. Then moved up to circuit board & facia panel above.
crazy???Re: Washing machine fires
Ouch…
http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2012-07- … s-by-fire/
Looks very Hotpoint.
K.
Re: Washing machine fires
my money is on the dw next to it look at scorching. wm is more melting from heat
Re: Washing machine fires
yeah i had a few Candy TC1000’s where the timers went up damaging the appliance beyond repair and the worktops
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