wm73 – E15-Heating element

[farmerben]

Hi all, really hope someone can help on this machine.
I’m hoping to fix this as not only do I have a spare pump, motor, button board, door latch (mouse attack and insurance replaced the whole guts) but i’ve just changed seal and bearings.

And now I discover it has another problem E15 code.

I’ve read and searched the forum but not all ailments have been the same.

-the machine doesn’t fill with hot water & therefore soap.
-It does fill halfway through the wash with prewash inlet.
-element does heat though it is mildly scuffed.
-pump does empty the drum as much is possible
-pump runs for several minutes then E15
-pressure switch seems to work after blowing on pipe
-pressure pipe/system not blocked and pipe undamaged.

As you can see I’m a farmer not an electrician but I fail to see the problem and if the scuffed element is the problem can you tell me why?

Many thanks in advance

Ben

[eastlmark]

Re: wm73 – E15-Heating element

Forget the element, its not related. E15 is a not draining fast enough code, maybe the drain hose is blocked or restricted?

[farmerben]

Re: wm73 – E15-Heating element

Thanks for the reply but no, it empties plenty quick enough. Everything functions as normal except the problems I stated.

Ben

[iadom]

Re: wm73 – E15-Heating element

If the heater is ‘scuffed’ then it can indeed give a ‘pump error’ code on these machines, don’t ask me why, it just does. You would need to check the heater for low insulation. If the machine was used via an RCD device it would more than likely trip, if it is on a normal ring main it can still heat perfectly but cause the electronic control module to give this fault. Fill problems are more likely down to inlet valve failure or poor water pressure.
As someone who worked full time on farms from 1962 until 1968 and then for many years after joining Hotpoint still spent all my spare time, weekends etc, haymaking, silageing, draining, milking, fencing, hedging, turkey plucking, building etc, I know just how resourceful or tight 😉 farmers can be when it comes to mechanical items. The times that we ‘fettled’ machinery with the most unlikely items would fill a book. One farmer I worked for even used the old cabinet from a Hotpoint 1400 twin tub washer as a PTO ( power take off) guard on a crusher/grinder machine. I once rescued a David Brown tractor, late at night whilst hay bale collecting with a piece of silver cigarette paper wrapped round the main fuse. 🙂

[farmerben]

Re: wm73 – E15-Heating element

Ah! Reckon I’ve fettled as much as any, got a degree in by now! Last weekend I had to climb a power pole to change a fuse, Seeboard were going to take too long and the cows needed milking. Seeboard man: “who fixed it then”
Me: “Dunno, some footpath walker came through & said he could sort it. By the way could you leave us a spare fuse!”

Any how there is no voltage over the solenoid in question does that mean it’s duff or that the wasing machine is not switching it? Don’t know if I asked that right but you get my point i hope.

Is it worth changing the element? I can see this getting mildly expensive.

Ok, Ok so I am a tight farmer!

[iadom]

Re: wm73 – E15-Heating element

Valve failure is fairly common, if you cannot hear the hot valve buzzing when the water is turned off, then it is almost certainly a faulty valve. ( not expensive) If you can hear a buzzing then remove the hot fill pipe and check the valve filter, on some of the farms I worked on they had spring water and used to gunge up the valve filters quite often. If you cannot check the heater electrically, they are not to expensive ( around £21 + vat) considering your investment so far., but I would still suggest an insulation test on the element first.

Always remember to remove the plug first. :zap:

[farmerben]

Re: wm73 – E15-Heating element

Right sounds like a plan, seems a bit of a coincidence that the solenoid goes home the same time as the rest of it though.
How do you do an insulation test though?

I must say that this is the best board I’ve been to and many thanks for your time and help.

ben

[iadom]

Re: wm73 – E15-Heating element

You need a meggar or a multimeter to check the insulation of the heater. If it is scuffed and you can see even the tiniest break in the metal casing then it will more than likely be the cause of your E15 fault.

If you were to ask me which component was likely to fail without warning, just after I had visited a machine to do an unconnected repair I would vote for valve failure ever time, can go like a light bulb, with no warning at all.

[farmerben]

Re: wm73 – E15-Heating element

Many thanks for your help iadom, better get some kip now. I’ll see if I can get some bits in the morning and give you an update.

Ben

[kjmac1980]

Re: wm73 – E15-Heating element

would like to thank iadom for the above info. only joined this site today and found an answer to a problem within 5 mins.
keep up the good work fella 8)

[iadom]

Re: wm73 – E15-Heating element

Thanks for your comments, I wonder how farmerben is progressing. ❓

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