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I have had this machine for 2 and a half years and the tumble dryer stopped working. It would start and switch off after 5 mins with an E20 code. I drained the machine, checked inlet & outlet with no results. The Zanussi engineer called today and knew I had an error E20 and proceeded to run a diagnostics test. A minute later there was acrid smoke pouring out of the top of the machine (the cover had been removed). The engineer said nothing to worry about at first, but after a few minutes said he had never seen this fault, that the small rear tank had a hole and that the drum casing had melted and was warped! However, over hearing his conversation with Customer Services, he reported that he did not know what was wrong with the machine and that it virtually caught fire during the diagnostics check! After this, he has cleaned the condenser tank of the fluff, sealed the hole with some mastic and says he will put in a report on the machine to Zanussi but that the machine was now working fine! My problem is that obviously, if the machine almost caught fire – and he does not know what caused this – how can I/he be sure that this can’t happen again? Also, if the machine had been ‘melting’ over a period of time as the engineer suggested, surely I would have smelled it or seen the smoke before? The hole in the tank was definately not there before his diagnostics test as there would have been a water leak -and there wasn’t. Overall, it seems that the condenser had some fluff causing the E20 – but his ‘diagnostics’ test has burnt and warped the drum casing and made the hole in the water tank…….what should I do now??
Re: Zanussi zwd1680 – Fire Hazard?? Help please!
Hi devillish,
It’s really hard to say what you should do next as we’ve only got half the story really.
Without knowing how or what caused the hole in the tank then it’s impossible to guess at, although, I have to point out, that in virtually 100{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} of cases a hole in the tank is caused by a foreign object that shouldn’t be in there. Barring a total bearing collapse there isn’t really another explanation.
There is also no way at all that a diagnostic routine caused a hole in the tank, that simply isn’t possible unless it was caused by an object that shouldn’t have been there anyway when it was carried out.
Did the engineer tell you what had caused the smoke as it’s not clear from your post what the cause was? Do you know where the hole was on the tank, again not possible to be more definitive without more information?
I can’t understand what you mean by the drum (or tank) being warped as, where that the case, the engineer wouldn’t have been able to leave the machine working, or it’s unlikely.
Given that the machine out of manufacturer’s warranty do you know who it was that you had look at it? Was it Service Force or was it a third party?
Sorry for the questions but, from your post, you are obviously looking to have something done about this and you’ve not made clear what you have in mind.
K.
Re: Zanussi zwd1680 – Fire Hazard?? Help please!
Hi Kwatt – thanks for your effort to help! The burning/smoke was caused by the heating element in the washing machine coming on at the same time as the heating element in the tumble dryer – according to the engineer, who was from service force. The ‘hole’ was caused by the melting of the drum casing – not any foreign object – and the warping to this plastic drum casing has not impeded the drums ability to rotate so is still usable. This hole is on a small water tank (?) at the bottom of the plastic casing in question. The engineer later said he did not know what caused this problem – and tried to replicate it in further tests, but couldn’t. From my point of view, that is a problem as if it happened once – without explanation – it could happen again. Sorry for the lack of concise details but I am one of those people who try very hard to follow the engineer showing or telling me what has occurred and find the ‘jargon’ very confusing! I would appreciate knowing if any of this makes the situation clearer! Regards – Devillish
Re: Zanussi zwd1680 – Fire Hazard?? Help please!
I have re-read the engineers report and he has written “Checked over and found the tank has melted where the wash element sit. Need to speak to Tech about fault” and then states ‘Part Two’ – “There is a small hole in the tank! Where the heater sits/never seen this fault before”. As mentioned, the hole in the tank was not there before his visit as water would have been leaking in use – and he agreed that the ‘meltdown’ would have been seen or smelled if it had been doing this over a period of time as he originally stated. Incidentally, I refused to sign the work sheet as the report makes it sound as though these faults were pre-existing conditions and I feel strongly that they weren’t. This probably does no good but I feel that I have an unsafe appliance now and that nearly setting my machine ablaze, and just putting some mastic over the hole in the drum, is not a satisfactory way to leave my machine as ‘safe to use’!!
Re: Zanussi zwd1680 – Fire Hazard?? Help please!
It sounds a bit odd that.
Is the machine on an extended cover at all?
K.
Re: Zanussi zwd1680 – Fire Hazard?? Help please!
‘Fraid not! I am hoping that Zanussi will now replace this machine as I feel it is dangerous. However, not everyone is pleased with Zanussi customer services so I doubt I will get help.
Re: Zanussi zwd1680 – Fire Hazard?? Help please!
Here’s the thing devillish…
If your brakes fail on a 2 year old car will they give you a new one? No and, not many people would expect that either without a massive court case at huge expense or an epidemic failure of some sort.
The best you can hope for, IMO, is a free of charge repair which is more of a gesture of goodwill than a requirement. If Zanussi do agree to an exchange then it’s way and above what is required of them, but it is really the retailer that is ultimately responsible as that is who your contract is with. Manufacturer’s warranties are in addition to your statutory rights, not a replacement for them.
I understand that you may find it somewhat disconcerting and I can understand that you feel that a machine at that age shouldn’t have failed and I also understand that your confidence in the machine may be shaken. But, there’s no entitlement to a free repair or a replacement product in law beyond a “reasonable” period which is usually defined in the courts as a matter of days, not weeks, months or years.
I recently got into this sort of thing on another forum over an appliance and, if you actually read up on consumer legislation, there is little to no chance that you would be automatically entitled to a replacement product I’m afraid or even a free of charge repair.
K.
Re: Zanussi zwd1680 – Fire Hazard?? Help please!
I hear you – but surely the fact that there was no problem (apart from a blocked condenser/E20 fault) is of significance? At the time of the smoke pouring out of the top is when steam started hissing out of the side, I assume when the hole appeared? I’m not saying that the engineer caused it exactly, just that these problems were not there before his visit. A free repair is the least I would expect.
Re: Zanussi zwd1680 – Fire Hazard?? Help please!
Dunno, without the cause it’s hard to say really.
In all probability the fault was there before the chap touched it as all we will ever do, unless we have real call to dig deeper, is run what we call a “spec test” to check all the components work as they should without failure. This won’t stress the components at all but will allow us to see if the appliance is working to specification, hence “spec test”.
Running this lets us identify what area to begin looking for a fault.
If it fails on test like that I’d be absolutely astounded if it was anything that the engineer did as all he’s doing is checking the machine over and, if it did fail on check then you’d have to again go back to “the fault was there already” really. It may well be just a coincidence as in doing that sort of test he will only use consumer accessible functions, so basically anything he did you could do too.
The blocked condenser chamber may well have been the symptom and not the cause of the failure you describe but I’m not familiar enough with that particular range to comment much more than that.
A free repair will be up to Zanussi Customer Service to decide on. If they issue authority to the Service Force agent to carry out FOC repairs then they will do so. If not then I’m afraid it will be up to you to pay for any repairs.
Your only other route is to harass the retailer and see if they will pay for it, but knowing most retailers as I do, I wouldn’t hold my breath on getting a result from that course.
K.
Re: Zanussi zwd1680 – Fire Hazard?? Help please!
Thanks for all the advice. I understand all you’ve said and take it on board – as you say, what could the engineer have done to cause the problem? My original question though has not been addressed on whether this machine is ‘safe’. When I voiced my concerns to the engineer he said to only use the machine if I was in the house and not to ‘pop out to Tesco’s’ during use………..this does not sound as though even he is fully confidant about the safety of this appliance!
I have always been a Zanussi devotee – my last machine I had for 17 years – with a pump failure after 15 years was all to note, I gave it away as I needed a washer/dryer and am horrified to find that this is the most expensive Zanussi and only lasts 2.5 years! The lady at customer services declared that these machines are only built to last 5 years nowadays!……….if that is how Zanussi is now then I will not be buying them again.
New question: What, currently, is the most reliable brand? And is it worthwhile to always purchase the extended warranty? Any advice?Thanks K for all your help – Devillish
Re: Zanussi zwd1680 – Fire Hazard?? Help please!
If you read the handbook virtually every single one will say something along the lines of: “Do not leave unattended whilst in use”.
They get you everytime. 😉
To be fair there is good reason for that, it’s just that everyone generally ignores the warnings thinking that there’s no need to bother. I’ve seen too many appliances having multiple issues over the years to put much faith in unattended use bar my own as I know what they are and the likelihood of them causing a problem.
Your last Zanussi would likely have been and FL range from that sort of era, not a bad machine in its day at all. The new ones are all Electrolux Group machines and have been since the early nineties, they are not the same machines. To be fair though they are, by far, not the worst you can own.
You may well find this article of interest as most appliances are having their lifespan cut short. Whether that is deliberate or not is open to debate, but it is an undeniable fact that it is happening.
Do you really have to have a washer dryer though? We really don’t recommend them as they often turn into more trouble than they’re worth. Some people get away with them and like them but most people who’ve had one will try their utmost to avoid one in the future.
K.
Re: Zanussi zwd1680 – Fire Hazard?? Help please!
Hi K. Thanks for your response – I found the article you linked me to quite an eye-opener! Unfortunately, I live in a very small house – so no room for individual appliances, added to which I don’t have any radiators (stupid ‘warm-air’ heating!) AND a north facing garden so clothes don’t dry out there until the end of May onwards!! So, in short, Yes! I need a washer dryer. Methinks we need to start petitioning about the colossal environmental impact that the whitegoods industry is having by not making appliances that last as a deliberate policy. Oh Well, I’ll get off my soap-box but thanks for everything! D.
Re: Zanussi zwd1680 – Fire Hazard?? Help please!
Just a short addendum: Service Force ‘phoned today and offered a free repair (drum, casing, gaskets etc) or maybe can negotiate a ‘contribution’ towards a new machine – this without my even putting in a complaint! I think they are more concerned with the safety of this machine than at first thought and I am waiting to hear what my ‘contribution’ means in real terms. Maybe there is something to being ‘brand loyal’ after all!!
Best regards – DRe: Zanussi zwd1680 – Fire Hazard?? Help please!
After having spent £70.50 for Service Force on Saturday, the customer care team asked for another £270 as ‘contribution’ towards a new machine! Not quite the sum I had in mind. The care team said there was no room for negotiation – that or zip! I said I would look at my options – one of them being trading standards, another a private testing of this machine to find the cause of the nigh-on combustion – all said very calmly and innocently. I said I would come back to them regarding their offer. 3 hours later, Electrolux phoned and offered a brand new machine FREE!! This is the upgraded model (my 1680 no longer in production). Problem solved. I genuinely belive that they ARE concerned about this machines safety. It may just be that they can trace that I have been brand loyal for the last 27 + years and I am exactly the kind of customer who should be looked after. Whatever, however, still the right result!
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