If the washing machine does not heat the water during the washing process, then many components of the washing powder will not be used 100%. As a result of such operation of the household appliance, it will not be possible to wash the laundry efficiently. This article will talk about how you can check whether the washing machine is heating the water, as well as about the main causes of the malfunction.
Fault detection methods
There are several ways to test an automatic washing machine for the functionality of the heating element. The simplest and most informative diagnostic option is carried out in the following sequence:
- Place a small amount of cotton laundry in the drum.
- Select the automatic washing mode, in which the temperature of the liquid inside the machine should be at least 60˚C.
- Press the “Start” button.
- After the household appliance has been operating for about 20 minutes, place your palm on the glass part of the loading hatch.
If you feel warmth when touched, this indicates that the washing machine has heated the water inside the drum.
Some models of washing machines LG, Bosch And Zanussi have a large number of washing programs.Therefore, if for some reason it was not possible to determine in time the heating of the liquid in the manner described above, and the draining of the liquid has already begun, then it is enough to touch the drain hose to determine the temperature of the water removed from the washing machine.
In order to avoid getting false results during this experiment, it is recommended to turn off all devices that consume electric current, including the refrigerator and lighting elements that use incandescent lamps.
If during the experiments it was possible determine the performance of an electric heating element, you can continue to use the washing machine as normal. Otherwise, you will need to find out why the liquid is not heating.
The washing machine does not heat the water: reasons
If, as a result of the test, the machine door does not heat up and the meter does not respond to turning on the household appliance, then this “behavior” of the washing machine may be caused by the following malfunctions:
- Incorrect connection of the household appliance.
- Wrong washing program selected.
- The heating element has burned out.
- Thermostat is faulty.
- The control unit is faulty.
If you have just purchased a household appliance and this is the first start-up, then there may be a manufacturing defect or the wires may have come loose during transportation.Such a malfunction can be eliminated by contacting a sales organization to replace or repair the washing machine.
The heating element can burn out in almost any washing machine, but such a nuisance especially often happens with Indesit equipment. In addition, frequent washing in hard water without the use of special softening chemicals can also cause damage to the heating element. It is almost impossible to reliably identify a malfunction of the heating element without removing this element from the household appliance, so if you do not have experience in repairing complex household appliances, you should contact a specialized workshop or call a specialist to your home.
A malfunctioning thermostat can also cause the water in the washing machine to not heat up. To check the functionality of this element, you also cannot do without removing it from the body of the household appliance.
The malfunction of the control unit is classified as complex, but you should start diagnosing the software module only after the heating element and thermostat have been checked. In some cases, you can fix the malfunction of this element yourself, but if the control program has failed, then restoring the washing machine’s functionality will be impossible without the involvement of a qualified specialist.
Tips and tricks
- To determine the heating of water in devices with vertical loading, it is enough to touch the side surface of the device while the device is operating. To detect a breakdown, in this case, you can also record the counter readings before turning on the washing machine and after the end of the washing cycle. The changes must be at least 0.5 kW. The temperature of the drain hose can also be used to determine the presence or absence of heating in household appliances of this type.
- If, as a result of “thermal” tests, it was not possible to detect signs of heating and you decide to independently remove the internal elements for inspection, then you should definitely turn off the power to the washing machine and turn off the water supply.
- In order not to miss the moment when the washing machine heats the liquid, it is recommended to touch the glass part of the door several times during washing. It should also be borne in mind that if the washing process is completed and the rinsing procedure has begun, then, in many cases, the glass and hose of the household appliance will be cold.
- The performance of the heating element can be determined using a multimeter. A working device will show a resistance of several tens of ohms. You can read about how to find out if the heater is working properly in specialized literature, but the simplest test is using a light bulb and a twelve-volt battery. If you pass an electric current through a heating element, the lamp connected to it will light up.
- If the heating element is fully operational, but there is a significant layer of scale on its surface, then to restore the functionality of the device you will need to completely clean the metal of calcium deposits.
