Clapham Saint Posted 3 September, 2012 Share Posted 3 September, 2012 Does anybody know anything about washing machines? Our hotpoint washer dryer has (in the last week or two), started maing a hell of a noise during the spin cycle. It's fine drying and during the rest of the wash but during the spin, when it is spinning at its fastest, it makes a hell of a banging noise. It doesn't seem to be lose and the best that I can tell the noise is coming from the drum shaking, although I may be wrong. Its just out of warantee. I can get somebody to come out but would prefer to fix it myself if it's something simple/a common problem. Does anybody who knows about these things have any suggestions? Thanks, CS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swannymere Posted 3 September, 2012 Share Posted 3 September, 2012 When my washing machine started banging it turned out to be that it had shifted slightly in its gap between the kitchen cupboards and was occasionally hitting the cabinet when it was shaking during the fast cycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpine_saint Posted 3 September, 2012 Share Posted 3 September, 2012 (edited) Try seeing if the machine legs are really all in contact with the floor, and if not, adjust them so they are. Vibration from resting on an uneven floor or uneven legs doesnt show up until maximum spin speed in most cases. If you have loads like single bedspreads or a few big towels, the balance of the drum can be uneven if the load all settles in one place. Does it happen with all the wife's g-strings inside ? Maybe the drum has come loose. Empty the machine out, stick your hand in an push it up-and down. There should be plenty of resistance, if it feels loose and you feel/hear rattling, the drum is loose. Does the drum hold water OK, or do you notice the machine often refilling ? Maybe the drum is distorted and leaking. Maybe the bearing is knackered. That requires some dismantling, perhaps that is a job for an experienced repair man. But you might detect that by unusual noises at slow speeds too. Any warning lights / codes ? Often machines send an LED on the control panel to blink in a certain pattern if there is a problem, other machines with more sophisticated control panels might display an error code. Then you simply need to do a google search for the model and the blink sequence/code. Edited 3 September, 2012 by alpine_saint Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ooh it's a corner Posted 3 September, 2012 Share Posted 3 September, 2012 That happened to mine once. Was just a broken spring. The drum was rattling more than it should because of a lack of tension from the spring. Cost me about £8 to buy a new one, 30 minutes to fix it, and several layers of lost skin fitting the stupid thing :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eurosaint Posted 3 September, 2012 Share Posted 3 September, 2012 A friend of mine had that problem, he just left it hoping that it would fix itself ! Eventually it blew up, causing extensive damage to the utility area and part of the kitchen (I kid you not !), they were bloody lucky that the whole place didn't explode ! I strongly suggest that you get a man in to look at it, cos if you don't you never know what will happen !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian H. Cope Posted 4 September, 2012 Share Posted 4 September, 2012 He doesn't post here anymore (I think he's banned) but Plastic Saint was a real whizz at this sort of thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilippineSaint Posted 4 September, 2012 Share Posted 4 September, 2012 That happened to mine once. Was just a broken spring. The drum was rattling more than it should because of a lack of tension from the spring. Cost me about £8 to buy a new one, 30 minutes to fix it, and several layers of lost skin fitting the stupid thing :-) It will be this or a broken rubber mounting easy to fix and cheap if you dont get somebody else to do it for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilippineSaint Posted 4 September, 2012 Share Posted 4 September, 2012 That happened to mine once. Was just a broken spring. The drum was rattling more than it should because of a lack of tension from the spring. Cost me about £8 to buy a new one, 30 minutes to fix it, and several layers of lost skin fitting the stupid thing :-) It will be this or a broken rubber mounting easy to fix and cheap if you dont get somebody else to do it for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notnowcato Posted 4 September, 2012 Share Posted 4 September, 2012 It's f**ked. Buy a Bosch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastleighSoulBoy Posted 4 September, 2012 Share Posted 4 September, 2012 It's f**ked. Buy a Bosch. Essruu reckons Apple are bestestest. But they don't make Washer/Driers, although they could copy some? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpine_saint Posted 5 September, 2012 Share Posted 5 September, 2012 It's f**ked. Buy a Bosch. Or a Siemens. Same machines but a bit cheaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iansums Posted 5 September, 2012 Share Posted 5 September, 2012 It's f**ked. Buy a Bosch. No, buy a Miele. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridge too far Posted 5 September, 2012 Share Posted 5 September, 2012 No, buy a Miele. ^^^ This - costs more but well worth it. I've had a Miele dishwasher and washing machine for 9 years and never had a moment's bother with either of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clapham Saint Posted 5 September, 2012 Author Share Posted 5 September, 2012 Try seeing if the machine legs are really all in contact with the floor, and if not, adjust them so they are. Vibration from resting on an uneven floor or uneven legs doesnt show up until maximum spin speed in most cases. If you have loads like single bedspreads or a few big towels, the balance of the drum can be uneven if the load all settles in one place. Does it happen with all the wife's g-strings inside ? Maybe the drum has come loose. Empty the machine out, stick your hand in an push it up-and down. There should be plenty of resistance, if it feels loose and you feel/hear rattling, the drum is loose. Does the drum hold water OK, or do you notice the machine often refilling ? Maybe the drum is distorted and leaking. Maybe the bearing is knackered. That requires some dismantling, perhaps that is a job for an experienced repair man. But you might detect that by unusual noises at slow speeds too. Any warning lights / codes ? Often machines send an LED on the control panel to blink in a certain pattern if there is a problem, other machines with more sophisticated control panels might display an error code. Then you simply need to do a google search for the model and the blink sequence/code. This was my initial thought too, however everything seems secure and even holding it down makes absolutely no difference. That happened to mine once. Was just a broken spring. The drum was rattling more than it should because of a lack of tension from the spring. Cost me about £8 to buy a new one, 30 minutes to fix it, and several layers of lost skin fitting the stupid thing :-) I'm 99% sure that the drum is loose or moving more than it should and so a duff spring (or similar) sounds likely. Did you know what you were doing before you attempted the repair? Thanks for the advice everyone. Much appreciated. I really need to get this sorted before the first little one arrives. 4 weeks and counting... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junction 9 Posted 6 September, 2012 Share Posted 6 September, 2012 He doesn't post here anymore (I think he's banned) but Plastic Saint was a real whizz at this sort of thing. I had him round to look at my dishwasher about 3 years ago. To say he was a little odd is an understatement. A weird, shifty little man who you wouldn't be surprised to hear is on some sort of register. Even if you can get hold of him, dont. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Block 18 Posted 6 September, 2012 Share Posted 6 September, 2012 I had him round to look at my dishwasher about 3 years ago. To say he was a little odd is an understatement. A weird, shifty little man who you wouldn't be surprised to hear is on some sort of register. Even if you can get hold of him, dont. All the best recomendations come by word of mouth LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpine_saint Posted 6 September, 2012 Share Posted 6 September, 2012 This was my initial thought too, however everything seems secure and even holding it down makes absolutely no difference. I'm 99% sure that the drum is loose or moving more than it should and so a duff spring (or similar) sounds likely. Did you know what you were doing before you attempted the repair? Thanks for the advice everyone. Much appreciated. I really need to get this sorted before the first little one arrives. 4 weeks and counting... If you've got a baby coming, I would consider getting a new one if the wallet can stretch to it, because its going to be running non-stop. We have 2 older kids, a 2 year old potty training and a 3 month old, and we have 2 machines running non-stop... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjwills Posted 6 September, 2012 Share Posted 6 September, 2012 Make sure it is isolated and the plug is removed from the socket before attempting any type of repair or you will zap yourself with 240v, trust somebody that had that happen darned near killed myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Handyman Posted 7 September, 2012 Share Posted 7 September, 2012 Make sure it is isolated and the plug is removed from the socket before attempting any type of repair or you will zap yourself with 240v, trust somebody that had that happen darned near killed myself. Just be aware that even with the mains plug out there may be one or two charged capacitors inside the machine that could still give you a nasty shock. Also various makes of machines have differing suspension systems and balance weights. For example, cheap machines usually have a lump of concrete to stabilise them (this can start to disintegrate on old machines) Miele on the other hand have precision cast iron circular weights attached to the drum. I have just completely stripped and rebuilt a Miele dryer which now works perfectly, after working flawlessly for about 15 years before breaking down for the first time. The quality is there if you can afford it. The only snag is that Miele will not supply workshop manuals so you have to learn as you go. It can sometimes be very frustrating, but also rewarding because it saves a fortune not having to bring in their engineer to rip you off to the tune of hundreds of pounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade Garrett Posted 16 September, 2012 Share Posted 16 September, 2012 Get your missus to sit on it. My missus swears by it, can't get her off the f*cking thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughing now Posted 16 September, 2012 Share Posted 16 September, 2012 Try this website: http://www.espares.co.uk/ They have info videos which can help you fix the appliance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotty Posted 16 September, 2012 Share Posted 16 September, 2012 Get your missus to sit on it. My missus swears by it, can't get her off the f*cking thing. :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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