fuse blown on washing machine - safe to replace?

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hello,

my first visit here, so apologies if this is REALLY basic.

my washing machine cut-out mid-cycle, and despite clearing out the filter (which usually does the trick), no joy.

i checked the plug and the fuse has "properly" blown: much of inside of plug had melted and the fuse cartridge was incredibly difficult to remove - the cartridge was obviously made brittle by the heat so the plug is write-off.

there were alos minor scorch marks on the socket where it would have touched the plug.

the plug is one of those self contained efforts you get these days, but i managed to remove it.

i want to buy a new plug, new 13A fuse and re-wire it.

is it safe do you think?

kind regards,

Nicholas
 
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No. Something major is wrong with the machine and the house fuse should have blown long before all that damage happened.

Call an electrician, urgently.

How old is the machine? I have kept ours going for 17 years but a couple of weeks ago while replacing yet another set of brushes I noticed that some cables were fretting and about to wear right through the insulation. So even though it pains me to throw appliances away for want of a simple repair I took it to the dump and chucked it in the big skip.
 
thanks for the advice - i was hoping that wasn't going to be the answer as i've just hacked my way through all my high street shoppers to get a new plug and fuse from Robert Dyas!

oh well, i guess i better leave well alone.
 
nmayhew said:
thanks for the advice - i was hoping that wasn't going to be the answer as i've just hacked my way through all my high street shoppers to get a new plug and fuse from Robert Dyas!

oh well, i guess i better leave well alone.

This sounds more like a weak spring clip in the plug leaving the fuse only loosely held. This makes a poor connection and the fuse and clip heat up.

You may find the fuse has not blown. The socket is also likely to have been damaged with the insulation on the cable cooked or even melted.

For washing machines use good quality plugs.

Many years ago the GPO ( the ones before BT ) limited "13amp" plugs to 9 amps maximum because of this. There were specified makes of plug allowed to be 13 amp.
 
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I don't agree with RigidRaider (sorry ;)

If it was a major fault (short-circuit or major overload) in the washing machine, I would expect the plug fuse to blow without fuss.

However you have signs of overheating in the plug. This is much more likely due to a poor connection, such as the fuse grippers as bernard says, or else a bad connection of the wires at manufacture.

I would agree with cutting back the heat-damaged sire from the old plug and fitting a new one with a new 13A fuse cartridge.

Personally I would also replace the socket which may have been damaged by the heat. Have you changed a socket before? Like a lot of things it's easy when you know how. You have to turn off the power first and check that there are no live wires before you start.
 
thanks for your help guys - i replaced the plug and everything worked fine for a wash cycle that has just finished.

the first plug i have re-wired since i was about 10 i think!
 
securespark said:
As a precaution, please change the socket, too.
I agree.

Nicholas, you mentioned that there are scorch marks on the socket's face, which shows it's been overheated. The heat will have been carried by the live pin into the socket, so it's very likely to have been well overheated inside where you can't see it. This may have compromised its ability to make a good connection, which means it will get hot at that point again, and things will only get worse. When a wash cycle has completed take the plug out and feel the face of the socket for heat - also check the plug but be careful as the live pin may be hot! If so it indicates that either your plug wiring wasn't very good :D or the socket isn't making good contact any more. Incidentally it's always a good idea to use good quality plugs, especially for high-current devices like washing machines. I always use MK Safetyplugs, and I've never had one overheat.

If this is in a kitchen then Part P raises its ugly head, so you are probably best advised to get a professional sparky in to change the socket (and check that the cables feeding it are OK). Sorry this is getting expensive, but it's a safety thing and it won't get any cheaper if you leave it and it gets worse! :) You've removed the original problem, but the side effects may still be there and can continue to deteriorate.

Cheers,

Howard
 
I dont think just to simply replace a socket actually applies to partp, even in a kitchen, but do use a good quality socket such as MK like is mentioned.
HDRW said:
securespark said:
As a precaution, please change the socket, too.
I agree.

Nicholas, you mentioned that there are scorch marks on the socket's face, which shows it's been overheated. The heat will have been carried by the live pin into the socket, so it's very likely to have been well overheated inside where you can't see it. This may have compromised its ability to make a good connection, which means it will get hot at that point again, and things will only get worse. When a wash cycle has completed take the plug out and feel the face of the socket for heat - also check the plug but be careful as the live pin may be hot! If so it indicates that either your plug wiring wasn't very good :D or the socket isn't making good contact any more. Incidentally it's always a good idea to use good quality plugs, especially for high-current devices like washing machines. I always use MK Safetyplugs, and I've never had one overheat.

If this is in a kitchen then Part P raises its ugly head, so you are probably best advised to get a professional sparky in to change the socket (and check that the cables feeding it are OK). Sorry this is getting expensive, but it's a safety thing and it won't get any cheaper if you leave it and it gets worse! :) You've removed the original problem, but the side effects may still be there and can continue to deteriorate.

Cheers,

Howard
 
Replaceing an assessory without installing more fixed wireing is non-notifiable even within a kitchen according to the SI :)
 

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