Hotpoint WF220 does not complete programme

[Littlebird]

Whichever washing programme I use, the machine will not go any further than the first part of the cycle, partially filling with cold water but no hot water to get to the "full" level. The drum then just keeps going and going until I cancel, pump out then rinse and spin (these all work fine). I have taken the top off but cannot see any disconnected cables. There are no leaks and no strange noises or smells
Is the problem with the programme circuit board, the hot water inlet valve or something else? Any suggestions gratefully received.

 

[rocks1]

hot valve open curcuit.

 

[Littlebird]

Great; I am afraid I am not an expert and so this ("hot valve open circuit") is a little too cryptic for me. Do you mean that the hot valve is faulty, or that the main circuit board containing the programming dial is faulty, or there is a special circuit board for the hot valve that is faulty, or is there something else? Apologies for not understanding your feedback - which I greatly appreciate.

 

[rocks1]

Yes hot inlet valve is faulty

 

[Littlebird]

Brilliant; thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.

 

[Littlebird]

Hot water now filling following fitting of new valve but programmes still do not progress beyond Wash cycle. Any suggestions, please?

 

[rocks1]

Turn the cold water on.

 

[Littlebird]

Both the hot and the cold water supplies are on; the machine begins the Wash cycle with some cold water and then moves over to hot water. When set on the rinse programme, it draws cold water as appropriate, so I do not think it is a water supply problem any longer. Is there a fault in the printed circuit board so that programmes no longer move from Wash onto Rinse & Spin?

 

[rocks1]

check the filter is not blocked or pipe kinked . did it do this before you changed the valve .

 

[Littlebird]

The problem of not moving through the cycle existed before I changed the hot water valve. The water pipes are not kinked (they hang in a loop) and as the rinse programme fills the drum to the appropriate level, I cannot see how the cold water filter could be blocked.

 

[rocks1]

Reasons why it don't go pass wash , water off not in this case,waste pipe too low down ,check , heater open curcuit ,check, wire off heater check, filter blocked found under the drum remove rear cover ,check, wire off valve ,check .

 

[Littlebird]

Brilliant stuff! I am off with a choir tomorrow to sing in a concert in Paris over the weekend, so will do all this on Tuesday and report back.

 

[Littlebird]

Took the panel off the back at the bottom and checked the water heater. All leads properly connected. Removed the outer two leads [of the inner two, one is the earth and the other is a pair of thin wires ending in a mini plug - presumably some sort of cut-out / overload switch?] and checked to see what resistance between the ends of the water heater - infinite, so I assume that the heater element has burnt out. Is this the correct diagnosis? I have also run the machine on Programme B - 95 degree wash - and while the machine is drawing water from the hot valve, it is not raising it at all (eg glass door not getting hot from water running over it).
Will renewing the heater solve the problem? Is it worth spending nearly £40 on a 2004 machine or should I ditch it and buy something like a Beko? If I do the repair, is it simple to remove and refit? I would appreciate some guidance on how to remove the old heater - is there a retaining bolt underneath the drum that screws into the heater plate? Will this need resealing? Many thanks

 

[rocks1]

Yep heater gone. Easy to replace undo the nut on the heater and pull out. The bit with the 2 thin wires on is a thermistor. heater is cheaper on eBay about a tenner

 

[Littlebird]

Great. Thanks for the eBay tip.