I have a Zanussi ZWT 71401 WA integrated washing machine with dryer function which is 5 years old but with relatively modest use (do a full load once a week on average).
About a year ago the machine developed a problem whereby I would turn the dial to switch in on but nothing would happen. Sometimes I could see the backlight on the LCD turning on, but no numbers would be displayed. However, if I did a bunch of random turning of the dial and pressing buttons for 5-10 minutes it would eventually switch on and work like normal.
A guy came over to have a go and try to fix it. He said that there was a short and that replacing the main PCB would fix the problem. He did so, the machine worked for a week or so and the same problem happened again. He came back (with a friend) who had another look and said that the problem was with the dryer. He unplugged a cable, which I gather was the power feed for the dryer, and the machine worked perfectly after that, except for the dryer function of course (no big deal as I rarely if ever used it).
Machine worked perfectly for a year or so after that but then all of the sudden the exact same problem surfaced again. Called the guy and he said more than a year had passed and, in any case, it was not worth wasting more money on that machine. I was about to throw it away and get a new one but then decided to try something.
I opened it up and connected the cable that they had disconnected once again - nothing. Then, thinking that maybe the problem was with the dryer PCB, I unplugged all the cables that go into it, turned the dial and it worked! Everything seemed to be working as normal (except for the drying function, of course). I was feeling pretty proud of myself but I have now realised that my celebrations were a bit premature. I did the wash today for the second time since my "fix" but then I realised that the machine is not heating the water (as in if one selects, for example, a 60C wash, it will not heat the water at that temperature but just keep it at the tap temperature). I noticed this because the door was cool and also the energy monitor in my house was showing a surprisingly low energy consumption.
My non-expert guess is that the dryer PCB controls not only the heating element for the dryer but also to heat up the water for the wash.
I've seen some salvaged dryer PCBs on eBay for £25-30 and I'm tempted to give them a try but wanted to check with the experts here if it's really worth even trying or should I just make my peace with the fact that I need a new washing machine.
About a year ago the machine developed a problem whereby I would turn the dial to switch in on but nothing would happen. Sometimes I could see the backlight on the LCD turning on, but no numbers would be displayed. However, if I did a bunch of random turning of the dial and pressing buttons for 5-10 minutes it would eventually switch on and work like normal.
A guy came over to have a go and try to fix it. He said that there was a short and that replacing the main PCB would fix the problem. He did so, the machine worked for a week or so and the same problem happened again. He came back (with a friend) who had another look and said that the problem was with the dryer. He unplugged a cable, which I gather was the power feed for the dryer, and the machine worked perfectly after that, except for the dryer function of course (no big deal as I rarely if ever used it).
Machine worked perfectly for a year or so after that but then all of the sudden the exact same problem surfaced again. Called the guy and he said more than a year had passed and, in any case, it was not worth wasting more money on that machine. I was about to throw it away and get a new one but then decided to try something.
I opened it up and connected the cable that they had disconnected once again - nothing. Then, thinking that maybe the problem was with the dryer PCB, I unplugged all the cables that go into it, turned the dial and it worked! Everything seemed to be working as normal (except for the drying function, of course). I was feeling pretty proud of myself but I have now realised that my celebrations were a bit premature. I did the wash today for the second time since my "fix" but then I realised that the machine is not heating the water (as in if one selects, for example, a 60C wash, it will not heat the water at that temperature but just keep it at the tap temperature). I noticed this because the door was cool and also the energy monitor in my house was showing a surprisingly low energy consumption.
My non-expert guess is that the dryer PCB controls not only the heating element for the dryer but also to heat up the water for the wash.
I've seen some salvaged dryer PCBs on eBay for £25-30 and I'm tempted to give them a try but wanted to check with the experts here if it's really worth even trying or should I just make my peace with the fact that I need a new washing machine.
