i poured a kettle into my washing machine, to try and clean very oily clothes.... all was good for a minute or 2. then the fuse blew. now each time i replace the 13amp fuse in the plug, it powers up and after a second or 2 it makes a strange noise, like an increasing whine, and the fuse goes again... ive nicked all the fuses out of all my household appliances trying to repair this. but still no joy? any help would be appreciated. a friend told me that it would not have been because of the kettle??

mark dunn, January 2009

Sounds like a short circuit in the heater.
Check the heater, heater connections, thermostat connections and the connections on the timer, (looking for a burnt out terminal or wire).Check for wear of the wiring insulation allowing the bare wire to short out on the machine frame. Heater is located at bottom of drum. If testing with a multimeter, disconnect the wiring and take a resistance reading across the terminals - should be around 20 ohms. If heater is blown (broken internal heater wire) it will give an infinite resistance. There should be no continuity between the either terminal and the metal sheath of the heater - if there is, there's an internal short circuit. When removing heater, disconnect wiring, undo central mounting nut and prise it out of its rubber seal - may require some effort. Replace heater, use sealant when refitting rubber seal and ensure it is fully pushed into the recess in the backplate. Make sure the element locates into mounting bracket inside the drum.(look inside the element with a torch and you will see mounting bracket). This bracket ensures that the moving inner drum doesnt strike the element and damage it.

Repair and service your own washing machine. Go to www.2ndwave.co.uk/manual.html

Spares suppliers:
http://www.easyspares.co.uk/
www.4directelectricals.co.uk
http://www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk
www.ukapplianceparts.com
http://www.domesticspares.co.uk
http://shop.ezee-fix.co.uk
http://www.espares.co.uk
or simply go into google and type in "washing machine spare parts" - selecting "pages from uk".

dannyboy, January 2009