my hotpoint wd51 washer dryer is not drying properly. also i cant locate the filter. it washes just fine but doesnt seem to finish the drying cycle. the clothes come out damp.

mark bennett, August 2006

Fitted the new drain pump and both washer and dryer now working fine.

Sean, September 2006

I couldn't find any filters on my WD51 neither. I took the heating element off and give it a good clean, along with everywhere I could get my fingers to remove the fluff.

This was after smoke was seen and smelt pouring from the top of the washer. It turned out to be a large piece of fluff stuck between the heating elements, a bit like when bread gets stuck in the toaster.

Sean, September 2006

Ours has been having similar symptoms, along with the water not draining after the wash cycle. It was intermittent until tonight when it stopped draining altogether. I manually drained it by dangling the drain hose out of the back door, which is lower than the lowest point in the washer, and letting gravity do it's bit. Then I tested to see if the drain pump was getting 240v, which it was. Dodgy pump.

I thought the dryer would still work, so tried it on the damp clothes inside. No good. They were getting hot, but were dripping wet. I figure as it's a condensing dryer, the drain pump needs to be working not only to drain the water after a wash, but also to drain the condensate produced during the drying cycle.

New pump = £20. Part no/type: Plaset code 57534.

I'll be fitting a new one in the next day or two. Will report back with outcome.

Sean, September 2006