Contents
When the heating element breaks, the best thing that can happen is that the wash will go in cold water, and the worst thing is that the machine may start to shock. The most dangerous thing is that a short circuit will occur, which is fraught with fire. How to determine the health of the heating element in order to prevent breakage?
Checking without a device
How does TEN work? It heats the water in every modern washer. It consists of a heating coil covered with a special insulator with heat-conducting properties, enclosed in a steel tube – it prevents moisture from entering inside.
Interesting! To make CMs more compact, manufacturers reduce parts, including the heater. In order to compress the dimensions, but at the same time provide a large area and volume of heating, the heating element is made in the form of twisted U-shaped arcs.
We will talk about how to check the heating element in the washing machine, namely:
- How to use a tester to check the resistance of a heating element.
- How to quickly and easily check the breakdown on the body of the washing machine.
- How to independently check the heating element of a washing machine without a device.
If you do not have a so-called household tester, that is, a multimeter, you can try to check the heating element without even opening the case of the washing machine. Looking closely at the behavior of the washer, you can easily diagnose the failure of the tubular heater:
- Water is not heated, the selected washing program is not running. If your machine is equipped with a display, a characteristic error code will flash: Indesit – F07, Bosch – F19, Kandy – E05, ElGee – NOT, Samsung – E5, E6. In CMA without a screen, indicators will alert you to a breakdown. For example, in Whirlpool washing machines, the “No water heating” indicator lights up.
- The wash cycle is not interrupted, the water is heated, but it takes much longer than usual.
- The washing cycle goes on continuously, the water warms up, but when you touch the body of the machine, you feel electric shocks, or the RCD is triggered.
If you find at least one of the problems listed above, you can be sure that the problem is in the heater. If checking the heating element with a tester is an impossible task for you, contact the master – he will quickly determine whether it is worth changing the part.
Also, to check the heating element without tools, you can use other known methods:
- If you find black dots on the part body, this may indicate breakdowns. Sometimes the dots are not visible due to scale, then you need to clean it off to be XNUMX% sure that it is working or broken. To remove scale, soak the heating element in a concentrated solution of ordinary citric acid.
- If you think that there is no good reason to disassemble the washer body, contact the counter. Run the AGR at full power by setting the wash temperature above 60 degrees. If the counting speed of the counter has increased, then the heater heats up. The fact is that the operation of the heater requires considerable power, and if the heating element does not heat up, then the meter will not wind up any more.
- Inspect the element for blisters, scratches and other damage – this will already be a good reason for replacement.
- You can also check the break in this way: using a test lamp (these are used by electricians – you can buy it and even make it yourself).
How to find a part
In different brands of washing machines, the heating element is located differently – in Indesit and Ariston it is in the back, and in Bosch and Siemens it is more convenient to get to the front. If you have a washing machine heating element connection diagram, it will be easier to act.
But if there is nothing to start from, then find its location yourself:
- Examine the back panel. If the back cover of the SM is quite large, then with a high probability the heating element is behind it.
- Lay the washer on its side and look into it from the bottom to find the heater.
- Simple and effective way: remove the back cover. Even if you don’t find a heating element behind it, then putting the panel in place is not difficult.
Attention! You can also arm yourself with a flashlight and illuminate the drum from the inside, but patience and good eyesight are needed to understand the exact location of the heater.
If the heating element is found, it’s time to figure out how to check the heating element with a tester. Before ringing the heating element, it is not necessary to remove it.
Calculation of indicators
Before checking the TEN, you need to know very clearly how to call it and what data is considered correct.
To calculate resistance, you need to rely on:
- U is the voltage that is applied to the heating element. In our household electrical networks, it is usually equal to 220V.
- P is the power of the water heater. You can find out this parameter by referring to the manual. If the manual doesn’t say so, google it for your CM model.
Further, using a simple formula, as in a physics lesson in grade 7, we calculate the resistance in Ohms:
R= U²/P.
If the received figure is displayed on the screen of the tester during the check, then the heating element is working.
So that you do not make mistakes in the calculations using this formula, we will give a practical example.
Let’s say the heater power is 1800 watts. We substitute the values in the formula, and we get:
R=220²/1800=26,8 ohm. As a result, the working heating element should show 26,8 ohms. Remember this mark and you can start checking.
Calling: a quick guide
Attention! Before checking the operation of the heater, turn off the power to the washing machine, be vigilant.
Start by disconnecting the wiring. Having removed it, turn on the resistance measurement mode on the tester (in Ohms), set the selector to 200 Ohms and connect the tester ends to the terminals of the water heating element.
What is the result:
- A serviceable heating element will transmit an indicator close to the calculated figure to the tester’s scoreboard.
- If the tester shows a unit, then this will indicate a break inside the element design, which means that the heating element will have to be changed.
- If the multimeter screen shows 0 or so, then there is a short circuit in the heater, which means that it is unsuitable for further service.
Now you know how to check the heating element of a washing machine with a multimeter. But this is still half the battle, it remains to check the part for a breakdown.
Breakdown test
Even if everything is fine inside the heater with a spiral, this does not mean that everything is in order. Inside the tubes, between their walls and the spiral, there is a dielectric that can go to the SM body. This, of course, is very dangerous for your health.
To check the element at the moment of breakdown to the body, the tester’s operation mode is switched to the buzzer mode. To check whether you have chosen the measurement mode correctly, connect the wires – the light on the tester will immediately light up and it will emit a characteristic squeak.
Now:
- Attach one end of the tester to the element terminal.
- Attach the other end to the body.
- The tester does not beep – everything is in order.
- Hear a squeak? There is a breakdown, the heating element needs to be changed.
Now you know how to check the performance of the heating element of the washing machine. And if you are also interested in how to remove the heating element of a washing machine, watch the video: