The heating element of the washing machine - what to choose, the causes of failure

Washing machine heating elementsAutomatic washing machines are usually connected to water supply, sewerage and electricity. However, they require only cold water, because they heat the water themselves, using the built-in heating element.

The heating element in the washing machine is the heating element.

It heats the water to the desired temperature, which is programmed in the machine

From this article, you will learn about what a heating element is and how it works.You will also learn about how to choose the right heating element when buying, how to check it and install it in its place.

How does the heating element work in the washing machine (principle of operation)

Installation tips are the same for almost all automatic machines, because their device is very similar to each other. If the heating element is broken, then the further operation of the washing machine becomes impossible - it stops performing the program and shows an error.

Design

In an automatic washing machine, the THEN is represented in the form of a tubular structure, which is responsible for heating water. In the middle of this construction is a thin conductor, made of a special alloy, which has a high resistance and can be heated to a high temperature without destruction. A dielectric material with high thermal conductivity insulates the coil from the steel outer jacket.

The Design of the ThermostatThe coil ends are soldered to the contacts and the supply voltage is applied. Most often there is also a thermocouple, which is responsible for measuring the temperature of the water in the washing machine tank. When a program is started, the heating element of the control unit is energized, heats itself and begins to heat the water. As soon as the set temperature is detected by the sensor, The control unit switches off the heating element and the water heating stops.

Power

Sometimes the power of the heating element is up to 2,2 kW. The stronger the heating element, the faster the machine heats the water, and the faster the washing will start. It is also very important that the heating elements have a high inertia and resistance, so they almost do not react to surges in the power grid. The increased short-term voltage in the mains has no visible effect on the conductor inside the heating element. This increases the service life of the heating elements.

How to check the cause of a heating element failure

As already mentioned, a distinctive feature of heating elements is their reliability. Therefore, they most often fail for the following reasons:

  1. Deposition of scale.
  2. Factory defect.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to insure against a factory defect, but if your machine is still under warranty, you can simply give it to the service center and wait until it is repaired.

By the way, when buying a machine check the correctness of the documents and warranty cards (presence of stamps, etc.). The worst enemy of heating elements is limescale. Scale settles on the outside of the body, it prevents the transfer of heat to the water. Due to the fact that the scale has a low thermal conductivity, it provokes overheating of the heating element. As a result of overheating, the heating element can burn out. To prevent this, it is necessary to use an antiscale agent..

Calibrating the heater with a multimeterAlso the emergence of scale is dangerous in that it contributes to the formation of rust on the metal shell of the heating element of the washing machine.

As a result, its integrity is violated and there is a risk of a short circuit. That is why it is necessary to actively fight with the scale.

Before you completely replace the heating element with a new one, you must first check it.

To do this, you should have all the necessary tools, and mainly an ohmmeter or a multimeter, which will have an ohmmeter mode. You need to check the heating filament for resistance, and also make sure that there is no leakage to the body of the washing machine.

In general, the resistance of the heating element ranges from 20 to 40 ohms (it all depends on how much power you have a heating element).

And by the way, about leaks. When the heater element has a normal condition, the ohmmeter must indicate that there is no resistance. The verification process is done by measuring the contacts for resistance and the housing. The ohmmeter itself will switch to the highest permissible limit of its work (can measure tens or even hundreds of Mohms).

It is also necessary to check the control module for the presence of supply voltage - for this you need to buy a voltmeter or take a multimeter with a voltmeter mode (AC) and fix it on the contacts of the heating element. Once the probes are on the contacts, you should run any program and wait for the voltage to come on. If there is no voltage, it is necessary to check the control module.

If the resistance between the housing and the contacts of the heating element is very low, you should stop using this washing machine, otherwise you may be electrocuted.

Location of the heating element in the washing machine

The place of the heater in a washing machineIn order to find the heating element you need to remove the back panel. Once you have removed and put the lid back, you will be able to see the plastic tank at the bottom, which will have the contacts of the heating element as well as the contacts of the temperature sensor. In some cases, the heating element contacts are located on the side, so you will have to remove the side panels to get to them.

If you find the heating element contacts on the top, those are not the contacts you need. It is the heating element of the dryer, which now we are not interested in, but it is also worth checking, and it is checked in the same way as the heating element for water.

In order to measure the resistance, it is not necessary to remove the heating element itself. Also near the heating element or between its contacts you can find the contacts of the temperature sensor.

It is not difficult to change the heating element. You need to unscrew and take out the non-working element, replacing it with a new sample. After all the fasteners are screwed in, you need to check the tank for leaks.

How to choose a new heating element for the washing machine

Heating elements mainly differ in their shape.

Shape

U and double U shape heater elementsThe most popular are U-shaped and W-shaped heating elements.

All heating elements have contacts on the back.

You may also encounter heating elements in the form of a heart. There can also be spiral heating elements, remember the old electric kettles and samovars.

Fastening system

In addition to the shape, the heating elements may differ in the way they are connected and fastened - the fasteners and terminals can have a variety of shapes. The fasteners are in the form of fittings with different flange diameters. The same applies to the contacts of the groups, which are connected by washers with wires.

The heating elements may also have special fuses and temperature sensors, which can protect the elements from overheating, which is quite common as a result of scaling. These contact groups are located near the heating element contacts.

The location of sensors in the heaterBecause of this, picking an analog heating element for your washing machine is very difficult.

The best option would be to buy exactly the same heating element as your old one, with the same connection and fasteners.

However, if you did not manage to buy an identical model, then you need to try hard to connect the new heating element to the wiring and seal the place where it will be installed.

Other parameters

It is also necessary to consider the power of the heating element before buying it. Parameters of the old model and the new model should be equal - in this way, all washing programs will also do their job perfectly, water will be heated quickly, and there will be no errors when checking the self-diagnosis system.

If your washing machine is quite old, and it is problematic to find new elements, then you should look at the models of heaters compatible with the old ones. Of course, to connect and install them is quite difficult, but it will be much easier than fixing the whole washing machine.

Where to Buy a Heating Element for a Washing Machine

When you try to fix your washing machine yourself, it is considered as an economical option in terms of money. Since finding new parts for your washing machine design is a tough job, because the parts are not sold in appliance stores. But it is possible to solve such problems, you should only order the necessary elements in a service center or on the Internet, but keep in mind that they will be very expensive for you.

The best and most effective option is to buy heating elements and other parts for the washing machine at online stores that sell such parts.

It is not difficult to find them. Just type in any search engine the following words: (the desired part, in this case the model of the heating element you need) for your washing machine (your model).

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