Advice requested Whirlpool Duet Sport Washing Machine "popped"

[Danny DiAmico]

I put the board in the washing machine, and it worked. Here is the summary for the next person.

1. A power outage can fry your washing machine.
2. If you get a Whirlpool F28 communications error (same as Kenmore F11 I'm told), then 99% of the time is is a fried Motor Control Board (I'm told).
3. Remove the back plate of the washing machine & the lower brace to expose the motor control board
4. Remove the upper cover of the washing machine to expose the main computer board.
5. Look around. Blue wires are critical. So check the blue wires from the CCU to the MCU. Otherwise, remove the motor control board and check for burn marks.

If you see evidence of damage on the motor control board, just go buy a new one for around $200 at a local appliance store. (Whirlpool factory prices area about $320 and Ebay is as low as $50 but you have to be confident of the supplier).

[Tekkie®]

Danny DiAmico posted for all of us...

What kind of detergent did you use?

[Danny DiAmico]

The rebuilt motor control board is still working great. So, the solution when you have the F28 communications error is to check the blue wires between the computer control unit and the motor control unit and to check the motor control unit for black burnt spots.

[Diesel]

Multiple surges, depending on duration and surge strength can take their toll on any surge surpressor too. Including the panel install style. The panel surge surpressor does offer some protection, but, don't put all your eggs in one basket.

[Kings]

replying to Danny DiAmico, Kings wrote: Mine has the same problem. Whirlpool needs to do something about this mess.

[Bob]

People are more than happy to spend $1000 on an iPhone every 3-4 years, why do you think an $800 washer should last longer than that?

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Wed 11 Jul 2018 10:30:22a, Bob told us...

A wsher is not an iPhone. Most of the time people upgrade their smartphones (iPhone or Android) simply because they want the latest and greatest, not because it's broken or defective. OTOH, washers were not built purposely to be upgraded. They should be capable of a reasonabled degree of longevity. We had our previous washer and dryer for over 25 years with no service calls. Because we were moving cross-country, we decided to buy new laundry equipment. We bought a Maytag commercial front loading washer and matching dryer and have had it for 7 years without incident.

[Baron]

Kings prodded the keyboard with:

Just a guess... Motor failure ! Brushes worn out, arcing kills power semiconductor... Bang !