How to check pump on washing machine

[SS]

Hi all, Without going in to all the detail I need to check the pump/power on an Electrolux washing machine.

I want to check if the power is coming down the wires to the point where they push onto the pump, if this is ok then I want to take the pump off the machine and see if it runs ok. I don`t have a multimeter and don`t know how to use one but I am well aware of `electricity` and keeping myself safe.

Is there some way I could check this out? OK maybe sounds basic but if this was a 6 or 12V system I would connect a lightbulb to the wires and then apply the voltage via a battery to the pump.

Any ideas? thanks

[Phil L]

The wires would only become live during a normal pumping cycle - they wouldn't normally have power during a wash for example (i am not an electrician BTW)

get a multimeter if you want to be safe - don't be fannying around with bits of wire and light bulbs testing if the wires are live or not.

[Laurence Payne]

Maplin have mains-testers from under a fiver, multmeters from only a couple of quid more. You'll work out how to use them.

[NT]

In principle just connect the pump to the mains. But if you dont know how to use a multimeter I dont know whether recommedng this is a good plan.

NT

[SS]

In principle just connect the pump to the mains. But if you dont know how to use a multimeter I dont know whether recommedng this is a good plan.

NT

Thanks NT, The way I do things are connect it up - plug in - and switch a quick on/off from the mains switch. I am well back from the live end. I grew up in the days of sticking wires in sockets if we didnt have a plug, using a screwdriver in the earth to open the other 2 pins! Haven`t done that for years though :-) and I don`t recommend it. I have never had the need for a multimeter so never bothered to learn as I have always worked on low voltage things like 6v & 12v electrics and it was usually just continuity I was after.

[Roger Mills]

It's easier to start from the other end. The pump will only be powered at certain points in the washing cycle, so there's only any point in checking the supply voltage when you're *certain* that the pump should be running.

So it's easier to start with the pump itself. Chances are that the wires are connected to it by means of a couple of spade connectors. If so, if you rig up a cable with a mains plug at one end and spade connectors at the other end, you should be able to power the pump directly, and see whether it turns or not.

You have already checked the obvious things, haven't you? Washing machine pumps sometimes get bits of debris (from clothes, contents of pockets, etc.) jammed in the blades - preventing them from rotating. There's often a removeable filter which you can pull out to get at the action - but put a tray underneath, capable of holding 1/2 a pint or so of water, before removing the filter.

[SS]

Roger, I have checked all the rubber hoses and filters and all are clear, I have dismantled the pump and that looks good and spins ok. I have got the pump to run when its is in `empty water only` cycle and this is the strange part.....

With the machine standing upright the pump does not work, if I tilt the machine over it starts to pump out the water.

I have checked all the spade connectors and they look ok. I have taken the top cover off and checked for loose connectors, looks ok. I am ok for emptying the machine in any case as the waste pipe reaches to the back door and is low enough for the water to just drain out without pumping..

I think loose wire or connection at or around the pump but damned if I can find it!

[Harry Bloomfield]

In that case, if you are competent to use the screwdriver in the earth trick...

Try connecting a small 240v lamp, in a lampholder with flex across the pins of the pump. At a 'pump out' stage in the machines cycle, the lamp should illuminate.

If instead you disconnect all the wiring to the pump and feed it directly with a 240v supply from perhaps a 13amp suitably fused socket, the pump should run.

Usually the reason for these pumps not running is that the impeller is jammed with a coin fluff or similar. You can easily check this by trying to turn the cooling fan on the motors shaft.

[Harry Bloomfield]

SS has brought this to us :

I wonder...

Usually they just pump more than long enough on a timer, to clear the water out, but could your machine perhaps have a sensor to check when the machine is empty?

Look for a thin rubber pipe running up to a small pan shaped object about 3" diameter, with a couple of wires connected - basically a very low pressure operated switch. Water rises up the pipe to the switch which has a diaphragm inside it to trigger a switch. The pipes sometimes choke up with fluff. Remove the switch end of the pipe and blow down it and /or flush some water through to clear it.

[SS]

[SS]

Had an email from a machine repair man and he reckons it is the programme control switch. He has had similar probs with this model, he gave me some advice on how to check it and he appears to be correct.

Thanks to all for input.