Fuses (not a serious question)

From recent experience...

The heating element in my washing machine finally gave up the ghost. It failed in the middle of wash cycle (water+detergent), taking out the

Reset MCB, replaced plug fuse, I tried to do a plain rinse cycle - empty drum, straight mains water (idea being I could use the machine to rinse and spin the half washed load before the element is replaced). Turns out the rinse cycle turns on the heater. Blue flash from drum, but this time only the 13A fuse went. The MCB was untouched.

Conclusion: Mains Water+Detergent is a better conductor than mains water alone.

(Heating element should arrive today, will probably take 90 minutes to replace - 30 minutes to strip+rebuild, 60 minutes to get the b'stard wire+spring seal retainer back on.)

it is. since it would be in parallel with a dead short in a fuse it would work, it would just change the fusing characteristics, possibly not in a good way if it enabled arc-over.

NT

The last heater element I replaced took 5 minutes. All it required was the mains and earth connectors pulling off, a single clamping nut slackening to reduce the pressure on the rubber seal and the whole heater just pulled out. Replacement was, in the words of a Haynes manual, the reverse of removal. Nothing else needed to be touched.

SteveW

Replacing the element hardly took 5 minutes - it's gaining access that takes the time.

On a Bosch, the only thing you do from the back is replace the drum belt.

Remove lid (2 screws+slide off) Remove front panel (3 screws from front, smaller screw on side). Remove kick panel (1 screw) Open door, remove seal retainer, and separate seal from front panel. Remove two screws at bottom of panel, carefully separate, and then reach down and unclip the plastic cable management device from the front panel, and then unclip the wiring loom from the door lock. Put panel to one side.

Then you are into the "5 minute" job. (noting that on a Bosch you need to transfer the thermostat from the old element to the new one)

Ours is a Hotpoint - unplug, slide out, unscrew and remove back cover, pull off heater power connectors, loosen clamping screw, pull out heater, then do the reverse.

SteveW

To do it properly you have to lose a screw that rolls out of sight.

Yup, I have done similar on our Bosch: