Hotpoint Wdl540 Washer/dryer

This thread was marked as solved. Here's a summary of the problem and the fix, generated from the discussion below.

Hotpoint WDL540 trips RCD when door is closed; dryer heater found faulty

The problem

Hotpoint WDL540 washer/dryer was tripping the RCD immediately when the door was closed. After releasing the door with the green strap and resetting the RCD, the machine would power up, but closing the door caused an immediate trip again.

Likely cause

A fault on the dryer heating element was diagnosed by a repairman. The accepted reply also noted that earth-leakage trips can be caused by several faults, such as wiring shorting to the frame or the motor, so the element diagnosis is the only confirmed cause in this thread.

What fixed it

The machine was professionally diagnosed using insulation-resistance testing. The dryer heating element was identified as the culprit. The poster disconnected the supply to the heater and confirmed the appliance then worked on wash cycles. A new element was later fitted, but the machine then stalled on the drying cycle with multiple indicator lights showing. The meaning of those lights and the final drying repair were not confirmed in the discussion.

Checks to try

• Borrowed an insulation resistance meter and only ruled out the mains cordset
• Local repairman diagnosed the fault within 5 minutes
• Dryer heating element identified as faulty
• Heater supply disconnected and wash cycles then worked fine
• With new element fitted, drying cycle stalled
• Reported lights at stall: spin and drying cycle programme lights constant orange; Super Wash, Extra Rinse, Mini Load, Slow Spin and Start/Pause flashing

Parts or tools mentioned

• Insulation resistance meter
• Dryer heating element