Can damp cause pcb to blow?
Hi I have bought a reconditioned machine but 3 weeks later it broke the company that sold the machine came out the next day and said that there was excessive damp behind the machine and condensation has gotten in to the components and shorted the main PCB. To be fair there is, and there's mold growing on the wall. This is an issue i am currently taking up with the landlord but can this break the washing machine? should the company that sold the machine repair it under warranty? Any help on this would be appreciated
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Washer stopped after 3 weeks; seller blamed damp-damaged main PCB
- The problem
- A reconditioned washing machine failed after about three weeks. The reported symptom was a flashing door light and the machine would not start or engage. The seller attended promptly and said the main PCB had failed due to excessive damp and condensation behind the machine, then refused a warranty repair.
- Likely cause
- Damp/condensation affecting electrical components was suggested by the seller and considered possible by forum replies, especially as there was known mould and heavy damp behind the machine. However, this was not independently verified, so the exact cause of the PCB failure was not confirmed.
- What fixed it
- The strongest advice was that the owner would need an independent engineer's report to challenge the seller's diagnosis or warranty refusal. Forum replies also supported not repairing the machine until the damp issue was rectified, because it could fail again. The seller offered repair using used parts and labour for £55, but no repair was confirmed in the thread.
- Checks to try
- Observed excessive damp/condensation and mould on the wall behind the machine
- Symptom reported: door light flashing and machine not engaging
- Seller diagnosed failed main board/PCB
- Parts or tools mentioned
- Main PCB
- Independent engineer report
- £55 'quality used parts and labour' repair offer
Safety: Further diagnosis should be carried out by a suitably qualified appliance engineer.
6 Answers
Unfortunately they have blamed damp and it is likely to be very difficult to prove otherwise. Presumably you had a washing machine there before for some time and it worked OK? Without an independant engineer to look at it you can't easily challenge it especially if they've taken the old part away. What were the symptoms?
If the company installed the washing machine for you though, they should have warned you about the damp condiitons.
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Hi the company has not repaid the machine or taken any parts away the machine worked fine for 3 weeks then the door light flashed and the machine would not engage they said that the main board had blown and this is due to the damp conditions behind the machine.
the previous 2 machines had also broke the 1st one the bearings had gone and the 2nd one was an electrical fault then this one the main board went.
the company seamed genuine and did come out very quick but I was left with a broken machine as they refused to repair under warranty and blamed the damp, can this brake a machine?
they did say if I wanted a repair I would have to pay £55 for "quality used parts and labour" but did not recommend that a repair was done until the damp conditions were rectified as the machine could brake again.
thanks for your reply its very much appreciated
Damp isn't good for appliances though it usually takes its toll on them gradually over a much longer period. Damp could short something out if it was really bad. It's possible they could be jumping to conclusions having seen the damp (why didn't they warn you about it when they delivered the machine?) but their advice not to have it fixed until the damp is sorted appears genuine.
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The machine was delivered by them but we installed the machine ourselves I may need to get an independent engineer to give a report of the fault and contact T&S thanks for your help and your quick reply's
It's a tricky one this.
Need Professional Help or Spare Parts?
If it didn't cost too much it might not be worth pursuing as if the independent engineer agreed it was damp it would end up being a costly thing. If he said it wasn't related you would need the original company to admit a big mistake, or take them to the small claims court if they didn't.
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