Miele washing machine - is heater working?
I am New to this forum and need a place to gather information about my washing machine to understand it better and to be able to maintain it properly.
What i have is a Miele W149 "Novotronic" from around 2001 so it`s basically 20 year old now. It is still alive and well and pulling its weight. That being said i did replace the two bearings oh maybe two years ago due to a terrible ruckus from the old bearings. It was quite the job for someone who has never touched a washing machine before but i got er done. Ok, cutting to the chase. What are the most typical issues when dealing with 20 y.o. old washers. The motor seems to be working just fine so hoping this will last a few more years. As for the heating element, i suspect it is no longer working properly but i have no real way of knowing this other than a suspicion that the clothes seem less than 100% after the washing programme is over. What about the control panel, is this something that is prone to shortcomings when of age? Any circuits that typically need replacing?
Solution Summary
AI-generated from this discussion
This thread was marked as solved. Here's a summary of the problem and the fix, generated from the discussion below.
Miele W149 suspected no-heat fault traced to failed heater
- The problem
- A Miele W149 Novotronic washing machine, around 20 years old, was thought to be washing poorly and possibly not heating. The owner also asked generally about age-related issues, including motor brushes, dampers and the control panel.
- Likely cause
- The strongest supported diagnosis is a failed heater element. The owner removed the heater from the bottom of the drum and reported it measured 0 ohms on a meter. Build-up of grime internally and long hot programme times were also noted, but these do not by themselves confirm the fault.
- What fixed it
- Recommended forum advice was limited to checking the motor carbon brushes as a general age-related maintenance point, and that the control panel is not usually a wear item. The owner then carried out their own inspection and electrical check of the heater and concluded it needed replacement. Exact replacement and final repair confirmation were not posted.
- Checks to try
- Owner cleaned the dispenser-related passage, rubber tubes and plastic reservoir
- Owner noted 75 and 95 degree programmes taking about 3 to 4.5 hours
- Owner removed the heater from the bottom of the drum
- Owner measured the heater and reported a reading of 0 ohms
- Parts or tools mentioned
- Heater element
- Motor carbon brushes
- Meter
Safety: Further diagnosis should be carried out by a suitably qualified appliance engineer.
6 Answers
Hello there. There's nothing much to do other than if you really wanted to check on the carbon brushes in the motor. If they have not been replaced before they may well be quiet worn. Control panel should be fine, it's not something that is subject to any wear so as long as they are well made they don't tend to fail.
Need Professional Help or Spare Parts?
What about the two dampers or shock absorbers, they last forever too ? I suspect they are no longer 100% effective.
They can, especially on a Miele.
Need Professional Help or Spare Parts?
They can...exactly what???
Anyways, last few days i took it upon myself to dig down deep into my Miele W149 and try to figure out what is going on with it. The thing is, both the motor waterpump and the electronics seem to be working just fine so i don`t want to scrap it as long as it works. I started out removing the magazine that is directly below the compartment where you pour the powder/liquids etc. that hooks up to the spill water reservoir. I found a small passage at the bottom i am unable to reach and i understand this is where there is a one way valve at the back that potentially is not functioning messing up the programs but again is very inaccessible so hard for me to know. I cleaned it as much as i could. Same with ALL the rubber tubes. I dismantled them all and cleaned them to perfection...i must have spent hours upon hours doing just that. I also took the plastic spill water reservoir and cleaned out all the dirt inside it using a long steel cable with a small piece of rug at the front. It took forever but i got her done eventually. What i used was CILLIT BANG which really seems to pull its weight for dirty jobs. There was a LOAD of grime and fat and old dirt EVERYWHERE and the reason for this unwanted build i suspect is due to a faulty heater and no heat when any of the program runs. Right now i am looking for the heater but i do not know where it is located. Anyone???
My machine does not have an indicator for "too much powder" i think that is a feature found on later models. I have from time to time seen a build up of foam and it will blast right through the "sealed" front hatch without much trouble making a mess. Thankfully the machine seems to hold up very well against water pouring over etc.
I am seeing programs at 75 & 95 degrees lasting as much as 3 hours and 4.5 hours depending. I don`t know if this is normal but this seems very slow to finish a program/wash. I did time it yesterday and it seem like the programs are on time and not just end at some random time.
Today i located and pulled out the heater from the bottom of the drum and I'm hoping to be able to test it outside the washer just to see if it actually does work. The small sensor cartridge thingie in the middle i suppose have to be in water for it to work?!
As suspected the heater is showing 0 ohm on my meter so will have to scavenge a new one.
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