Warning Changing Hotpoint Aquarius Brushes
In a nutshell, the brushes of our Aquarius 1200 were worn out after 8 years service, I put new ones in (£15 locally, and a seemingly east task) but on its first run the insulation on one of the brush crimps burnt through (must have been touching the motor body)
I refitted the crimp the other way around, but it looks as though the motor is now damaged as its blowing fuses when the motor is plugged in
So the warning is, be VERY careful when fitting new brushes, be sure the wires/crimps are properly fitted and NOT touching the motor body BEFORE you switch on.
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.
Hotpoint Aquarius 1200 motor damaged after brush replacement
- The problem
- On a Hotpoint Aquarius 1200 washing machine, the original motor brushes were worn out after about 8 years. After fitting new brushes, the insulation on one brush crimp burnt through, apparently after touching the motor body. After refitting, the machine then blew fuses whenever the motor was connected.
- Likely cause
- The accepted diagnosis was that, because both old and new brushes had lumps missing, there was probably a raised or loose segment on the armature/commutator. The motor was then further evidenced as damaged when it smoked, sparking heavily and making loud popping noises at high spin.
- What fixed it
- The thread serves mainly as a warning to fit brush wires and crimps carefully so they do not touch the motor body. The accepted reply indicates the motor/armature was likely faulty rather than just the brushes. No successful repair was confirmed; replacement of the motor or machine was implied, but the exact repair was not documented.
- Checks to try
- Observed burnt insulation on one brush crimp after first run
- Motor blew fuses when plugged in
- Motor removed and armature stripped out
- Commutator found in poor condition and cleaned
- Segments were undercut
- Machine then had very weak wash rotation, only buzzing and rocking
- On spin, speed built gradually before smoke, heavy sparking and loud pops from the motor
- Parts or tools mentioned
- New motor brushes
- Motor
Safety: Further diagnosis should be carried out by a suitably qualified appliance engineer.
2 Answers
This is a good general warning that diy washing machine repairs are not always straight forward. As the brushes had "lumps out of them" the chances are there was a raised or loose segment on the armature.
Need Professional Help or Spare Parts?
Todays update on the Aquarius 1200 (and for anyone interested, the date on the inside of the machine is 1999 (8 years old)
I removed the motor and stripped out the armature, an easy job. The commentator was a bit of a mess, also one of the new brushes had a lump out of it (as did the old ones) so I cleaned it up, under cut the segments and put it all back together again. So far, so good
I switched on and no fuses blew but as the program started, it didn’t have much power for the intermittent rotation during the wash, it hardly moved, just buzzed and rocked back and forth gently. I helped it along a bit, but I couldn’t see the wife carrying on like this for the next few years. I turned the program on to empty and spin, and stood back…
Well, bit by bit the spin speed built up nicely but as it was nearing full speed smoke started to rise from around the motor, then there was a sound like a firework. I peeped inside gingerly; the motor commentator was like a Catherine wheel complete with loud pops and bangs. I nearly ran for it, but hit the off button instead
Guess I need a new washer, Miele make nice machine don’t they
Your Answer
Sign in to share your expertise and post an answer.
Related Questions
Hotpoint And Creda Carbon Brushes
1 answer • 1 reply
Noisy Hotpoint Motor Brushes
1 answer • 1 reply
Fitting Hotpoint Carbon Brushes
1 answer • 3 replies
Hotpoint BI WMHG 81484 UK
1 answer • 2 replies
Hotpoint WMFUG942 Door Issue
1 answer • 1 reply
Knocking sound in vintage Hotpoint First Editions 1000 - suggestions please!
1 answer • 3 replies
hotpoint wmxtf 842 - Door Interlock screws
1 answer • 1 reply
Hotpoint WM51 motor armature query
1 answer • 3 replies
Hotpoint selling split tubs again?
1 answer • 7 replies
Hotpoint WD21 "Starter Edition" question
1 answer • 5 replies