Hotpoint and paddles

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

Hotpoint washing machine drum paddles repeatedly coming off after replacement

The problem

The plastic drum paddles/lifters on a Hotpoint washing machine had come off after about four years. A repair company fitted replacement paddles by clipping them in from inside the drum. After around four weeks, one failed again; later the original poster reported that two replacement paddles had snapped off after four weeks, another failed after five weeks, and the repairer then refused further visits.

Likely cause

The strongest supported explanation in the discussion is repeated failure of the replacement snap-on drum paddles/lifters or their fixing design. A forum reply stated these paddles usually clip in and are normally fitted from inside the drum, with no evidence that screws were required on this model. Washing trainers was suggested as a possible cause of damage, but the original poster denied washing trainers or heavy items.

What fixed it

No confirmed lasting repair is documented. The accepted advice was that these paddles usually clip in rather than being screwed from underneath. As repeated failures continued after replacement and no successful fix was confirmed, further diagnosis should be carried out by a suitably qualified appliance engineer.

Checks to try

• Confirmed the household did not wash trainers or other heavy items
• Observed that replacement paddles were fitted as snap-on/clipped-in parts
• Noted repeated paddle failures within 4 to 5 weeks after replacement

Parts or tools mentioned

• Replacement drum paddles/lifters