what's safer a belt driven or direct drive washing machine?
What would you say is the safest, a washing machine with a rubber belt between wash motor and spider pulley, or a Direct Drive motor at the back of the wash drum?
I would say if the drum stopped turning (say it collapsed due to broken bearings, or just got seized) that on a belt driven drum that eventually the motor spindle would just burn through the black rubber belt , or the belt would just slip off? - but on a direct drive motor the resistance would just overheat and possibly act like an element and possibly cause a fire? - especially if it didn't have any kind of protection on the motor board to cut power to the direct drive motor? - this is one of the reasons that has put me off getting direct drive washing machines in the past. -
apart from that is there anything that one system has over the other that makes it better ?
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.
General safety comparison of belt-driven and direct-drive washing machines
- The problem
- The discussion was a general question about whether a belt-driven washing machine or a direct-drive model would be safer if the drum seized or bearings failed. No specific appliance, model or fault was involved.
- Likely cause
- No actual fault was being diagnosed. The accepted reply suggested that, in a seized-drum scenario, a direct-drive motor would probably rely on a thermal overload cut-out in the motor windings rather than continuing to overheat unchecked.
- What fixed it
- No repair was required. The accepted view was that direct drive offers mainly the removal of the drive belt, and that drive belts rarely fail if properly made. Claims of better wash performance from direct drive were not supported in the discussion.
- Checks to try
- Consideration of what happens if drum bearings seize or the drum stops turning
- Discussion of whether a direct-drive motor would have a thermal overload cut-out built into the windings
Safety: This thread was theoretical only. If a washing machine has seized bearings, a collapsed drum or motor overheating, further diagnosis should be carried out by a suitably qualified appliance engineer.
3 Answers
I don't know how you keep thinking of these things Andy 😁
I would assume the direct drive motor would have TOC built into the windings. So if the drum bearings seized up the motor would cut out. However, in my experience, thermal overload cuttouts in motors are one-shot. So you'd need new drum and bearings plus a new motor!
The only advantage I can see for a direct drive is the removal of a drive belt. But drive belts rarely fail. At least if properly made.
I could be being unfair, but I've always thought of direct drive as a little gimmicky, from a brown goods manufacturer who try to emulate brown goods success (which is driven by innovation) to white goods.
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Thanks Andy - yep I dunno why i keep thinking of these things as well , you certainly wouldn't like to have a mind like mine anyway always thinking and overthinking things and not switching off it gets very exhausting and draining sometimes LOL
So, as far as the manufacture's claims that a direct drive motor washes clothes better (which I cannot see how they can make that bold claim) than the conventional way with a motor and belt - there are no other advantages from what I can see.
oh yes i wasnt thinking about the thermal overload cutout , yeah must have something like that built in
No I can't imagine any possible wash efficiency advantage.
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