Miele W3204 washing machine won't heat up - error F10
Hi, my Miele washing machine, model W3204, won't heat up water. I put a new heating element in it about two years ago, then about a year ago it stopped heating the water again. (The old heating element was definitely faulty because I tested its resistance using a multimeter). I have used a video on Youtube to view the error code.
I get a '6' when the dial is still pointing at 'FINISH', then when I turn the dial one turn clockwise to '95', I get 'F10'.
According to the manual linked to on that video, that means 'Water Intake. The water supply is shut off.' which isn't the cause, because the machine has no problem filling with water. It also means 'Water intake filters are clogged', and 'Low on-site water pressure'. None of these are the problem, and wouldn't stop the heating element from working, would they?
Has anybody got any idea what could be the cause of this machine not heating up water? I have it in a porch with lots of shelves full of stuff opposite, and I can't get the washing machine out to look out, without removing two large shelves of stuff first, in order to have space to dismantle it again. I was hoping to get some idea of what to check for before I do all of this, as I don't want to dismantle it, not find the fault, have to put it and all the shelves back, only to then have to remove the shelves and their contents again in order to pull the machine out to finally fix it in the future.
Solution Summary
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This thread was marked as solved. Here's a summary of the problem and the fix, generated from the discussion below.
Miele W3204 not heating, F10 shown in diagnostics
- The problem
- Miele W3204 washing machine was filling normally but not heating the water. Diagnostic mode reportedly showed '6' at Finish and 'F10' at '95'. The owner doubted the published F10 'water intake' explanation because water intake appeared normal and the fault symptom was no heating.
- Likely cause
- The discussion most strongly suggests a heater-related fault rather than a genuine water intake problem. The accepted reply said a heavily limescaled heating element could still have continuity yet heat so poorly that the machine logs an error because the water does not warm quickly enough. Other possible causes mentioned were a blocked or faulty pressure system, but these were not evidenced on this machine.
- What fixed it
- Recommended action was to inspect heater-related parts first, especially the heating element for severe limescale or failure. The owner then obtained a new heating element, a new temperature sensor and a used heater relay to investigate and repair once the machine was dismantled. No completed repair or confirmed faulty part was posted.
- Checks to try
- Previous heating element had earlier been tested with a multimeter and found faulty
- Machine fills with water normally
- Diagnostic display reportedly showed F10
- Parts or tools mentioned
- heating element
- temperature sensor
- heater relay
- multimeter
Safety: Further diagnosis should be carried out by a suitably qualified appliance engineer.
5 Answers
If a heating element is severely caked in limescale, it could be insulated to such an extent that it becomes virtually useless. So in theory it could still be, "working" but so ineffective that it could trigger an error code if it doesn't heat the water up fast enough. Of course, such a heating element is also likely to eventually end up open circuit because it probably severely overheats.
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Could it be another o/c heater? I've just had my Hotpoint to bits to change bearings, and good job too, 'cos the heating element was so caked with calcium I don't think it was far off burnout. I live in a hard water area.
I also have an F10 error code explanation for a Miele which states, "water intake", although there is no guarantee that this is accurate for your particular model. My error codes are at least 10 to 15 years old.
Like many error code explanations, the information is very vague. Obviously it just means that it believes that no water is getting into the washing machine, or at the very least it is going in so slowly as to affect the function of the machine. Before dismissing this as a possibility, bear in mind that if your washing machine is a hot and cold fill then you need to make sure that both the hot and the cold fill valves are letting in water at a decent rate. It's possible for one valve to be letting water, but not the other.
If the water supply and valves are clearly working properly and the washing machine is filling up to the correct level then the error code is either wrong, or the explanation for F10 is different for your model. One thing that can cause a washing machine to think there are problems filling up with water is if there is some sort of blockage in the pressure system. The pressure system is the method that the washing machine software can detect water levels and if it is blocked (or if there is another fault somewhere in the pressure system) then it can cause the software to think there is water in when there isn't, and conversely to think that there is no watering when there is.
Another thing that can cause the washing machine to think there is no water going into the machine is if by any chance water is siphoning out down the drain. This is unlikely to happen to an undisturbed washing machine, but if it was the case the water level would never rise up high enough to trigger the pressure system because the water would be going into the machine but most of it draining straight out through the drain. It should be relatively easy to discount this because you would be able to hear or see the water trickling out of the drain hose and you would be able to see that the water level doesn't rise. You would also see that the washing machine would be filling with water for much longer than normal.
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Thanks for your replies. I don't think it has anything to do with the water intake, I think that F10 just means something completely different on my model.
I have bought a new element, a new temperature sensor, and a used heater relay, so that once I've gone to the trouble of taking it all apart, I will have more chance of having the right part once I've found which of the three is faulty.
Let us know how you get on.
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