How Can I Tell If The Heater Is Working?

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

How to tell if a washing machine heater is working

The problem

The user suspected the washing machine was not heating the water and asked how to tell whether the heater was working.

Likely cause

No confirmed fault was identified. The accepted reply says a failed heater circuit would usually cause the machine either to remain on the wash phase indefinitely or to abort with an error code or flashing lights. Possible causes mentioned were a broken wire or connection in the heater wiring harness, or loss of heater continuity.

What fixed it

Use the machine's behaviour as an initial guide: if it sticks on wash or stops with an error/flashing lights, the heater circuit may not be working. If the machine completes the cycle normally, the reply says it is more likely to be heating, although this is not certain on all models. Recommended troubleshooting was to inspect for broken wires or loose connections at the heater and harness, and check heater continuity with a meter. Exact repair was not confirmed.

Checks to try

• Observed whether the machine stayed indefinitely on the wash part of the programme
• Observed whether the machine aborted with an error code or flashing lights
• Checked for broken wire or connection in the harness or on the heater
• Tested heater continuity with a continuity tester or multimeter
• Reference value mentioned: heaters are usually about 40 Ohms

Parts or tools mentioned

• Continuity test meter
• Multimeter