Wm63 Tripping Rcd
Hi,
I have an 11 yr old hotpoint aquarius WM63 (so it dosent owe me anything!) It has started tripping the rcd. It has had a couple of brush replacements on the motor in its time and a door catch mech. The trip occurs very quickly upon starting the wash program, after a split second of letting the water in. When taking the wire loom off the motor, it will continue to fill- so I guessed it was a dodgy motor. I have replaced the brushes (no help), taken the motor / armature out, cleaned, checked continuities etc. Armature / commutator appears ok, brushes are sliding in / out ok, all to no avail.
I wonder if anyone has any suggestions, other than to get rid. I am happy to 'make do and mend'!
I have seen a recon motor on ebay for £30- but could my motor be ok and the problem lie elsewhere?
Very respectful and appreciative of any help / advice.
Regards,
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 WM63 trips RCD as motor circuit is engaged
- The problem
- An 11-year-old Hotpoint Aquarius WM63 was tripping the RCD almost immediately after a wash programme started, just after a small amount of water entered. With the motor wiring loom disconnected, the machine continued to fill without tripping. Replacing the motor brushes did not cure the fault.
- Likely cause
- Most likely a motor insulation fault, with the motor identified as the main suspect because the tripping stopped when it was disconnected. The accepted reply said carbon dust from worn brushes can cause tripping, but as the motor had been stripped and cleaned, the armature itself or possibly the field coil was then considered the more likely source of low insulation to earth. This was not confirmed by test results.
- What fixed it
- Carry out a proper insulation resistance test with an insulation tester (megger) to confirm which component has broken down. The discussion did not confirm a completed repair or whether the motor was replaced.
- Checks to try
- RCD tripped very quickly after programme start
- Machine continued filling when the motor wire loom was disconnected
- Motor brushes were replaced with no improvement
- Motor/armature was removed, cleaned and continuity checked
- Armature/commutator was reported to appear OK
- Parts or tools mentioned
- motor brushes
- insulation test meter (megger)
- reconditioned motor priced at £30
Safety: Further diagnosis should be carried out by a suitably qualified appliance engineer.
1 Answer
Hello. You can't troubleshoot a fusing washing machine without an insulation test meter (megger), which sends 500 volts (DC) through the machine and components to show where the insulation has broken down. Without a proper meter you can only crudely swap parts. It sounds like the motor is the number one suspect because it stops tripping when disconnected. A build up of carbon dust from worn brushes can cause the washing machine to trip the electrics but replacing brushes would never cure it as the brushes are only the cause of this new symptom.
If you have stripped the armature out and cleaned everyting though it can't be carbon dust. I would suspect the armature itself has low insulation but it would need testing with a meter to confirm as the field coil can go down to earth too.
Help article on tripping electrics
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