Hotpoint Wm63 Tripping Rcb

thank you Washerhelp (being abit more formal wrt addressing you this time) for taking the time to reply. Acknowledge the part about proper insulation test meter aswell as the other advice. My skills are extremely limited and where electricity is concerned I was always conditoned to stay well away based on a limited knowledge is dangerous.

I will however take the lid off (once I have switched of at the wall and taken the wall fuse out too as an added precaution) and have a good look around for a chaffed wire as "If the washing machine only trips sometimes then I would suspect that it's not caused by a specific part being down to earth or having low insulation. I would suspect either a small leak occasionally getting onto something electrical or the tub bouncing around and a chafed wire occasionally and intermittently touching the casing or something metal. If it happens mostly or exclusively when you have heavy loads in this could explain it" this does seem to apply (i.e heavy or full loads). Towels inparticular are a P.I.T.A to wash as they trip the RCB about 6-10 times and neighbours wonder what on earth I am doing standing in my garage for 30 mins whilt the washing machine finishes it's cycle (almost suitable for a faulty towers sketch)

I will also do as suggested and check and blow out carbon dust to see if that helps (the WM63 has to date only needed 2 replacement brushes which for 13 years I feel is good going). I will update acordingly as having read other posts before posting it helped me a great deal in trying to summarise what was the problem. Failing that it will be back to the "which" magazines to buy a new Bosch which I see are already mentioned in your machine machine reviews section

Thanks again

Regards

I wouldn't worry too much about the motor. I would first unplug the machine and take off the lid first and then the back if you don't find anything. Look carefully at all the wiring where it passes over anything metal or could catch on anything metal if the tub moved around from side to side as it does with towels in. It may only be a very small pin sized hole or it could be a small strip of exposed wire. It's possible for some wires to have chaffed round the bottom of the tub weight underneath.

Well I write this reply still expecting the washing machine to trip and for me to trundle downstairs open the garage and curse as I reset the breaker, but as yet it hasn't (and probably won't) as a direct result of your advice and help. Gushing platitudes aside, I am one of the growing number of fans of your site (who wouldn't be when they receive free advice which results in solving an irratating and potentially expensive problem). As a friend used to say - it isn't often I am wrong but on this occassion you were right again.

So after alot of looking around I found a small (and I mean small as you eluded to) rubbing area on a wire close to the motor. Having tried to pull the wire away from the metal casing and failed due to its memory/position that it has become so used to over the last year, I covered it with electrical tap. I now have my computer runnning, the washing full with clothes and the TV/DVD running to do a test drive and the machine is working like a spring chicken again.

Thank you Washerhelp sincerely. May I bug you for one last piece of help? I intend to wire the machine back up to the blanking plug on the wall but rather foolishly didn't take note of which way the wires went. Would blue still go to the left of the plug and brown to the right (it is a continous piece of metal which the wires get screwed into. I say this as I wss taught to wire a plug and remember which way the wires go by following the second letter of te colour of the wire - so earth (a) for ahead, blue (l) for left and brown ® for right.

Regards

Thanks morris822: I'm very pleased my advice helped. I can't work in left or right because I can't be sure which way round any connections would be or even from which point of view someone is describing it. There should be an L next to the live connection (brown) an N next to the neutral (blue) and an E next to the Earth (Yellow & Green).

This may or may not help How to wire a plug

Washerhelp,

So one week on and I am still running round like a kid in a sweet shop. Washing machine is properly plugged back in now (compared plug to wall socket when wiring it all up) and washing machine is doing another load now. Thanks ever so much again.