Black Scratch On Inside Of Door
I have a 15 month old Hotpoint WDL520 Aquarius washing machine which works perfectly. But I've just noticed a large scratch on the internal glass of the door. You can feel it - it's like a groove has been scratched into it - ie it's not a crack. It's black, although the glass is clear. The scratch goes from 9 o'clock to 3'oclock, on the bottom half of the glass. There's no scratch on the top half of the glass; I'm guessing this is because of the shape of the internal glass - it's recessed on the top half.
The only thing I can imagine which has caused this is the edge of the metal drum wobbling and banging into the door. If so, I don't know if it has happened over a period of time or on one particular wash. Can a large (or small) load cause this? I've googled and can't see it mentioned for any make of washing machine so I don't know if this is a common or a rare problem. I don't know very much about washing machines so I don't know how much the drum is supposed to move as it spins but it would seem to have to move a few inches to hit the door.
What else could have caused it? Could heat be a factor? Before I took a good look I thought it had cracked in the heat but as I put it's more a rough scratch than a crack.
I have a parts only warranty but I have no idea what it would cost to replace the door. And if it's the drum banging into the door then wouldn't it just happen again? I'm tempted to leave it, but hopefully someone on this forum might have some advice.
Thanks in advance,
Alex.
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 WDL520 Aquarius black scratch on inner door glass
- The problem
- A 15-month-old Hotpoint WDL520 Aquarius washing machine was working normally but had a large black groove-like scratch on the inside door glass, across the lower half. The owner was concerned the drum might have struck the glass.
- Likely cause
- The strongest diagnosis in the discussion was that the drum had likely hit the door glass. This was supported by the appearance of the marks, although there was no confirmed underlying cause. The original concern about heat was not supported.
- What fixed it
- No repair was confirmed. The advice given was to use judgement on whether the glass needed replacing and to monitor the machine over the next few washes for unusual noises or further signs of contact. The exact repair was not confirmed.
- Checks to try
- Visual check of the scratch marks on the inner door glass
- Checked for obvious friction marks on the drum
- Checked for damage to the door seal/rubber
- Checked for anything loose
- Observed that there had been no unusual noises
- Parts or tools mentioned
- Complete door replacement was mentioned as available
Safety: Because there have been reported incidents of washing machine door glass shattering, the damage should not be dismissed lightly. Further diagnosis should be carried out by a suitably qualified appliance engineer.
5 Answers
If the drum was hitting the glass it would normally have random scratches and marks. They wouldn't normally be fine scratches but thick. Can you post a photo of it?
There have been incidents of washing machine door glass shattering so I wouldn't want to dismiss it lightly but no one has noticed anything untoward before in these reported incidents. Also check out my article here - Washing machine jumps and bangs on spin: How do I avoid out of balance loads?
Need Professional Help or Spare Parts?
Thanks for the interest and reply!
Here are a couple of pics:
They are quite thick. On the second pic (the right hand side when looking at the door from inside the machine) you can see a black mark some distance from the end of the main mark which runs around the glass.
I can't see any obvious sign of friction on the drum, no damage to the rubber, nothing loose, not noticed any noises etc. So perhaps it was a one-off heavy load?
It looks like the glass can be replaced seperately from the door (there are several philips screws holding the door together), although I've no idea how much replacement glass would cost or where to get it.
Looks like the drum's hit it. You'll have to use your own judgement as to whether it needs replacing or not. They do a complete door replacement here - Hotpoint door glass
Need Professional Help or Spare Parts?
Great, I'll probably leave it for now but listen out for over the next few washes for unusual noises!
Miele's do this too. I am now on my third glass. The scratch is superficial and in my case have not affected the glass or the washer in any way. Just occasionally my machine will have a fit and ramp up the spin too quickly without distributing the clothes around the drum.
PS the machine was over £1300 when I bought it 9 years ago, but considering the hammer it has received I am so glad I bought it.
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