Debugging the washer-dryer

[owl]

I am clearly a software engineer to the core; my first instinct when the washing machine-cum-tumble dryer started acting up, once I had it convinced to run again, was to repeat the program that caused the problem. Possibly this is not such a good idea with a ten-stone piece of electrical equipment that fills with hot water as it is with a Java web app.

Basically every time I ran the dryer, it stopped near the end giving an error that the drain was blocked. If you emptied the drain pump into a bucket it would then run onwards. This morning I tried to give my towels a ten-minute spin in the dryer, and they came out wetter than they went in, and this time it started complaining that the water inlet was blocked. It's drying, I don't want water to come in!

I'd googled a bit and I thought the original error was possibly due to the condenser being blocked, but now I'm not so sure. I hope I haven't made things worse by keeping running it. I was going to do a wash on its own and see if that caused the error (partly motivated by the fact that I am running out of clean socks), but I'm a bit afraid to now.

Comments

[sollers]

Alas, unlike computers, fixing domestic appliances often involves getting wet and dirty. You may have a clogged filter.

[owl]

This is sadly true. I suspect that whatever is wrong will involve removing the back plate, and as it's under a counter and probably weighs more than I do, I shall need to get in some heavy lifters, metaphorical or otherwise.

[sollers]

If it is a clogged filter, you shouldn't need to do that; all appliances like that that I have owned (washing machines, dishwashers) were designed to have the filters dealt with from time to time and so were reachable from the front.

Er... returning to the computer theme: "As a last resort, read the manual". Do you, hidden away in a drawer somewhere, have the operating instructions?

[owl]

I cunningly secreted the manual under the glasses, which is how I know that ERR20 means that there is something wrong with the drain pump or drain hose, but I've had them out and I can't see anything.

The only things that are accessible from the front are the drum and the drain pump, I looked in the manual and didn't see anything about filters.

[foxfirefey]

Ahaha I want to metaquotes that first paragraph.

[owl]

Go right ahead!

[foxfirefey]

Done!

[lark_ascends]

You gave me some LOLs there. Love the approach. Fingers crossed that you get somewhere with it!!

[marymac.livejournal.com]

I think at the point its giving me mixed messages I'd be ringing my dad to come hit it with a spanner.

What if it eats all your socks?

[owl]

I may come to that yet.

Possibly it has already eaten a sock or two and is using them to block the drain hose.

[marymac.livejournal.com]

Sock conservation mode required, then.

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

*giggles*

Hey, you're doing better than I would be.

[owl]

*g*