How to replace, ring and pull ten for a washing machine?

Everyone knows that modern automatic washing machines completely control the wash cycle. For this, a large number of elements are used in the AGR nodes. One of them is a tubular heater. TEN for the washing machine is very important. This unit is responsible for heating the water, respectively, if it fails, the equipment will not be able to properly perform its functions.

Appearance of the heating element of the washing machine

Inside any heating element there is a special spiral with high resistance. Everyone knows from the school physics course that heat is generated when an electric current passes through a conductor. According to the Joule-Lenz law, Q = I²Rt, where I is the current strength, t is the transit time of the current through the conductor, and R is the resistance. Accordingly, a spiral with high resistance will generate a lot of heat. And it is this property that is used in heating elements. To protect against water, the spiral is enclosed in a metal tube. All the distance and voids between the tube and the thread is filled with an insulator with high thermal conductivity.

The main components of the heating element

Reference! To minimise dimensions of washing machines, manufacturers have to resort to original design solutions. In particular, in order to reduce the size of the heating element and at the same time achieve a larger heating area, the tubular heater is made in the form of folded y-shaped arcs.

TEN broke: how to understand and what threatens

You can check the performance, even without disassembling the technique. After all, there are several characteristic malfunctions indicating damage to the heater:

1. The washing machine does not heat water. Depending on the particular model, the machine may not work at all, highlighting the corresponding error code on the electronic display (E5 or E6 in Samsung, E05 in Candy, in Bosch - F19, in LG - HE, in Indesit - F07, etc. .; see the instructions) or by notifying about breakdowns by lighting up a certain combination of indicators, or to work in modes that do not require heating of the water (rinse, quick wash, etc.). In this case, we say that the element burned out, more precisely, its spiral burned out.
2. The machine erases, the program runs to the end, but the heating takes much longer than usual. Such a nuisance arises if you do not timely descale the heater using citric acid, vinegar, or store detergents for your washing machine. Solid deposits appearing on the surfaces of heating elements greatly reduce thermal conductivity. Before setting a new balance of the generated heat, as well as its release through a layer of scale, the heater increases its temperature. Since the resistance of the conductor increases with increasing temperature, and the power decreases, the time required for heating the working fluid of the washing machine is prolonged due to the constant reduction of power in the operating mode and the slowdown of heat transfer at the initial stage. Increased loads over time lead to the combustion of the element (see the previous paragraph).
3. The washing machine works, the program runs, and in all modes (including those requiring heating), but it is impossible to touch the SMA with your hands - the case is beating current (if the equipment is not grounded and there is no RCD). If an RCD is installed, it turns off. This problem occurs due to insulation damage. It is not safe to operate equipment with such a breakdown.

If there is at least one of the problems described in detail above, it is worth thinking about the health of the equipment and make a more detailed diagnosis. Of course, in the ideal case, it is better to contact specialists, but, having some knowledge and a specialized diagnostic device (multimeter) and a tool, you can cope with the problem by your own efforts. In this article we will tell you how to do it.

How to check without a multimeter TEN washing machine

We note immediately that the purchase of a multimeter will not be superfluous. In any case, this device is useful at home. It will help to ring the wiring in the apartment, in the car, check the voltage in the network, the serviceability of the batteries and much more. But some problems can be identified visually without even taking any measurements.

So, dark spots can tell about breakdowns on the case details, but they are sometimes not visible due to calcareous deposits.

Scale on the heater

To quickly determine if water is heating in the MCA, you can monitor the operation of the meter. Run the AGR in continuous operation with a maximum washing temperature. If the meter starts spinning fast - the heater works.

Also, it will not be superfluous to conduct a visual inspection of the part.

Important! If the heater does not work, this does not mean that it is broken. Sometimes the problem lies in the contacts of the heating element. They may become loose or corroded. To fix the problem, just tighten the contacts and clean them with fine-grained sandpaper.

How to determine the location of the heater

Note that in different brands of SMA, the heater is located in different places. To find where the heater is located, do the following:

• Inspect the back cover first. If it is large - most often the heater is localized behind it.
• Put the machine on its side. To do this, move the equipment away from the wall, disconnect all the hoses and disconnect the power to the device. It is advisable to first place a wooden lath on the floor (this will help protect your fingers). Remember that SMA is heavy, so be careful when lowering the technique. Do not place the AGR on the side with the control panel. After you put the machine on the floor, inspect it from the bottom.
• In some models, SMA TEN can be seen through the holes of the drum. To do this, arm yourself with a flashlight. However, this method requires a lot of patience and great visual acuity.

TEN is located behind

In cars Siemens and Bosch, the heater is located in front

Regardless of the location of the heater, all heaters are connected using 3 terminals: 2 power supply and 1 grounding zero terminal.

Connection of the heating element of the washing machine

So, the heater is found. It remains only to check it with a multimeter. Some experts insist on removing the item for diagnosis. But in principle, diagnostics can be done without extraction.

We calculate the resistance of the heating element

Before proceeding with the diagnosis, it is important to determine what resistance value will be normal. It is very easy to do. We use the formula from the school physics course R = U² / P, where R is the required resistance, U is the voltage (we take 220 V, so U² will always be 48,400 V), and P is the heater power (nameplate, taken from the technical characteristics equipment).

For clarity, consider an example. Suppose the manual for your unit says that the power of the heating element is 2 kW. Then R = U² / P = 48400/2000 = 24.2 (Ohm). Approximately this figure should be shown to us by the tester.

How to check the heating elements of washing equipment

Important! First of all, disconnect the equipment and be very careful!

To get started, disconnect all the wires that go to the terminals. Switch on the ohmmeter mode, set the value to 200 Ohm and connect the probes to the two extreme terminals.

The resistance of the heating element is 1, which indicates a break in the spiral - the part is faulty and requires replacement

A healthy heater will show a value not far from the calculated value. In our example, 24.2 ohms.If the multimeter gives 1, then there is an open circuit inside the part structure, if 0 - in the heating element is short-circuited - you will need to replace the heating element (in the service center or on your own - no difference) on the washing machine.

Checking the heater for breakdown

If the spiral itself is operational, but insulation damage has occurred, then the current goes to the SMA housing.

To test the hypothesis that came to mind, move the multimeter to the buzzer mode and touch one end of the extreme and the other of the central terminal. You will be notified of the malfunction by a characteristic squeak.

On a note! They didn’t hear a squeak, but suspect a breakdown? Check the tester for proper operation by first connecting the probes to each other in the buzzer mode. If nothing happens, the device is broken.

We check TEN

How to extract TEN

After the study was carried out, and you were convinced that your washing machine has a malfunction and you need to replace the heater, you need repair, you can do it yourself.

Buy a new heater. This is not difficult: heating elements for washing machines are sold even in online stores with delivery to any region. Acquired heating elements must be compatible.

Advice! During disassembly, we recommend (especially for beginners) to take step-by-step photographs or video. Subsequently, at the assembly stage, this will help not to confuse anything.

Drain the water through the filter. Next, unscrew the central nut (indicated by the number 1 in the figure). As planned by the designers, there should not be any difficulties with the removal of the heater. But due to the accumulation of scale and aging of rubber, it is not always possible to pull out the heating elements in this way. Therefore, instead of unscrewing, experienced craftsmen do the following: beat the hairpin with a hammer (shown in figure 2 with a hammer) so as to drown it inside. After that, it is enough to pick up the part with a screwdriver at the edges (number 3 in the figure).

How to remove the heater with scale from the washer

Installation of heating elements

Insert the heater into the groove gently and evenly

Very carefully, slowly, insert the heater of the washing machine, it should sit well in the seat. After that, tighten the fasteners, connect the wires and tighten the SMA housing.