Clothes Come Out Of Washer Dryer Hot & Steamy, Still Wet

[Curious]

Wonder if you can help me with a problem on the drying cycle on my Hoover washer dryer WA110. The dryer appears to be functioning correctly in that the drum is turning and the heater and pump are working, but the clothes are coming out hot and damp. The closest way that I can describe it to you is that when you open the door after operating the dryer the effect is like a sauna with steam pouring out of the opening. Any ideas greatly appreciated.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

I've not had a problem with the dryer on one of these machines yet, they are still pretty new. Condenser washer dryers work by passing the steam through a plastic chamber, where a steady flow of cold water is trickling. As the steam hits the cold water, it is condensed back into water, and the water is pumped down the drain as normal.

It sounds like the cold water trickle that condenses the steam into water isn't present. Possible causes of this are -

• The cold water supply is turned off
• The condenser water valve is faulty
• The condenser water valve is not being energized

In this case, the cold water can’t be turned off or the washer wouldn’t complete the wash cycle properly, so if no one is turning the cold water tap off after the wash program is completed then it’s likely to be a fault with the solenoid. Try tracking down which solenoid supplies the condenser chamber and checking that it’s being energised. If it is, then check that the solenoid hasn’t gone open circuit. (NOTE: water valves have a very high resistance and could appear open circuit depending on what type of test meter is used. If I remember correctly they are often around 200 Ohms)

[Curious]

As you rightly say the cold water supply is still turned on after the wash cycle has completed. I have had the top and back off of the machine and checked the pump just to make sure that was ok. I found the electrical connections to the water supply valves at the back left of the machine (as viewed from the front) but couldn`t spot the relay(s) that you mentioned. As I`m not particularly electrically minded could you point me in the right direction as to where it might be located on the machine.

Many thanks.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

The solenoids are the electrical part of the water valves. On a washer dryer there should be three solenoids on the cold water valve. One supplies the rinse water, one supplies the fabric conditioner department on the last rinse and the third one supplies the water to the condenser chamber for tumble drying.

Make sure the washer dryer is unplugged (as always) and trace the dryer solenoid by following the rubber hose that supplies the condenser chamber from the cold water valve. The other two go directly to the soap dispenser. If all three go to the soap dispensed, take the soap dispenser drawer out and work out which solenoid supplies the fabric conditioner and the cold rinse compartment from the hoses leading from the valve so you can identify which one is the dryer condenser by process of elimination.

[Curious]

Thanks for all the advice Andy, my washer dryer has two solenoids, one supplying the dryer condensing chamber. Pulled it off of the condensing chamber and there's no water trickling from the pipe when in dryer mode. Spoke to my neighbour who is a retired electrical engineer who told me how the solenoid worked. As I live in a very hard water area I felt that the plunger in the solenoid could have become `furred up` with chalk deposits. As I had nothing to lose I tried putting a few drop of descaler solution onto the plastic cap on top of the solenoid, hoping that it would free up the plunger.

I`m pleased to say it did and water is now trickling into the condensing chamber when drying. Many thanks for all the help and advice, excellent site.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

I've just written a dedicated article on my main site for this now - Laundry comes out of washer dryer hot & steamy