Holes In The Inner And Outer Drums Of A Washing Machine

[dremario]

Firstly I would like to thank the people who maintain this forum, I find it very informative.

My problem in brief:

I have a 16 month old, Candy washing machine. I used it the other day and didn't notice any problems. In the evening I went to work (did a night shift), when I came back in the morning my housemate told me there was a hole in the drum. I inspected it and saw that the inner drum (the metal one) is torn; the tear is about 3 cm. The outer drum (the plastic one) also has a hole of about 1 cm, it is irregular shape, close to the bottom of the drum and the heater rods and match the position of the other one. I can only assume that something got caught between the two drums and punctured both of them.

I asked my housemate if she had used the washing machine overnight as the previous day there were no problems with it. She said, she had not used it, but she may not be saying the truth as I saw damp washing in her room.

I am just baffled how is it possible for these holes to appear if no one used the washing machine after me. Surely if the damage happened when I did my washing I should have heard an almighty bang and water would have flooded the kitchen? Therefore, I can only conclude that something must have happened overnight. Please share your opinion, do you think I'm right, as I would hate to blame my housemate if it is not her fault?

It is possible that after I left for work she filled up the washing machine with the clothes of her husband who is a carpenter. She forgot to check the pockets and a screw or similar object found its way between the drums and damaged them. There is one thing, however, that doesn't fit in my theory: why there was no water all over the kitchen?

The washing machine has one year manufacturer’s warranty and five years parts warranty. Do you think there is any point in trying to repair it or should I just buy a new one?

Thank you in advance for any opinion shared.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Hello and thanks, it's all done by just me <fileStore.core_Emoticons>/emoticons/default_smile.png

The kind of damage you report is pretty common, and usually caused by an object between the tub and the drum. It's usually coins, but all sorts of things get stuck in there including nails and screws. It's possible for the damage to have happened when you used it last and you wouldn't necessarily notice it but when it happened there would have been some unsettling noises, so if you were in the same room and didn't hear anything maybe not.

Any damage as described would only happen on spin as the object was tossed around at speed. Therefore no water. However, once the hole has appeared in the outer drum, the next time the washer was used it should leak badly.

It's possible it happened as you suspect, though even if it did, it doesn't mean the person using it at the time is definitely to blame because objects like coins or anything else can get inside a washing machine and lay dormant for a long time only to suddenly appear and cause problems. If the washer has been making some intermittent strange noises on spin recently it could be the object rattling about prior to it getting punched through the drums. Even so, there isn't necessarily any "warning noises" either.

If the damage has been caused by a foreign object then the inner drum should be dinted inwards and the tear ought to be lifted upwards. In other words imagine something hitting it hard from the other side - it would punch the metal up.

Ultimately, unless the object can be found you can't know what it is. Bizarrely I've often been unable to find anything when I've visited such incidents but look under the washer and around it. You could also try disconnecting it from the mains electricity and having a look and feel around the chassis in the base which often has placed things can hide in.

There have been a number of incidents of Candy (and other brands) washing machines exploding because of a flaw in the inner drum where the welded seam comes undone during high spin and the metal drum explodes causing a lot of damage - washing machines exploding It doesn't sound anything like this of course but just in case the hole is on the seam I thought I'd mention it.

Finally, if the damage is caused by a foreign object it wont be covered by any guarantee although it's possible Hoover/Candy may still repair it for their fixed labour charge prices so it may be worth asking them what they'd charge under the circumstances - you can find their details here (although it's likely to be at least £100) - book washing machine repair

Finally, if you have home contents insurance with accidental damage cover it might be worth making a claim.

[dremario]

Thank you for your reply.

Everything you've said is spot on. This is exactly what must have happened. I found a coin in the tab. There was a noise for the last few weeks when the machine was spinning. When I did my washing during spinning the coin must have punctured the hole. The puncture is from inside.

I decided not to repair but bought a new washing machine, as more than likely Candy would have refused to repair accidental damage.

I should have probably tried to claim on the home insurance policy as I think we have accidental damage, but it’s too late now.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

I'm pleased you found my advice useful - and especially that the potential awkwardness between you and your house mate have been avoided by the lack of any nails or screws. A coin could have been anyone's

[dremario]

Absolutely, the coin could have been anyone’s.