Hotpoint Wdpg8640 Washer Dryer Pump Failed Twice And Mystery 3 Beep Fault.

[robstar*]

Hi All,

We have a Hotpoint WDPG8640X washer dryer UK purchased December 2013 which has failed twice in the same way. After 10 months the machine intermittently failed to pump out, eventually giving an "F.." error code (I can't remember which). It seemed that the pump would run for a few moments then stop. Alternatively, if the water level was too high, it wouldn't pump out at all - at least most of the time. If you switched to drying or spin functions, the washer would add a litte extra water(!) a few times before giving up (presumably trying to increase the pressure behind the pump.

On the first engineer visit he performed a firmware update or similar, raised the drain hose a little with a cable tie and left. This made no difference at all. A few days later another engineer visited and replaced the pump (part number C0092264) and thermistor C00083915 (apparently this issue can sometimes be caused by the (wash?) thermistor?! Hmm.

13 Months later brings us to the present day. A month or so ago, the machine has been giving 3 beeps about 20 to 30 minutes into a drying cycle - no error code and everything seemed OK (these are the same 3 beeps you get when you select an invalid option or lean on a button when the machine is running). Then a couple of times this was followed by beeping with an F05 error code. Eventually, the F05 occured again this Thursday and the original symptoms of a failed pump came back (intermittent pumping and adding water instead of removing it).

I cleaned the filter and waste hose thoroughly to no avail and concluded it was likely that the pump had gone again. A new pump was fitted today, sump checked and found to be clear and pressure switch pipe found to be clear (by blowing through it into the drum) and the machine is now running again.

However about 20 minutes into the first attempt of a drying cycle, the dreaded 3 beeps returned. Otherwise, all seems OK so far *touch wood* (30 minute programmes, spin cycles and drying have all been tested so far).

Here are my questions:

1) Does anyone know what 3 beeps with no error code means? (There are a few mentions online but no definitive answer!).

2) Should I invest in a new thermistor? (It looks like the thermistor replaced was to do with water temp rather than dryer as there is another thermistor listed for this model). I am an Electronics Engineer so measuring the resistance is no issue - I just couldn't find where the the silly thing is buried.

3) Why do the Askoll pumps fitted to this machine only last a year?!

I noticed that the latest pump has an improved filter with a finger-like structure which would stop small coins etc. getting to the impeller.

When I get a spare half hour (and am happy to be covered in stinky water again), I will do a post mortem on the pump motor to try to establish the failure mode. I appreciate that frequent tumble drying will put a lot of wear and tear on the pump but a year of life is truly appalling!

4) Finally can somebody please recommend a high-quality mid-priced brand (up to £800 or so) we can use to replace this washer dryer? Anything that doesn't use water to cool the condenser would make a big difference on the water bill but I'd rather not have to vent through the wall of our flat either. We may be able to stretch to a Miele but they seem to have very low drying weights. Perhaps Bosch, AEG, Siemens, Panasonic or Samsung? There's too much choice. Help. We are a couple, wash and dry about 5 loads a week and appreciate a long parts and labour warranty!

Many thanks in advance,

Robin