IS NEW ELEMENT SEATED IN RETAINING CLIP...OR NOT?

[Dimmy]

Hi

My hoover washing machine kept tripping out the main trip switch on my house`s fuseboard when I set the machine to spin...fault E16 was displayed on the digital display of the machine. This means a faulty heating element which I replaced and the washing machine is working perfectly now. However I have a niggling doubt about something. At the rear of the cavity where the element slides into there is a retaining clip that attaches itself to the curved end of the element to hold it in place (I DO NOT mean the bracket on the rear of the front of the element which you tighten with the screw). My question is HOW do I know that the front of the element has engaged with the securing clip properly?. As I slid the new element into the cavity  the retaining clip was obscured by the element!!. Having said that the element slid in ok and with a gentle push it seated well...then I tightened the screw (there are no leaks). IF the front of the element did not engage with the retaining clip would it have been impossible to slide it in and seat the element???...and does the fact the element slid in and seated perfectly mean its is definitely engaged with the securing clip? as I am worried the element will wobble about if not. Various you tube videos`s don`t seem to be all that bothered about the retaining clip..and some don`t even mention it!..many thanks for any advice received...

[iceman2002uk]

The element on my Hotpoint doesn't have a retaining clip, its held in place with the back plate and seal.

[Dimmy]

Hi Iceman

 

Thanks for the reply...that's made me feel a bit better!. There is a retaining clip on my machine at the very end of the space where the element slides in. Trouble is when you slide in the new element your view of the clip is completely obscured!. If the retaining clip was say half way along the bottom of the space then I would have been able to slide the element through it before the rubber seal made contact with the drum...so I had to go on instinct and touch alone..who designs these machines!... . I think the idea of the retaining clip is to hold the element in place so it doesn't hit the bottom of the drum during a heavy uneven spin. Are you sure your machine doesn't have a retaining clip?..maybe not cos a you tube video about replacing the element on a hotpoint shows a square like clip thing on the end of the actual  element itself which makes more .sense. Or the obvious thing would be to have a cover over element to protect it from the drum My machine seems ok fingers crossed!...regards Dimmy....had a devil of a job getting the old one out by the way ..covered in lint/limescale..going to use lint balls and calgon in future!!!

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

If it's well-designed it should be impossible to refit the heating element without it fitting underneath the retaining clip or bracket. The old Hoover washing machines I used to work on where terrible because they just had a small metal bracket that the heater had to locate into which was easily missed. These days a lot of tubs are designed with a special place where the end of the heating element slots into or under. If the heating element isn't located properly you may well notice a metallic tapping sound on full spin with a heavy load.

[Dimmy]

Dear Andy

Many thanks for your reply The machine is actually a washer dryer HOOVER WDYN9654DX-80 bought and is about 2 to 3 years old. The retaining clip near the rear of the cavity where the element fits into and is like a small upside down bulldog clip. As I said in a previous post IF the clip was nearer the front of the cavity then I could have made sure the element slid through it by sight...BUT because the clip is near the back of the cavity I lost sight of it when the element was pushed in LEVEL and the rubber seal met the plastic drum housing. So in effect I was going by touch only. I think this is a really bad design and as you said surely they could come up with a better "fool proof" way of inserting the element correctly...like you said a slot or the like where the end of the element slips into. I didn`t want to remove the new element and have another go as it was a devil of a of a job getting the old one out ..and I didn`t want to damage the rubber seal on the new element. I did a full cycle empty test wash after fitting the new element and have done a full load wash since ..NO leaks or tapping. Do you think I will be ok  now or could the element move with vibration if not fully secured in the retaining clip?. If it does hit the drum could it cause extensive damage..or mean just a another new element? .Some video!s on you tube don`t even mention the clip!...Many thanks for your help  and further advice..Dimmy (p.s. some hotpoint elements seem to have a flat square piece on the end of the element...which must slide into a slot..that must be what you mean?)...

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Just test it a few times with a full heavy load like towels or sheets on an appropriate wash cycle with full spin. If it doesn't make any new tapping or knocking sounds I would have to guess it's in OK.

[Dimmy]

Hi Andy

 

Just an update and thanks for previous advice. Since fitting the new element I have done 4 washes.. one empty to test for leaks (none)..and 3 full washes with towels, sheets etc..and everything is fine no tapping or strange noise etc. IF I did fit the element without inserting it into the retaining clip would the nut and backplate.rubber seal be enough to hold the element in place or is it likely to move upwards over time with the spin vibration? ( I did slide the element in straightand gave the nut a good tighten (and the backplate was very firm and secure)..do you recommend calgon by the way to prevent limescale?.. Many thanks for this!

 

 

regards

Dimmy

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Hello Dimmy. The heating element on a washing machine is normally held in place solely by tightening down the nut so that it draws the metal plate behind the rubber seal forward. This squashes the seal and makes it too big to pass through the aperture. It's important to tighten it up enough, but also very important not over tighten it. If you over tighten then it would begin to bend and distort the metal underneath it. Normally the retaining clip on the outer tub is designed to hold the element down and prevent the revolving drum from hitting it.

I have a comprehensive article about Calgon and limescale