Bra Wire Caught Inside Washing Machine

[Garry]

I have a nextra washing machine and need to gain access to the drums to remove a bra wire, do i need to remove the heater element and if so how?

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

How to retrieve an underwire from a bra stuck in washing machine

Make sure you can't see the end of the underwire poking out of one of the holes in the drum. I've found several that way and managed to pull them through.

If not you can often get them out through the sump hose at the bottom of the tub. Occasionally I've even got them out through the soap dispenser hose if they've become bent and trapped in a place that passes near to the hole there when turning the drum.

If none of these are successful then yes, removing the heater can gain access to them but the problem with removing the heater is that sometimes they don't go back. This is due to the way they seal themselves in. The nut you tighten pulls a metal plate towards the rubber gasket which squashes the rubber and holds the heater in place - watertight.

After being squashed they can be difficult to get out (loosen the nut and knock the bolt it screws onto forward to release the pressure on the plate). You can damage the plastic surround trying to get it out and due to the rubber getting squashed it can be difficult to get back in -plus you have to ensure the heater is located underneath the heater bracket inside the tub to prevent the drum hitting it on spin with a heavy load in.

All in all I would recommend you don't touch the heater if you can avoid it though it may end up being quite straight forward if you are lucky..

After the heater the only option left is to strip down the tub, which is even more complex and some tubs are sealed shut these days too.

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

This subject has now been turned into a help article on how to retrieve something stuck inside the drum. It's not a strip down guide but gives tips on the often easy ways to do it.