Another one exploads again, BOOOM!!

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If this "Bad Seam" issue was Greek or Roman swords and a few broke in the field, the sword maker probably would worry about his head.

Most damage from Washers in the USA here is with flooding, the hose breaks, solenoid jams, the whole house floods.

Most damage from Dryers in the USA here is with fire, the exit hose is never cleaned, one gets a lint fire. The hose in many places can no longer be plastic, but often older houses or older localities allow plastic vents. One has roaring air passing through a plastic hose which is on fire.
 
"Note that white vinyl vent hoses are not UL-Approved and are a great way to start fires in your house. The American Household Appliance Manufacturers Association (AHAM) recommends the use of either rigid aluminum or steel duct or spiral-wound aluminum flex hose--NOT the white vinyl hose. For any dryer, but especially gas dryers, white vinyl vent hose should never be used. "

Here I had a white dryer vinyl dryer hose from 1971 to 2005 and replaced it with a metal on after Katrina. This is with an electric dryer. The odd thing is the old hose from 1971 still had its UL approval tag; thus this subject might be murky!

Here we always cleaned out the vent every few years and never had any issues.

When I was in California back in the 1990's they had plastic hoses banned there; then I moved here and all building stores still carried them.

In fact after Katrina when materials were in shortage, often the only hoses where white vinyl hoses, maybe dumped from other banned areas. I ordered my metal flex hose off of ebay in the fall of 2005; no local store had any.

http://fixitnow.com/appliantology/dryervent_ultimate.htm
 
@3beltsy "The issue is not one of materials, it is the s

I am convinced of that otherwise the innumerable examples of machines distributed over Europe and UK would be affected in the exact same way but they are not! Likewise other models produced before and after that given period of time are exempt from this kind of failure. If this scenario stands, it would make sense to issue a safety warning and check those potentially affected machines… as someone stocking Candy appliances stated in an older thread that the faulty drum weld could be easily detected just by pushing down with one’s finger! I also included a link below of a review where a customer was delivered a model with a broken drum (by reading the review it seems it had a broken tub too)… that was the same model as the one featured in the Which? Article.

According to various sources the company said that only a few samples produced during that particular given period were affected as they happened to mount the drums with the faulty drum weld before correction could occur, and it's not a case of recalling a particular model or version as only a few instances were affected: they wouldn't necessarily have to be 1600rpm models either as a Candy themselves stated.

Nobody really knows what’s behind these incidents and how many more affected units are going to crop up (if any), yet, this thread is full of assumptions, negative at that. Well… let me make my assumptions now… does anyone really know what response the owners of those exploded machines had from Candy? It seems that at the moment it’s all about getting the manufacturer to recall these products… however, if what Candy says is true, it might not be necessary to take such a huge step as it might prove very costly. As you've probably gathered I'm not ready to condemn this firm yet, but things might change... even though I am absolutely satisfied with my Candy/Hoover products.

3belt you mentioning dryers' hoses is making me think that I never ever cleaned or even inspected mine... I hope I'm not going to get a fire anytime soon!
Having said that, if a modern dryer (mine having been built in this millenium) can't vent properly, would detect a higher temperature which triggers a safety switch. Happy ever after aye ;-)

http://www.ciao.co.uk/Reviews/Candy_GO_1682__6703161
 
I think Candy needs to think about saving costs of not recalling Vs the potential PR fallout if any more machines do this, potentially causing serious injury or worse.

There were still lingering aftershocks over Hoover's Free Flights promotion, as the was still legal action been taken in the last decade, and Hoover did loose the Royal Warrant.
 
There are worse potetntial dangers out there.

Ive only been called out to 1 failed drum weld Candy Go1682 ,It was about 11 months old and was a complete mess.It was stood in the the middle of the customers kitchen held together with gaffer tape to keep all the bits in 1 place,thankfuly no one was hurt.Perhaps Candy are doing what i beleive an Amercan car manufacturer did some years ago.There accountants worked out it would be cheaper to settle claims than do a recall.I think it was something to do with the petrol tank rupturing in the event of a rear end shunt.What worries me at the moment is that certain manufacturers are having issues with moulded on 13a plugs.Yet not one word in the press or anywhere.The scenario is that the customer complains that the appliance trips electrics but in fact its the moulded on 13a plug that has shorted internaly between the earth and live pin before the fuse.In the worst cases where its an old instalatrion with no breaker and just a 30a fuse at the distrbution board the plug tops explode.I have had loads of call outs to appliances with this fault now, its only going to be a mater of time before someones socket has a bad earth and the appliance becomes live.Perhaps these problems dont make the press because they don,t sound as dramatic as EXPLODING ,DESTRUCTION,BOMB etc.Regards Nige.

http://i
 
USA Dryers.......

.....i never knew dryer fires had been a (fairly) common occurance in the USA.

Why is it that the UK doesn't seem to suffer from this issue? Do USA dryers not have lint filters like ours in the UK, or is it purely down to tumble drying being more widely used in the USA than here, where many still 'peg out' the washing on the line in the garden?

Regarding Candy, it'd be interesting an affected owner spoke up and said what Candy's response was to them as the owner of the machine. This might have already been said but it could be possible that Candy have acted well towards the owners of affected machines & thus prevented any further action from them to claim compensation etc. There's alot of unanswered questions at present.
 
Your unbroken machines have good seams!

RE "The issue is not one of materials, it is the seam/weld fails"

and RE "I am convinced of that otherwise the innumerable examples of machines distributed over Europe and UK would be affected in the exact same way but they are not! Likewise other models produced before and after that given period of time are exempt from this kind of failure."

After the isolated incidents the raw drum stamping is the same piece. It is like a can of beans with a vertical seam that is broken, the unrolled piece of sheet metal is the same. ie the seam broke; ie the weld or joint failed.

After the event the raw piece of rectangular stainless steel metal is still there.

It is all just distorted like if one places a firecracker in a cab of beans; the can splits at the seams

What failed is the joints/seam/crimps/welds..

The tensile strength of 201 stainless is very high

The weak seam failed; thus the whole drum splits apart.

Just because so many others do not fail is no reason to support shoddy seams.

In fact a cocky they never fail attitude is why quality control gets quashed; until the low bidders luck fails. ie one gets field failures due to shoddy poor quality control.

This failure is really a human one, releasing a shoddy poor joint on a rotating component thus one has field failures. If this was a Roman cart wheel, the wheel maker could too say that other cart wheels do to fail; thus his slacker shoddy work is ok too?

3beltwesty++4-5-2011-17-21-40.jpg.gif
 
reversomatic.....

...i was writing my response as you submitted yours hence we raise the same theory towards Candy settling claims.

What interested me most was which manufacturers/appliances have been worst affected by the 13amp plug problem? Cheers.

Liam
 
Clothes Line's not Allowed!

Blimey, we're told that in some flats in the UK we can't hang out laundry to dry, but never seen a blanket ban on them across a city before! That goes a long way to answering my question. Thanks :-)
 
If it is not the SEAM; what else is IT?

Here is a failed machine; the image from this site of "fredriksam";

where I purposely added text and notes to show the failed seam/joint.

It just split apart and opened up like a can of beans. The can's metal is all still there; the seam failed. ie poor crimps; or poor welds or poor pins or poor whatever holds side A to side B.

An engineer two thousand years ago could spot this. It is like a steel rim /hoop around a wooden wheel. The wheel fails. The General sees the twisted steel rim broken at the weld/joint. The slacker blacksmith can confess and fix or say it never happens thus is beheaded.

One can do the marketing dance and say other washers, other cars; other jets never fail too. That is why the Comet might be the top jet in a FRINGE TV alternate universe in 1960; folks said who cares if they drop out of the sky?

3beltwesty++4-5-2011-17-48-29.jpg
 
@reversomatic Re: 13A plug

Hi,

Could you please cut off and keep it and contact the Trading Standards Institute in the UK, or if you're in Ireland, the NCA (National Consumer Agency).

Tell them that you have noticed that there is an on-going problem and give the manufactuer's name, the plug manufacturer's name (if any is visible) and the model numbers etc and tell them that you have retained the plug for analysis.

Plugs sold in the UK or Ireland must legally conform to BS1363 or BS1363/A in the UK or, IS401 in Ireland (Same standard). It's a very specific standard and it's enforced pretty seriously and compliance is absolutely required by law.

If a plug's shorting out, then it's likely that it does not comply with the above standards and should be reported.

I've included a link below for contacting Trading Standards in the UK.

http://https//ssl.datamotion.com/form.aspx?co=893&frm=complainform&ri=NW&to=advice
 
@reversomatic Re: 13A plug

Do you know which plug brand / appliance maker is involved?

The same plug/cord assembly is likely to be used on lots of devices from lots of manufactures!
 
As consumers we should all be careful and never leave appliances unattended.

A few days ago I came home and went into the kitchen and saw my AEG Oko Lavamat 72640 which is 8 n half years old mis-aligned and facing slightly to the right. I was baffled but thought that someone had been cleaning and maybe pulled the machine out and didnt position it properly. I asked and no one had moved it so I wondered why the machine had moved. Anyway, I positioned it back.

Today I put in a load and had the machine on for around 25 mins. I was in the kitchen making some food and I heard an almighty bang, so I looked around and saw the machine jump forward and to the left whilst it was on its 50 degree cotton wash! It scared the s***t out of me. If I had been standing in front of the machine prepering food on the work top and it did this and didn't stop then the machine could have potentially jumped on my bare feet or something. I am now scared to leave the machine unattended and don't feel safe in front of it now.

This has shown me that no matter how reliable a product may be, you just don't know when it could malfunction and cause damage. I am urging others in the household not to use this machine and go out after what I saw today.

I think that there is a problem with the Microprocessor board getting confused as the machine was supposed to do a tumble and instead it jumped into a spin. I do not think its anything to do with the tacho, but then again, after 8 and half years, it could be. Who knows.

aeg03++4-9-2011-08-55-7.jpg
 
Your suspension is going then. That happened to my AEG 76740 everytime it span. Combined with bad bearings and a perishing door seal sadly saw it make way for my zanussi essential.

Darren
 
just remember 8! machines exploded, not 8000000...

...yes, but how many exploding drums in Miele, Bosch, Zanussi or even Indesit machines do you hear of in comparison?

I know you are a Candy fan, but you need to be able to at least accept the flaws of them as well as the positive points.
 
Hi Newwave,

Its not the suspension, its the machine as its fine on spin cycles. The washing machine was on its main 50 degree cotton wash. It wasn't supposed to spin, just tumble clockwise and anticlockwise etc when it just went into a mad spin for 1 - 2 seconds, I noticed it had spun clockwise.

On the spin cycles, the machine never spins clockwise, always anti clockwise. I wish I had caught the machine do this so I could demonstrate it. It was totally messed up for those few seconds.
I think the microprocessor is on its way out :-(
 
Re :

"just remember 8! machines exploded, not 8000000...

...yes, but how many exploding drums in Miele, Bosch, Zanussi or even Indesit machines do you hear of in comparison?"

Here in the states, the better/great makers of consumer items sometimes just buy back the ruined item to keep up a great reputation *AND* to improve the wayward design and fix quality. It is done as damage control, as why to not loose customers. It allows a post morteum / CSI /Bones review of the design. With these eat crow buybacks, the real number of published failures is less; the buyback is hush money. Thus 8 published failures might be really 32 or 132 too, the sqeaky wheel got the grease/money; a new free gizmo.

This whole thing of fixing/replacing stuff is hampered because many will try to get a new widget, when their variant already has the fix. Ie they want to work the system for welfare. It is also hampered because few register their products. It is hampered because the usa has an entire lawyer system designed to sue makers of products. Thus a non published secret buyback is used at times. There are also products where folks do NOT want to give back their items, like old gas refrigerators. These items work, they maintain them well; they understand the risks.
 
Rpalcement parts

and here in canada its hard to get genuine new replacement parts as most parts use for repairs in washers are refurbish or the tech doing the repair tell to buy a new machine and thats here in canda and i don't know if it the same for the us in order to have a repair today you need to keep the purchuse papers or no repair
 
AEG03

If it's not the suspension then i guess it must be the microprocessor beginning to pack-up. There seems to be more equivilent age Zanussi's on eBay for spares at present, and i've noticed a few of these are described as 'working intermitently' or pausing mid-cycle, which i suppose are also signs of computer failure.

Most of the ones i've seen on eBay so far are the old Jetsystem XC's, such as the FJS 1225W, but i guess your AEG may use similar/the same components and therefore failure in the same sort of time frame could be expected.

It's a shame as these seem to be the last series of decently made Electrolux group machines, but where electronics are concerned i suspect the repair price will prohibit replacing parts.

Still, 8 years for a 'modern' machine can't be sniffed at. Will you buy AEG again or just get a Zanussi now, bearing in mind theyre very similar underneath? AEG obviously have the bonus of a 5 yr warranty, but you pay for it in the purchase price.

Liam.
 
@3beltwesty

European appliance makers, and other consumer product companies, do exactly the same thing.

For example, I had a faulty Hotpoint (Hotpoint-Ariston) Aqualtis. There was a very minor flaw in the motor baring which was causing a squeak. I rang Hotpoint (Ariston) and they sent a repair guy out to assess it. He diagnosed a faulty motor and sent a report back explaining the fault.

About 24 hours later, I had a call from Hotpoint in Dublin apologising and offering me a free upgrade to the TOL Aqualtis.

2 days later, they picked up the old machine and delivered a brand new TOL model.

I couldn't really fault that kind of customer care. It was excellent.

I'd a similar experience with Sony. Our 42" TV developed some really weird distortions on the screen and I called Sony. They sent a guy from the local Sony Centre up to us to check the screen and within 24 hours we had a replacement and the old TV was shipped back for analysis.

That TV was 3 years old which is what surprised me as it was outside the terms of their guarantee. Although, under Irish law the manufacturers limited warranty means squat really. You're legally entitled to expect a 'reasonable operating life' for any appliance, and for an expensive major appliance, that is not 12 months. If they refuse to play ball, you can take them to Small Claims Court (at almost no cost to you) and have a judge decide what a reasonable life expectancy for an appliance is!

I've had a few other minor issues like that over the years and I've found most companies excellent to deal with. Including : Apple (failed logic board in iMac), Nokia (faulty screen), Hotpoint/Ariston (as described above), Miele (faulty vacuum attachment), De Dietrich (electronic controller problem) & quite a few others too :)

The only problems I've ever had were with certain electrical retailers who were trying to force me to deal with manufacturers when the contract of sale under law here is with them, and they're supposed to interface with the manufacturer if the goods are faulty. Once I actually got speaking to the manufacturer, they were invariably very friendly.

I am *very* surprised that Candy's not making more of a public gesture to deal with this problem! Although, you can be 100% sure they've replaced the actual washing machines. It's the fact that the problem seems to be reoccurring that is a little worrying.
 
@MrX

I have experienced Candy/Hoover customer service in more than one occasion and I could say the outcomes were on the same lines as you described with the other manufacturers.

Just over a decade ago I was suspecting a fault with my Candy freezer as it was starting and stopping too many times within a short period of time... Candy did not hesitate to send out an engineer (it was still under warranty) and dealt with the issue promptly.

When I bought the Hoover back in 2004, as I wasn't happy with the scratches found on the first and second models, Candy/Hoover would quickly give me uplift codes to replace the appliances in question, which is more than I could have said say for the retailer who washed their hands completely and kept sending out scratched or dented units.

Last but not least... a year or so ago I heard a little explosion in the kitchen and after checking what had happened I could see nothing but detect some electrical burning smell so I assumed that it was the dishwasher as it was the only thing on at the time: I took it apart but still couldn't find anything, yet I assumed that it needed a new immersion heater so I ordered one online through Candy (Gias). I then called them as the part showed on the picture did not convince me: they were ever so polite (probably they felt guilty LOL cos’ the spare part I was about to purchase was there in error) and they even offered me a discount that I didn't ask for... but after a day or so, having realised that the explosion and burning smell from the kitchen were related to a CFL light bulb, I called Candy again to cancel the order, the were more than happy to oblige.

With the kind of experience I had throughout the years with their products as well as their service, I frankly cannot fault them either, but then... that's just my experience... naturally somebody else's might be different.
 
FL1012,

It is a shame if this machine is now going to fail completely sometime soon as it will be 9 years I've had it in September and this machine does the 'Spin Rinses' similar to the old type Zanussi 'Spin washes' just it does it on rinse and not the wash. This system seems to work by some sort of fuzzy logic sensor as it adapts the rinse according to the amount of laundry in the drum. The newer AEG's and Zanussi's don't seem to do this :-(

When the time comes I will consider going for the Zanussi ZWF16581W which looks very good and is quiet (though we have been always discussing on getting a Miele when the AEG packs up, I don't know if this is what we will get when the time comes) I like the fact the Zanussi has a whisper quiet motor and Jet System to constantly spray the clothes as the AEG has this too and I think it helps to saturate the clothes better. Why just bath the clothes when you can shower them too. We have a Zanussi fridge freezer and chest freezer which have been fine for years.

I did consider a TOL Indesit but seen some Youtube videos and I don't like the noise the motor makes on the washes, it seems excessively loud, like old Hotpoints from the 80s. I had an Indesit in 1996 and it only lasted 5 years. The Indesit tumble drier we got in 2004 is still going strong though.

A link to the machine I'm considering getting. I like the wash action. My AEG does this rhythm on the cotton wash but its not as noticable as this Zanussi, maybe due to the Zanussi having a different type motor than my one which has a universal carbon brush type.

 
"i never knew dryer fires had been a (fairly) common occurance in the USA.

Why is it that the UK doesn't seem to suffer from this issue? "

I think one reason is that there are a lot of people in the States these days who want their laundry area to be inside of a master bedroom suite, often in a closet or bath. Some architects don't think about the dryer vent routing when they place the laundry in the design; they position it on an inside wall well away from the exterior and then leave it up to the builder to figure out how to route the vent. And then, because most builders are clueless and/or don't give a damn, you wind up with a vent run that's 25' long and has 7-8 90" bends, or has a long upwards vertical run, or runs through an unheated attic where the moisture freezes in the winter. On a short vent run, the dryer's exhaust flow will usually be sufficient to keep the line clear even if the owner forgets to clean the lint filter or runs the dryer without the filter. However, with one of these ridiculous runs, the dryer can't do that and eventually the vent line stops up. My understanding of how things are done in the UK is that no one is stupid enough to do that; dryers are always positioned on or near an outside wall, or else you use a condensing dryer.
 
AEG03

I suppose you could ask an engineer what sortof cost youre looking at to get the AEG in full order again, but i shouild imagine because the recirculation pump is also getting tired (i saw your youtube vids), then it probably isnt cost effective bearing in mind other parts that might fail soon too (bearings, motor components).

The Zanussi Jetsystem you posted appears good value - Comet had it on their website for £349 i believe, and i think it'll do distribution rinses even if it doesn't spin during the wash/rinse like the AEG. I'd imagine its the repeated spinning whilst full of water that puts pay to the suspension, so doing away with it probably isn't a bad idea.

The only thing i would look at is whether some AEG's do still have Jetsystem, as on the link below it looks like there is a spout for it on the door rubber :-/
Obviously the AEG is more expensive than the Zanussi and is slightly lower spec (1400rpm/6kg rather than 1600rpm/7kg) but it does have a proper 5 year warranty where the Zanussi makes do with 1 year. I believe this is parts and labour rather than just parts like a few manufacturers offer.

Cornutt....

Thanks for that explanation. That would make sense if people have a tendency to position the dryers in places where venting is tricky. As you mentioned, in the UK we either have a vented dryer on an external wall or if that can't be achieved we use a condensor dryer. Are condensors not a popular choice in the USA? I can't say ive ever seen one mentioned by any guys in the USA.

Thanks,
Liam

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/aeg-l64840l-washing-machine-white-04952403-pdt.html
 
Cornutt

RE :"I think one reason is that there are a lot of people in the States these days who want their laundry area to be inside of a master bedroom suite, often in a closet or bath. Some architects don't think about the dryer vent routing when they place the laundry in the design; they position it on an inside wall well away from the exterior and then leave it up to the builder to figure out how to route the vent. And then, because most builders are clueless and/or don't give a damn, you wind up with a vent run that's 25' long and has 7-8 90" bends, or has a long upwards vertical run, or runs through an unheated attic where the moisture freezes in the winter. On a short vent run, the dryer's exhaust flow will usually be sufficient to keep the line clear even if the owner forgets to clean the lint filter or runs the dryer without the filter. However, with one of these ridiculous runs, the dryer can't do that and eventually the vent line stops up. "

Here in the USA one cannot LEGALLY have a house pass the building code with such an ILLEGAL LONG Dryer vent hose.

The code over about 40 to 50 years limits the max length ;and delimits for every bend too. The max length is 25 feet; every 90 degree bend is 5 feet; every 45 degree bend is 2.5 feet.

Thus your example is a comical absurd goof. ie Seven 90 degree bends means the max length is 25 - 7*5=; minus 10 feet. Thus your example is grossly illegal.

Since your example is so grossly illegal; I assume it is a total joke.

I look at house plans all day; a dryer in a master bedroom is about a 1 in 10,000 houses or less, absurd too.

I just point out to non usa folks that having a dryer in master bedroom is probably like if folks in the UK kept riding mowers in their master bedroom, rather rare. Also a grossly illegal set installation voids ones fire insurance too
 

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