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Thread Number: 29084
Help! Unimatic is shorting out |
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| Post# 442919 6/19/2010 at 17:02 (5,053 days old) by lebron (Minnesota) | ||
I haven't run my Unimatic in about a year because I didn't have a timer. I finally found one but it only provides wash action for (1) 30 second interval. To get around this problem, I spliced a wire going to the timer motor and installed a light switch. After the machine was rigged but still in storage, I gave it a quick test run ungrounded ( looking back at this, it is probably one of the dumbest thing I could have ever done) and it worked perfectly. I was so excited and I couldn't wait to get the machine hooked up. After I did, I ran a wire from the water vavle assembly to a cold water pipe. When I plugged the machine in, it spat a whole buch of sparks and melted the ground wire right off. Any ideas on what could be the problem?? The light switch is comepletly naked, maybe I should wrap it in electrical tape, but I don't see where it is shorting. Has this ever happend to other Unimatic owners?
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Post# 443337 , Reply# 1 6/21/2010 at 11:39 (5,051 days old) by turquoisedude  (.) |
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I would try disconnecting the ground wire you hooked up. Usually, a ground wire will run from the frame of the appliance to either the ground connection in the outlet box (most often a green wire) or to a water pipe or stake that litterally I am betting the machine will work again with the wire removed! Oh and just a word of "learned it the hard way" advice - wear shoes with thick soles (bare feet + wet concrete = serious shock) and if possible, use a power bar to connect items you are testing. Their built-in breaker will protect you and your washer!! | ||
| Post# 443351 , Reply# 2 6/21/2010 at 13:00 (5,051 days old) by lebron (Minnesota) | ||
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Post# 443353 , Reply# 3 6/21/2010 at 13:06 (5,051 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA) |
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Hum Jed, this sounds strange.
but it only provides wash action for (1) 30 second interval. Can you explain this further? Does it fill for 8 intervals, advance to pulsate? What does it do after 30 seconds in wash? Does it pulsate in the rinse cycle at all? It sounds like your ground wire was carrying some pretty heavy current for it to have been grounded to the valve assembly to a pipe. I'd be double checking all the wire connections at the timer at this point. Something doesn't seem right. Ben | ||
| Post# 443356 , Reply# 4 6/21/2010 at 13:12 (5,051 days old) by lebron (Minnesota) | ||
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Post# 443384 , Reply# 6 6/21/2010 at 14:58 (5,051 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis) |
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Post# 443422 , Reply# 7 6/21/2010 at 17:54 (5,051 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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GROUNDING WASHERS
A separate ground wire is an acceptable way to ground an older appliance. However the wire used for grounding should be at least 14 ga copper wire. I never test anything thats not grounded, I often use a car jumper cable clamped to the cold water pipe as a temporary ground when I first test something.but when I restore it I usually install a three wire cord. However if you wanted to leave the machine completely original you could install a separate ground wire.
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