Sad News About My Washer - Help Most Welcome

Hi folks, today I’m sharing some very very sad news about my beloved washing machine. I am still utterly devastated about this but I’m starting to pluck up the courage to even talk about it on a public forum and I’m accepting the fact that it’s time for me to move on out of this situation for good. The funny thing is that I’ve been delivering thoughts recently about getting a new washing machine to replace my aging Hoover Nextra… well… I will get a new washing machine alright… want a turn-up for the books? Well, it’s not Nextra that it’s being replaced!

It all started about two weeks ago… but the irreversible tragedy manifested itself just a week ago with the Dynamic total death. I wanted to share this with you before… but I thought… I’ll do so as soon as I make amends and get the Dynamic back on its 4 rubber feet… but now I know that it’s almost impossible… or not economically feasible. Some of you already know this… a while ago I decided to swap Nextra with Dynamic, so the first could semi-retire while the latter could do most of the work being moved to a location of my convenience… I explain this briefly: recently (last 6 months or so), I've been using Nextra mainly as I found a great way to enjoy almost-free hot washes, these come from the fact that the machine is connected to a 'Y' hose, rather than being plumbed in directly in the mains as in the kitchen, so I can open the hot water only during the initial fill and sensing stage (just for a few minutes), then close the hot tap and open the cold.

Going back to my previous point, after the swap was complete, I did a couple of washes and everything panned out ok. While I was doing these washes, it was late in the evening (I usually get back from work at 9ish PM) and the water in the tank was barely lukewarm as the emersion heater goes on during the last hour of the ECO7 tariff (that’s at 7 in the morning), however last weekend, I popped a hot wash first thing in the morning and the water in the tank was rather hot. Apparently, the washer wasn’t at all happy with that and it displayed an error code right after the main wash. The error it showed at first (E03) lead to the fact that the machine couldn’t drain, but this wasn’t the case. At that point, the machine was at a standstill and my towels needed rinsing, so, I set the rinse only cycle, but this time the display would show E16 and by starting any other cycle, the machine would produce the same error code consistently.

I didn't fret straight away... I just unplugged it and had a chat with some of you here. The machine would be doing the same after having it plugged back in, however, after a long chat and trial and error, the machine started to work again. It didn't dawn on me that the hot water could have been the cause of the error... well, I’ve been using Nextra like that and it’s never had a problem… although I’m not sure whether the water has ever been as hot as it was this time. But this is not the end of the story!

I will stop beating around the bush (after this paragraph I promise) and go straight to the point: being of a curious nature, when it comes to washing machines… I removed the back panel and tried a few things to reproduce the scenario I experienced... so I used a kitchen knife (for lack of better tools). I shorted the contacts for the heater, and I found that it would cause the machine to behave in the exact same way as when I had the error. This could have been the end of the incident… but unfortunately, as I was still tinkering with the machine, part of the metal blade, accidentally touched the metal casing causing a massive spark which tripped the house fuse (sockets only). Having sorted out the sockets, the machine did not come back to life :(

The short circuit must have blown the PCB I figured… so I investigated further in the machine, and I found two boards, one behind the display, which seemed intact… and the other one down the bottom in the left hand side of the chassis. I took that out, disassembled it completely, and to my horror, I discovered a black blotch of toasted circuits. I started to search everywhere for the main core board, but apparently, this part, belonging to a fairly new machine is not widely available. I called a number from one of the spares websites, and they kindly gave me a spare part number which would get me the part only directly from Hoover. Having quoted that number with one of the Hoover fellows, the part I needed was in stock but needed to be programmed, so… I ordered it and waited for it to be delivered to me. I got it yesterday and I put it in… the machine is still dead as a dodo! I checked all the other components and they seem fine… the only thing I couldn’t check was the secondary PCB (behind the display)… but, at list physically, it looks fine.

Something else I failed to mention is that although the machine is dead, when I have the old board in, upon shutting the door (even with the knob set on ‘off’), most components are energised… so the 2 pumps go on as well as the solenoid valves: this doesn’t happen with the new PCB as the machine remains dead no matter what. Now I’m left wondering… could it be that Hoover sent me a DOA PCB?? Does any of you have any idea what else could have blown during the short circuit? Surely the entire electrical system couldn’t have been damaged, otherwise these components wouldn’t run at all even with a blown PCB. It goes without saying that I’m window shopping for a new machine, although my hope to sort the Dynamic out will be the last to die. Any advice would be most appreciated. Thank you.

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Post# 807000 2/1/2015 at 04:27 (3,370 days old) by haxisfan (Europe - UK / Italy)
Checkrate/Likes 1 Hi folks, today I’m sharing some very very sad news about my beloved washing machine. I am still utterly devastated about this but I’m starting to pluck up the courage to even talk about it on a public forum and I’m accepting the fact that it’s time for me to move on out of this situation for good. The funny thing is that I’ve been delivering thoughts recently about getting a new washing machine to replace my aging Hoover Nextra… well… I will get a new washing machine alright… want a turn-up for the books? Well, it’s not Nextra that it’s being replaced! It all started about two weeks ago… but the irreversible tragedy manifested itself just a week ago with the Dynamic total death. I wanted to share this with you before… but I thought… I’ll do so as soon as I make amends and get the Dynamic back on its 4 rubber feet… but now I know that it’s almost impossible… or not economically feasible. Some of you already know this… a while ago I decided to swap Nextra with Dynamic, so the first could semi-retire while the latter could do most of the work being moved to a location of my convenience… I explain this briefly: recently (last 6 months or so), I've been using Nextra mainly as I found a great way to enjoy almost-free hot washes, these come from the fact that the machine is connected to a 'Y' hose, rather than being plumbed in directly in the mains as in the kitchen, so I can open the hot water only during the initial fill and sensing stage (just for a few minutes), then close the hot tap and open the cold. Going back to my previous point, after the swap was complete, I did a couple of washes and everything panned out ok. While I was doing these washes, it was late in the evening (I usually get back from work at 9ish PM) and the water in the tank was barely lukewarm as the emersion heater goes on during the last hour of the ECO7 tariff (that’s at 7 in the morning), however last weekend, I popped a hot wash first thing in the morning and the water in the tank was rather hot. Apparently, the washer wasn’t at all happy with that and it displayed an error code right after the main wash. The error it showed at first (E03) lead to the fact that the machine couldn’t drain, but this wasn’t the case. At that point, the machine was at a standstill and my towels needed rinsing, so, I set the rinse only cycle, but this time the display would show E16 and by starting any other cycle, the machine would produce the same error code consistently. I didn't fret straight away... I just unplugged it and had a chat with some of you here. The machine would be doing the same after having it plugged back in, however, after a long chat and trial and error, the machine started to work again. It didn't dawn on me that the hot water could have been the cause of the error... well, I’ve been using Nextra like that and it’s never had a problem… although I’m not sure whether the water has ever been as hot as it was this time. But this is not the end of the story! I will stop beating around the bush (after this paragraph I promise) and go straight to the point: being of a curious nature, when it comes to washing machines… I removed the back panel and tried a few things to reproduce the scenario I experienced... so I used a kitchen knife (for lack of better tools). I shorted the contacts for the heater, and I found that it would cause the machine to behave in the exact same way as when I had the error. This could have been the end of the incident… but unfortunately, as I was still tinkering with the machine, part of the metal blade, accidentally touched the metal casing causing a massive spark which tripped the house fuse (sockets only). Having sorted out the sockets, the machine did not come back to life :( The short circuit must have blown the PCB I figured… so I investigated further in the machine, and I found two boards, one behind the display, which seemed intact… and the other one down the bottom in the left hand side of the chassis. I took that out, disassembled it completely, and to my horror, I discovered a black blotch of toasted circuits. I started to search everywhere for the main core board, but apparently, this part, belonging to a fairly new machine is not widely available. I called a number from one of the spares websites, and they kindly gave me a spare part number which would get me the part only directly from Hoover. Having quoted that number with one of the Hoover fellows, the part I needed was in stock but needed to be programmed, so… I ordered it and waited for it to be delivered to me. I got it yesterday and I put it in… the machine is still dead as a dodo! I checked all the other components and they seem fine… the only thing I couldn’t check was the secondary PCB (behind the display)… but, at list physically, it looks fine. Something else I failed to mention is that although the machine is dead, when I have the old board in, upon shutting the door (even with the knob set on ‘off’), most components are energised… so the 2 pumps go on as well as the solenoid valves: this doesn’t happen with the new PCB as the machine remains dead no matter what. Now I’m left wondering… could it be that Hoover sent me a DOA PCB?? Does any of you have any idea what else could have blown during the short circuit? Surely the entire electrical system couldn’t have been damaged, otherwise these components wouldn’t run at all even with a blown PCB. It goes without saying that I’m window shopping for a new machine, although my hope to sort the Dynamic out will be the last to die. Any advice would be most appreciated. Thank you. View Full Size

Post# 807006 , Reply# 1 2/1/2015 at 05:45 (3,370 days old) by henene4 (Heidenheim a.d. Brenz (Germany))
Checkrate/Likes *Be happy you are still alive!* Though it is unlikely to die if you get shocked by a 230V line (happend to me twice already), never even open up a machine while on the line. If you want to run it, never touch anything except the control panel during this. And shorting anything is generally a - sorry to sound rude, but I am verry serious about this - dumb idea. So please never ever do this again. Please. Back to your machine: If the visually broken board did not light it back up, the other probably is dead as well. Diagnosing such faults is pretty hard and only surely possible by swapping the other bord as well. But, if you spend several hundred bucks on 2 bords, but still not being sure it might work again, and haveing in the mind that there was not sorted out fault before which might be more serious than expected, I guess you are cheaper, better and safer off buying a new one.

Post# 807014 , Reply# 2 2/1/2015 at 07:01 (3,370 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea))
Checkrate/Likes 2 Hax, I'm VERY concerned for your safety. NEVER short power terminals as a diagnostic method. NEVER NEVER do it with a handheld conductive tool. The former is almost certain to blow up electronic control boards. The latter is frightfully likely to kill you.

Post# 807035 , Reply# 3 2/1/2015 at 09:57 (3,370 days old) by electron1100 (England)
Checkrate/Likes *Trouble* never a good idea to short anything out (high or low voltage) unless you know exactly what are doing, can I ask why you wanted to short across the heater wires? or do you mean the thermostat wires Gary

Post# 807056 , Reply# 4 2/1/2015 at 12:53 (3,370 days old) by haxisfan (Europe - UK / Italy)
Checkrate/Likes *Thanks for the replies guys...* Thank you for your replies and concern! Henene4 you gave me a great idea about the secondary PCB... and that will probably be my next step (it's cheap and all... only about $45.00/€40.00/£30.00). I'm determined to save this washer... I like it so much and there's no way to get another one the same as it's been discontinued. What worries me is that the electrical circuit itself got fried somewhere... but I least I know for sure that the part concerned with the pumps and the solenoids is still in good working order... well, not a big deal really though :P I was thinking about the control knob as well... could have that get toasted too? Artilab and Gary, you're so right... it was a real silly moment, but I wasn't completely unaware of what was going on there. I've been feeling so embarassed about it that everytime I speak to my family on the phone (they live about 2,000 miles away from me) they feel there's something in my voice and they ask whether everything is ok, but I haven't been able to tell them what happened... but today, I vented it online and to 1 member of my family too. I wasn't so careless though, the appliance was unplugged while I was working with it, but I had to plugged it back in for the tests I wanted to carry out. I had read a lot about the E16 error code and apparently the machine should prevent any tripping of the meter and any internal short circuit when the heater is shorted. Shorting the heater infact was the easy part... but the trouble happened after, when I tried to short the contacts for the little NTC probe that on this model of washer is directly built in onto the heater. But even shortening the NTC wasn't the cause of the trouble... the short circuit happened afterwords... as soon as I plugged the machine back in... because I left something touching the metal casing. The control knob was still on the 'Off' position... that's why I was fairly sure that this accident would have affected just the core board (visibly roasted)... rather then other components as well. Thanks again :)

Post# 807096 , Reply# 5 2/1/2015 at 15:36 (3,370 days old) by washerman250 (BLACKPOOL united kingdom)
Checkrate/Likes *oh dear 🙍😟* Firstly. At least you can use your nextra. Mines broke the pump and suspension. Having to take to mum and dads indesit . Maybe the whole PCB has gone check. Otherwise I don't know. Because unfortunately I have not a lot of knowledge when it comes to repairing I just buy a new one 💵💵😜 . finally do you have a new washer in mind if yours is in repairable thanks

Post# 807192 , Reply# 6 2/1/2015 at 22:44 (3,370 days old) by iej (.... )
Checkrate/Likes I'm not trying to be patronising here but what you've described is VERY dangerous and, even with an RCD, could kill you stone dead! RCDs constantly compare the live and neutral and if there's a discrepancy they trip. They will not trip however if something, for example a knife / person, is connected between the live and neutral. So, you could still seriously burn yourself, get shocked or even killed. Secondly washing machines have a number of very dangerous moving components - The motor and particularly the belt and wheel at the back of the drum are extremely dangerous and could quite easily remove your fingers. Do not work on a washing machine when it's plugged in, particularly when you're not taking any precautions or even using proper tools! It's a sure way to an early grave or very nasty injuries.

Post# 807593 , Reply# 7 2/4/2015 at 03:55 (3,367 days old) by haxisfan (Europe - UK / Italy)
Checkrate/Likes *Still Determined 2 Fix This* Hi Washerman250... that's right... I can use Nextra, however the laundry is still piling up as I spent part of the weekend trying to figure out why the machine wouldn't work even with a new PCB... and normally I would've done 4/5 loads during the weekend only... and another load almost everyday (when other plans don't clash with it). I had another washer in mind, but things have changed slightly since Hoover admitted to have sent me an unprogrammed core board... so, they're collecting it soon, and send another one out (this time programmed hopefully). Iej, no worries, you're not patronising... I know this is a delicate subject and the negative emotions it can evoke... I also know how dangerous electricity can be and I am sorry to even talk about this here: I was hoping some of you dealt with this scenario before and could give me some advice. Having said that, I'm not a complete beginner with front load washing machines, and I've repaired a few in the past... mind you... they weren't chock-a-blok with electronic circuits... yet they work on the same principle and they had the same amount of moving parts.

Post# 809819 , Reply# 8 2/17/2015 at 14:17 (3,354 days old) by washerman250 (BLACKPOOL united kingdom)
Checkrate/Likes *how is it going* Watched your latest yt bid last night see you moved nextra back in how is it with the dynamic ☺i got a new one now a bosch

Post# 810561 , Reply# 12 2/22/2015 at 03:10 (3,349 days old) by washerman250 (BLACKPOOL united kingdom)
Checkrate/Likes *still no joy ?* How's it going I hope smoothly maybe post a video to yt maybe even more help will come

Post# 809841 , Reply# 9 2/17/2015 at 17:39 (3,354 days old) by Haxisfan (Europe - UK / Italy)
Checkrate/Likes *Still Waiting...* Hi Washerman250... sorry I didn't reply on YT... it's beyond me how I don't have a reply button under your comments!! Fixing the Dynamic is proving even more difficult than I thought! A few things have been tried already with no joy, but I haven't thrown in the towel yet. I have someone coming to see it later this week... but it might still be a while before it'll be back in the game... if it will ever. If the worst comes to the worst, I'll sell it for spares... but I hope it won't come to that :-(

Post# 809900 , Reply# 10 2/18/2015 at 03:01 (3,353 days old) by washerman250 (BLACKPOOL united kingdom)
Checkrate/Likes I hope not too considered that washer in silver but out of stock so keeping with my Bosch oh looks like everyone s washers breaking mine yours my uncles (hotpoint few12) flooded the kitchen because door and PCB gone lol!

Post# 809904 , Reply# 11 2/18/2015 at 04:26 (3,353 days old) by washerman250 (BLACKPOOL united kingdom)
Checkrate/Likes I hope not too considered that washer in silver but out of stock so keeping with my Bosch oh looks like everyone s washers breaking mine yours my uncles (hotpoint few12) flooded the kitchen because door and PCB gone lol!

Post# 810566 , Reply# 13 2/22/2015 at 03:45 (3,349 days old) by Haxisfan (Europe - UK / Italy)
Checkrate/Likes *No Joy Yet* Washerman250... no news unfortunately, it might still be a while! I had a non-Hoover engineer before yesterday and he said that he'll be contacting me again in 2 weeks as he's trying to get a new core PCB: little he knows... that won't solve anything! That said, I'm willing to wait and see how it all goes...

Post# 811589 , Reply# 14 2/28/2015 at 14:31 (3,343 days old) by Haxisfan (Europe - UK / Italy)
Checkrate/Likes *Update - New Washer* Hi again, I just wanted to share some new info about my current situation with the defunct Hoover Dynamic 8 Pulse. Unfortunately it hasn't yet been brought back to life and I decided to get a new washer. I'm still trying to fix the Dynamic: a team of engineers are working on it :P For the time being, I ordered and took delivery of a new washing machine which has been placed in the spare room. This is a slim line washing machine, and it measures only 40cm in depth. It was available at a bargain price as it's an ex-display appliance, and I couldn't resist the opportunity, given the fact that it's a model I really like :) If the Dynamic 8 Pulse can be resuscitated, no matter how long it would/could take, it shall go back in the kitchen and take the place of the Hoover Nextra which can retire permanently: yet, I feel like saying... never say never! I shot a little clip of the new arrival as I was testing its reaction to an excessive detergent load... feel free to click on the link below. CLICK HERE TO GO TO Haxisfan's LINK

Post# 813391 , Reply# 15 3/11/2015 at 12:01 (3,332 days old) by washerman250 (BLACKPOOL united kingdom)
Checkrate/Likes *any joy yet* Wow hope it is fixed if it has been such along time since was broke

Post# 813673 , Reply# 16 3/12/2015 at 18:21 (3,331 days old) by Haxisfan (Europe - UK / Italy)
Checkrate/Likes *Getting there...* Washerman, I know it's been a long time... it's almost all done now, just one more little issue with the heater. The 5th and hopefully the last engineer visit has been booked for next week ;-)

Post# 814901 , Reply# 17 3/20/2015 at 11:10 (3,323 days old) by aeg03 (London, UK)
Checkrate/Likes Heya, Any news on the Pulse 8 machine? Have you managed to get any further with it? I hope you get your favourite machine working like new ;) x

Post# 814915 , Reply# 18 3/20/2015 at 14:29 (3,323 days old) by haxisfan (Europe - UK / Italy)
Checkrate/Likes *Mama Dynamic is back!* That's it... at long b****y last it's fully operational with 2 new PCB boards (core board + control panel board), a new cycle selector switch, a new heater and a new NTC probe. I'm ever so grateful to the repair company who had so much patience with me and arranged 5 no-quibble engineer visits... I'll make sure they have great feedback from me! There are some things in my Dynamic 8-Pulse that have been lost for ever, as the new Core PCB is equipped with their latest software which foresees the loss of the initial high speed spin sequences, so, the detergent, at the start of each cycle, is now mixed by means of the jets and a reverse distri-wash phase. Another thing which has been lost is the intermittent drain pump operation, the latter would previously be switched off during balancing attempts, but this is no longer the case as it's kept on thoughout all draining phases. I'm so glad to see the back of this nightmare once and for all! I decided not to retire Nextra who can stay in the kithen and be used occasionally by myself and the household, while the Dynamic 8-Pulse will be my daily driver. As for baby Dynamic, I'm thinking about sending it to my holiday place. Thank you and happy washing everyone ;-)

Post# 815035 , Reply# 19 3/21/2015 at 16:35 (3,322 days old) by Haxisfan (Europe - UK / Italy)
Checkrate/Likes *Return Vid* Return vid below... Dynamic 8 Pulse from 5:00 onwards. CLICK HERE TO GO TO Haxisfan's LINK