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[powerslinky]

This could be quite a long post but  . . thought I would post this up  as never heard of this happening before .

Have a 3 -4 year old hotpoint WMF940 washing machine . It has run faultlessly since new . Up until now 

It did not finish it's cycle & F-05 was the code on the display . I had a search around the manual & online  & this seemed to point to a pump problem .

I removed the machine from the utility room , to outside the house , removed the filter & found 3 coins 

Replaced filter & thought I would just run a programme by connecting the water supply & power outdide where it was sitting.

Bear in mind machine was in mid cycle ,  & as soon as I switched on the power the machine display would light , fault code had gone,but after a second,  the main RCD tripped in my consumer unit .  The MCB for the utility circuit did not  .

Found out through researching that if the RCD trips , it is usually an earth fault or direct short

So started by disconnecting the pump feed , still the same , almost instant RCD trip . worked around the machine disconnecting  items , door switch, circuit board etc.  but still the same , RCD tripping .

Ended up back at where the power comes into the machine & there is some sort of power supply there & the mains goes into this & there is a L N E coming out which supplies everything in the machine . So disconnected this outward supply & switched on at the socket  . . . . still tripped the RCD

Disconnected the inward supply wires L N E . . . . so all we had was a plug & length of mains cable  . .  it still tripped the RCD

So  . . . ok it must be a mains lead fault  I  thinks  . . . so tested cable for shorts or breakage  . . but nothing showing 

So cut off moulded 13 amp plug & fitted a new plug  . . . . BINGO  . . .  all working fine .

Have never known a factory fitted moulded plug to be faulty before .  So question is  . . . what caused it to  fail ?

Seems weird as the machine was still on & lit up showing the fault code when we first noticed it had not finished it's cycle

Any ideas ?

[Matchless]

Take the fuse out of the moulded plug and have a good look at the fuse and fuse clips for signs of overheating, also look for carbon or discolouration of the plastic within the fuse compartment.
Check for any signs of overheating or discolouration of the wall socket as well - a loose or weak contact in the socket can cause the plug to overheat.

We replace a reasonable number of mains leads each year due to similar faults on high-powered medical devices, the fuses and contact clips heat up in normal use, the plastics begin to soften and degrade, eventually becoming sufficiently conductive to trip an RCD. We inspect all mains leads annually and carry out an insulation test to weed out failing leads before they cause a problem - even finding faults with brand-new leads occasionally.

[powerslinky]

Take the fuse out of the moulded plug and have a good look at the fuse and fuse clips for signs of overheating, also look for carbon or discolouration of the plastic within the fuse compartment.
Check for any signs of overheating or discolouration of the wall socket as well - a loose or weak contact in the socket can cause the plug to overheat.

We replace a reasonable number of mains leads each year due to similar faults on high-powered medical devices, the fuses and contact clips heat up in normal use, the plastics begin to soften and degrade, eventually becoming sufficiently conductive to trip an RCD. We inspect all mains leads annually and carry out an insulation test to weed out failing leads before they cause a problem - even finding faults with brand-new leads occasionally.

Thanks for that  . . . I will disect the old plug & investigate

[Kevin Wood]

Another possibility is that the plug suffered water ingress while you were working on the machine, perhaps?

[powerslinky]

Another possibility is that the plug suffered water ingress while you were working on the machine, perhaps?

ah ..good point Kevin  . . could well have done . 

I am trying to find where I have put the old moulded plug so I can inspect it 

[baggers]

Or made in china 

Some of the wiring that comes out of China is a disgrace.

[baggers]

Sometimes if the brushes get low they can cause the program to fall short and in some cases cause tripping and there are occasions were it can track back and damage the PCB.

[Ever Ready]

Had a similar problem this morning with an electronic fly killer, it tripped the breaker twice, unplugged the power cord and tested it again, tripped the breaker again

Turns out water had dripped onto the cable connector where it enters the unit and tracked across the live,neutral & earth

New one ordered for next week

[STEMO]

Had a similar problem this morning with an electronic fly killer, it tripped the breaker twice, unplugged the power cord and tested it again, tripped the breaker again

Turns out water had dripped onto the cable connector where it enters the unit and tracked across the live,neutral & earth

New one ordered for next week

It snowed in Scotland today, I'd leave it till next year, unless the flies up there are much hardier than down here.