Small frontloaders not spinning out.

[ndennis]

Here is one for some of you experts. I have 5 WE66 (16 # Swedish Electrolux washers high speed spin). The washers are 2 years old and are the Emerald Series. Very similar to the Wascomat W16 The washers do not always spin out. The go through the wash, rinse and spin cycles ok, but when they get to the final spin they continue to tumble as if in drain mode. Any ideas becuase Electrolux in Sweden have not been particularly helpfull in solving the problem.

[Howard]

Check to make sure that there is no blockage in the drain. The bigger Wascos will not spin if there is still water in the drum to protect the motor from burning out on high load, perhaps these do the same thing.

The other thing could be a bad thermal overload breaker in the motor or a bad contactor for the high speed spin.

[ndennis]

Thank you Howard. Here is some extra info. No problems with drain. I have sat behind the washers and listened to the drain and everything works ok. I was lucky enough to be there when one did not spin out. The drain worked ok. No strange noises, no grinding. The drain is a dump and has plenty of drop. According to Electrolux the problem only exists at my store (pardon me but I think I am going to choke). The failure to spin is an intermitent fault and is happening on all the WE66's. There are no problems with the 18#'s, 25#'s and 35 #'s. They are all on the same drain line, same power source. Any more info required please ask.

[PeterH]

Hey Neal,

Two things come to mind. I know people are fabric softener happy here in the States, and softener gunk (that's a scientific term) can build up on the inside of the air tube and the trapped air may prevent the level mechanism from resetting. Might want to check that...

The other thing to check might be the out of balance sensing mechanism. Maybe it's too sensitive or it's not resetting properly. Have you checked also to ensure the machines are level?

-ph

[petefritz]

Pete h has an idea there.

I have had a similar problem, sort of, with ipso HF-55. Has happened a couple times, and is becuase the tub tapped the out of balance switch to many times, so for saftey it tumbles slow. IPSO can be set for it to try and re-right the Out of balance, after so many tries it just does the slow spin. Your problem could be something like that. the couple times it happened, all I did was repostion the tub assmbly. The shocks are so heavy duty that it does not really let the tub rest in the "middle" if it gets a heavy load, so the tub is positioned to close to the out balance trip switch. Then for no apparant reason it would trip on a regular load.
As for the drain, it should dump the water in less than 15 seconds.

[ndennis]

Hi Pete and Pete

I have checked the fabric softener compartments many times as this is where washing idiots also put soap. I have watched the machines and on the 2 occassions that the machines did not spin out the machines continued to tumble as if in drain mode. There was no attempt to go into spin.

Please help as my grand daughters are starting to question my loss of hair.

[petefritz]

Hi Neil
At this point I would replace, or switch from another machine, the timer. see if the problem changes. Going to be a try and tell deal I can see.

[ndennis]

Hi Pete.

Electrolux have changed mother-boards, epromts, put in a new machine and it still happens. I have to say the local distributor has been terrific. I think Sweden have put it in the too hard basket. I have emailed Sweden and they just choose to ignore me. The W75's, W100 (25#) and the 160's all work well. I have Electrolux (read ADC) stack dryers and these machines all good. I have a 35# multiproccessor, a 75# RMC dryer and 35# dryer, an Electrolux iron. Up steam, up air and vacuum. Probably the only fully 100%Electrolux coin-op and small commercial laundry in Australia. I would have thought that they would have looked after me. Yep I am, to us the Australian vernacular "bloody frustrated".

[PeterH]

But the problem is that these W16's are probably made here in the USA by the Frigidaire arm of Electrolux, so you might want to try contacting Frigidaire for help.

-ph

[petefritz]

I still think it is the out of balnace sensor/switch. It may be a bad idea, but maybe dissconect 1 or at least make it so the machine has a great leeeway before going OOB and see if the probelem goes away.

[ndennis]

Thank you guys for your input. I am convinced that Murphy and some of his leprachuan friends went to Electrolux in Sweden for a visit and Electrolux let then loose when my order was being made up.

Seeing as you all tried to help me see if you can help me here.

If you drop a 5# ball of steel into 20 degree water and 40 degree water.In which water will it sink the fastest?.

[Howard]

Most likely in the 40 degree water, as the 20 degree water is in the solid phase, a.k.a ice.

[ndennis]

You are too sharp Howard.

[Howard]

No, I'm just a chemical engineer in my pre-laundromat days. :~}

[ptdiver]

Try opening the end of the water level pressur switch with a small pin or punch. This has worked on Wascomats.