How to check the heating element of the washing machine?

When the washing machine suddenly stops heating water, it becomes a real problem, because it significantly affects the quality of washing. It is impossible to wash stubborn stains in cold water, in addition, the detergent does not dissolve well, and the laundry after such washing sometimes takes on an unpleasant, musty smell.

There may be several reasons why the heating does not happen. Most often it is a failure of the program module or TEN - a tubular heating element. As practice shows, the most common cause is the latter. TEN often comes into disrepair because of plaque, which occurs under the influence of hard water or low-quality household chemicals.

On how to independently diagnose the heating element and about preventive measures, we will tell in detail in today's article.

In order to check the serviceability of the heating element, you must first gain access to it - and this will require disassembling the washing machine. With most modern models, the heating element is either in the front or in the back of the cabinet. There are three easy ways to find it:

• compare the front and rear walls of the machine - which one is bigger, under that is usually hidden the heating element;
• Turn the washing machine on its side and find the heating element by removing its lower part;
• unscrew the top cover and by deflecting the machine aside find the heating element.

Having found the TEN, you can immediately dismantle it, but experts advise not to rush with this until you are convinced of its malfunction. Therefore, to begin with, simply disconnect the wires going to the THEN.

The most affordable way to diagnose a problem with the heating element is to measure its resistance. In order to determine it, we need to find the value of all the elements of the formula:

R = U² / P, where R is the resistance, U is the voltage, and P is the power.

The voltage applied to the heater is equal to the mains voltage: it is usually 220 volts. You can find out the capacity of the heating element in the corresponding section of the washing machine manual. If you could not find this information there, there are data on the Internet for all existing models. Most often it is 2000 W.

Now substitute the found values, calculate, and get the required value. According to our values R = 220² / 2000 = 24,2 Ohm.

The resistance obtained as a result of the calculation is the value at which the heating element can function normally. In case of a heating element malfunction, the resistance may change, resulting in interruptions in water heating. You can check the resistance with a multimeter, a device that allows you to measure various indicators of electric current.

Then set up the multimeter: start the resistance measurement mode, and set the value to 200 ohms. Place the probe to the terminals of the heating element. The measurement result should appear on the screen.

If the received number is equal or close to the one that we found according to the formula, then there is nothing wrong with the heating element. The number "1" means that there is a breakage inside the heating element. The number "0" is displayed in the case of a short circuit. In both cases, the heating element will have to be replaced.

Do not forget to check the body of the heating element for integrity. How to do this, see in the following video.

If you do not have a multimeter handy, you can test the heating element of the washing machine in other ways. The first of them does not require disassembly of the machine. To make sure that the heating element is functioning properly, run the washing at the highest temperature. Then carefully watch the rotation of the electric meter wheel - if it began to gain momentum, then the heater is most likely to be in good working order.

The second way to diagnose the heater is a visual inspection. If cracks or black spots are detected on the body of the device - the heating element must be replaced.

• When installing a new heating element or replacing an old one, carefully check the connections - they must be completely tight, otherwise the life span of the heater (and possibly the entire washing machine) will be very short.
• Extend the life of the heating element is possible by arranging a periodic preventive maintenance. The most readily available remedy is citric acid. Simply run the wash with an empty tank, pouring a couple of tablespoons of citric acid instead of powder. But do it no more than once a year, otherwise you can damage the metal elements of the washing machine.

You can learn about other preventive measures by watching the Ukrainian program "Everything will be good".