Specialists are dazed and confused. The do not understand why many users tend to change the heating element when the washing machine stops heating water. The lack of heat can be the result of a variety of malfunctions and today we will try to describe them.
Causes of the malfunction
No heating during the washing? Usually women notice such malfunctions almost immediately after it has occurred. First of all, the clothes is washed much worse. Second of all, condensation appears on the door during washing, which indicates that it is washed from the inside with cold water.
In most cases, the machine continues to operate normally despite the lack of heat. But sometimes it stops working displaying F19 or F22 errors.
Possible malfunctions:
- Heating element or its circuit is broken.
- Temperature sensor or its circuit is broken.
- The water level sensor is clogged or broken.
- The control module is faulty, firmware does not operate correctly.
It is quite difficult even for an experienced specialist to determine the specific malfunction by monitoring the external behavior of your Bosch washing machine. An amateur can detect a breakdown only during a classic test.
Heating element or its circuit
The heating element at the Bosh washing machine is mounted in the front part, so to get to it, you need to remove the front panel of the body. You cannot just remove the front panel, first you need to do the following:
- remove the top cover;
- pull out the detergent drawer;
- unscrew the control panel;
- remove the decorative panel;
- remove the hatch cuff; it is possible not to remove the hatch cuff completely, just pull off the clamp, and put the rubber into the drum.
- unscrew the hatch locking device.
For partial disassembly of the washing machine, it is enough to have a screwdriver and for checking we need a multimeter. First of all, we check the resistance of the heating element itself, which is mounted in a special socket in the tank. Next, check the supply wiring.
We act further based on the results of the check. If the heating element is defective, pull it out and put a new original element in its place. If you find an open circuit, you need to solder the wire or replace it, if damaged.
The process of the heating element replacement in the Bosch washing machine is described individually.
Temperature sensor
The temperature sensor breaks down not so often, however, it is worth checking it out. The reasons for the malfunction of the temperature sensor lie in the water overheating, in a factory defect or in a system failure.
The temperature sensor is mounted directly into the seal of the heating element. This means we will have to partially disassemble the Bosch washing machine to get to this part as in the previous case.
Before you start disassembling your Bosch washing machine, disconnect it from the power supply network and turn off the water.
- Unscrew the bolts that hold the top cover of the machine body. Shift the cover slightly forward and then lift it up.
- Pull out the detergent drawer as much as possible and then take it off by pushing the tongue in the area of the rinse aid compartment.
- Under the dispenser there are bolts that hold the control panel, they need to be unscrewed. There is one more bolt on the right side of the control panel of the washing machine, it also needs to be unscrewed.
- The control panel is now fixed only with the latches. With some effort unlatch and remove it. Be careful not to tear the wires.
- Open the door completely, bend the cuff from the upper side with your fingers and then catch the spring of the clamp using a screwdriver. Pulling the spring clamp with a screwdriver up, you can easily dismantle it.
- Put the cuff inside the hatch so that it does not prevent the removal of the front panel of the machine body.
- Below the front panel of the machine there is a narrow decorative panel. It is attached with the help of latches. Carefully remove the decorative panel and then unscrew all the bolts holding the front panel of the body.
- Unscrew the bolts near the hatch locking device, as well as one bolt located on the top between the front panel of the machine body and the control panel.
- Carefully remove the front panel, at the same time unplugging the power cable of the hatch locking device.
Next, remove the wires from the temperature sensor and check its resistance. If the sensor is faulty, unscrew the tension nut, remove the old sensor and in its place mount a new one. If the sensor was intact, you need to check the wiring for openings.
Level sensor
If water does not heat up in your Bosch washing machine, the water level sensor may be to blame. At first glance, there is no direct connection between the sensor showing the level of water in the washing machine tank and the heating of water. However, this is only at first glance.
The water level sensor is located near the heating element. First of all, you need to check if the pressure switch tube is clogged.
- Push your hand between the tank and the side panel of the body of the Bosch washing machine.
- Grope for the tube that goes to the pressure switch and carefully remove it.
- Pull out the tube and inspect it for clogs, if necessary, blow it off.
If there are no clogs, check the resistance of the pressure switch coil. A defective coil cannot be repaired. It is necessary to remove the wires from the level sensor, remove the broken pressure switch and replace it with a new one. The wiring is checked for the breakdown in the standard way.
Control module
After making sure that the heating element, temperature sensor and pressure switch, as well as the wiring of your Bosch washing machine are intact, you need to think about problems with electronics. It is highly likely that the control module has a malfunction.
It is difficult to say what the nature of this malfunction is. A bus may be broken or the wiring may be damaged. Maybe the firmware does not operate correctly and needs to be reset. There are many options and the real cause can be detected only as a result of comprehensive professional testing. We strongly recommend to entrust this work to an experienced master. Because if you damage the control module by trying to repair it at home, the cost of replacing it will be huge.
A specialist will test the Bosch washing machine electronic unit for a relatively low price and render his verdict: repair or replacement. Most often, electronic components are subject to repair.
How to wash without repair
If you don’t have time to repair your Bosch washing machine but you need to wash all those mountains of clothes accumulated right now, we offer an original way out. But let us warn you at once, it is better not to exploit the malfunctioning machine for a long time and repair it as soon as possible. So, how to wash your clothes, if the washing machine refuses to heat water?
- First we decide at what temperature we will wash clothes. We set the indicated temperature on the domestic water heater (for example, 600С) and wait until the water heats up.
- We approach the washing machine and shut off the flow of cold water into it. Open the detergent drawer, pour the powder into it and put the showerhead in it.
- We put dirty clothes into the washing machine drum, close the door, turn on the machine and set the washing program.
- Immediately turn on the hot water, which begins to flow into the detergent drawer through the showerhead washing the powder into the washing machine’s tank.
- We wait until the water is filled and observe the behavior of the washing machine. As soon as there is enough water, the machine will start washing. That’s when we must turn off the hot water, remove the showerhead from the drawer and close the detergent drawer.
- Open the previously shut off faucet of cold water and you can leave the bathroom. When the washing machine finishes washing, it drains the soapy water, pumps the rinse water, rinses the clothes and then runs the spinning mode. All this will be done without your participation.