Do You have a Miele W502 Front Loader Washer which goes out of balance regularly?

Miele Washing machines with the Model number of W502 or similar can develop an out of balance problem when they reach the 5 year age. Of corse this will depend on how many loads are going through the machine per week. This may also depend on the size and type of load typically put through the machine. This is not a manufacturing fault with the washing machine, it is just a maintenance issue which needs to be rectified after a certain amount of use.

Miele W502 Front Loader Washer

The Miele front loading washing machine like many other front loaders has a pair of shock absorbers which support the bowl. These shock absorbers work similarly to the shock absorbers in your car. As the clothing in the washing machine is moved around in the bowl, the shockies absorb that movement so that it is not transferred to the outside of the machine. Without these shockies in the machine, it would have to be bolted down to the floor so that it did not vibrate the machine to pieces. The manufacturers have worked how much absorption is required to keep the machine still without having to bolt it to the floor. When the shock absorbers become worn, they don’t absorb the movement of the load anymore and so the loads go out of balance more regularly.

The manufacturers of front loaders like Miele have a couple other components which also help with the vibrations.

1. They also use springs which the bowl hangs off of and suspends the bowl so that the shock absorbers can do their job.
2. The manufacturers build weight into the machine by adding either concrete blocks of like in Miele case cast iron. This weight is placed around the outside of the bowl and this softens some of the vibration and counterbalances and imbalances in the load of clothing.
3. The speed control between wash and spin is critical to distribute the clothing around the inner bowl evenly. If this was not achieved all the clothing would be on one side of the bowl and would throw the bowl out of balance.

Miele Shock Absorbers

These components will not be able to compensate for the load when the shock absobers are worn. It is time to have them replaced. A front load may go out out of balance on a rare occasion usually if you have one heavy article with the rest light article, but it should not be going out of balance regularly. If the worn shock absorbers are left too long the severe vibrations could cause problems to the rest of the machine. On the early model W828 the severe vibration would actually cause the electronic to fuse which turned into a real expensive repair.

If your Miele front loader is going out of balance call your local Miele trained service mechanic to replace the shock absorbers or as Miele calls them “Friction Dampers”. It is a relatively straight forward job for a Miele trained serviceman and will most likely carry the spare parts in his or her van stock. Here in and around Mackay call me Rod Swan on 0408776405

]]> http://andergroveapplianceservice.com.au/washing-machines/out-of-balance-miele-washers/feed/ 0 http://andergroveapplianceservice.com.au/cooking/miele-generation-6000-appliances/ http://andergroveapplianceservice.com.au/cooking/miele-generation-6000-appliances/#comments Sat, 30 Mar 2013 00:03:36 +0000 http://andergroveapplianceservice.com.au/?p=237

A new range of Miele Appliances will be arriving in Australia last quarter of 2013 according to James Wells who has written an article for the latest Current.com newsletter. The new range is called Generation 6000 to take over from Generation 5000 which was launched in Australia in 2008.

“The new premium range of appliances will be sold by premium specialists that know how to sell these products and we will continue to align ourselves and invest with these premium partners,” David Woollcott told Current.com.au at the Miele’s head office in Gütersloh.

“Each category within the Generation 6000 range of products features genuine Miele-exclusive technology which offers real consumer benefits that can be demonstrated in-store to deliver that ‘wow factor’ during the sales process,” he said.

Among the innovations introduced to the Generation 6000 products which are expected in Australia later this year are:

- M-Touch: a new digital touch-sensitive user interface with modern ‘wiping’, navigation and scrolling functionality driven by proprietary software that is incorporated across all key product categories including ovens, steam ovens, microwave combi ovens and coffee machines

- Colours: the opportunity to introduce selected cooking appliance packages in colours other than the traditional stainless steel

- PyroFit: this new technology provides the ability to conduct pyrolytic cleaning without having to remove the side racks and telescopic runners

- Australian Cooking Programs: Miele has introduced automatic cooking programs that have been specifically created to achieve perfect results with Australian ingredients for Australian palates

- Multi-Steam: this technology uses multiple steam outlets to achieve a faster and even more effective generation and distribution of steam

- Popcorn Microwave Feature: the new larger capacity microwave with 40-centimetre turntable features a dedicated automatic ‘popcorn feature’

- Con@ctivity 2.0: New Miele rangehoods feature ‘Con@ctivity 2.0’ which automatically communicates with the cooktop to operate at an optimal level

- Gourmet Warming Drawers: re-positioning of warming drawers to ‘gourmet warming drawers’ emphasising the ability to cook at low temperatures

- Cup Sensor: new built-in Miele coffee machines feature Cup Sensor which automatically adjusts the spout to different height cups.

Below is a Miele video demonstrating the new automatic cup height adjusting spout.

For all your Miele service requirements in the Mackay area you can call me Rod Swan, Andergrove Appliance Service on 0408776405

Miele Dishwasher Drain Pump

As in any dishwasher the drain pump is essential for the dishwasher to work properly. If it doesn’t work properly some of the obvious signs will be.

• Inlet/Dain light coming on, mentioned in a previous post,
• Water in the dishwasher above the filter after the dishwasher has finished the cycle.
• Dishes not washed clean.

The most common reason for this is a blockage in the drain pump. Miele dishwasher drain pumps have been built to be easily serviced. Steps to check a drain pump.

1. Open the dishwasher and remove the bottom roll out rack.
2. Lift out the sump filter by turning the handle 90 deg. and lifting out.
3. It’s easier at this stage, if you remove the water out of the dishwasher sump with a small container and then a sponge.
4. Once the water is out of the dishwasher you should have a clear view of the pump cover on one side at the bottom of the sump.
5. To remove the drain pump cover will depend on which model dishwasher you have.
6. Some model have a wire clip and others have a vertical standing plastic clip.
7. Once you remove the clip the pump cover will lift up.
8. When you do this a small amount of water will gush out of the non return valve.
9. Mop the rest of the water out so you can get a good look at the pump.
10. Check the non return valve is free for the ball to rattle around inside and there is no obstructions.
11. Now check the pump impeller turn freely and there is nothing stopping it from turning.
12. The new style of drain pump will have a slight magnetic pull in a couple places as you turn it.
13. Be careful of possible sharp glass or metal pieces in the drain pump.
14. Once it is all clear reassemble in the reverse order. Then test the dishwasher again.

If the diswaher now drains out youshould be good to go, but if you still have a problem, then it is time to call a Miele Serviceman. He has the tools and knowledge to repair your dishwasher promptly and efficiently. If you live in the Mackay area of Queensland call me Rod Swan of Andergrove Appliance Service. 0408776405

Miele Dishwasher Inlet/Drain Fault

This fault usually shows up for owner of a Miele Dishwasher as a light flashing on the control panel. The Inlet/Drain light flashing covers a wide variety of faults within the dishwasher and it’s self diagnostics. Some of these maybe possible for the owner to fix by themself, others will require a Miele Serviceman. Because it can covers both the dishwasher filling and emptying we have to look at all possiblilities. Some of the most common reasons are:

• Tap turned off,
• Kicked inlet hose,
• Faulty inlet valve,
• Faulty inlet fill sensor,
• Pressure switch fault,
• Heater relay fault,
• Blockage in drain pump, non return valve or drain hose,
• Kicked drain hose,
• Faulty drain pump.

For the dishwasher user there are a couple things to check if they are confident to do so.

1. First obvious one is check that the inlet tap is still turned on. If you can remove the dishwasher hose put a container under the  tap and see if any water comes out.
2. Next easiest is to check the drain pump by pulling out the racks from inside the dishwasher. Check the the sump filter is clean and remove the drain pump cover. If you are not sure about that I will write another story about that in the future. Once the cover is removed check the non return valve for sticking and obstructions. Then check that the impellor turns and there is no obstruction in the pump. If that is Ok,reassemble and test the dishwasher again.
3. If the dishwasher still doesn’t work correctly and the Inlet Drain light comes on, it is time to pull the dishwasher out of the cupboard. Depending, if your dishwasher is intergrated and how it is installed, this can be harder than actually repairing the dishwasher. Once you have the dishwasher out, check for kinks in the inlet and drain hoses. The most common place for obstructions to the drain hose is in the spigot under the sink where the dishwasher drain hose is fitted to the S bent under your sink.

If all this checks out Ok, then it is time to call a Miele Serviceman. He has the tools and knowledge to repair your dishwasher promptly and effeciently. If you live in the Mackay area of Queensland call me Rod Swan of Andergrove Appliance Service. 0408776405

Miele Dishwasher have a huge range of Fault codes.

Miele dishwashers all have electronic controls with sophisticated software, the dishwashers have a number of sensors in various rolls. Measuring amount of water coming in, water clarity while washing, temperature, water pressure in the pump, motor speed, and others. Because of this, a Miele dishwasher is able to tell a repairer a fair amount of information if the repairer has the right tools. This makes repairs by the home handyman almost impossible.

With this particular fault, the machine was draining initially, then filling with water as it is supposed to. Then when the wash pump was supposed to start there was nothing. The pump motor was seized and not washing. For this job the dishwasher has to be dismantled and the wash pump motor removed. The wash pump motor assembly has to be dismantled and then if the impeller can be turn and freed the motor assembly should be able to be reassembled and refitted to the dishwasher. This can happens if the dishwasher has not been used for a long time, say 6 months.

This may sound fairly simple service but not recommended by the home handyman. The wash pump motor is in a confined space with 4 hose connections, water heating elemnt wiring, pressure switch connection and wiring, capacitor fitting multiplugs for the motor and diverter valve all have to be removed and reitted to the wash pmp motor assembly.

For the cost of a service call and an hour,s labour it is worth calling your local Miele service agent to carry out this type of repair.

If in Mackay area call me, Rod Swan on 0408 776 405