Specialist care for your Home Appliances

Stephen Whitehead

Domesticall,
5 East View,
Northallerton,
North Yorks,
DL6 1AQ.

Hello, I'm Stephen Whitehead, Proprietor of Domesticall. I am an Ex-Hotpoint/Creda Service Engineer and I repair and service most makes of Washing Machines, Tumble Dryers, Dishwashers, Cookers and Refrigeration products. If you require assistance in getting your Appliance repaired please do not hesitate to call or E Mail me.

If your experiencing a problem with your appliance you may wish to click on one of my trouble-shooting tips below in the first instance. If this doesn't work please call me.

Faulty Appliance Symptoms

Washing Machines
Removing Redeposition
My Washing Machine won't work!
My Washing Machine Won't Heat!
My Washing Machine Won't Empty!
My Washing Machine won't spin!
My Washing Machine Leaks!
My Washing Machine Fills and Empties At The Same Time (or sticks)!
My Washing Machine Door Won't Open!
The Fabric Conditioner Goes Straight Into The Machine!
My Washing Machine Jumps Around!

Tumble Dryers
Tumble Drying - General
My Tumble Dryer Won't Work!
Condenser Drying

Dishwashers
General
My Dishwasher Won't Work!
My Dishwasher Won't Empty!
My Dishwasher Leaks!
My Dishwasher Fills And Empties At The Same Time (or sticks)!
My Dishwasher Is Noisy!

Cookers
My Oven Won't Switch On!
If all else fails!

Warning
Beware!

All Appliances

With the exception of refrigeration, it is never a good idea to go out and leave any appliance working. The idea of all labour/time saving appliances is to allow you to do something else while they do the work for you. If anything goes wrong, for example your machine begins to flood, or even catch fire(it can and does happen) while you are not there, the consequences can be very serious, particularly if you were to leave an appliance running overnight whilst you are asleep. Unfortunately, some manufacturers encourage this practice by fitting delay facilities to their products. If in doubt, ask a Fireman.

Washing Machines

Removing Redeposition
To clean the inside of your machine, carry out an 'idle wash'. Set the machine to a 95 degree programme, add the normal amount of detergent and allow the machine to go through it's wash without a load. It is recommended that an idle wash be carried out every 3 months in order to keep the inside of your machine in good condition. If you live in a hard water area, it is advisable to use a descaling agent as you carry out the idle wash.

My Washing Machine won't work!
Is it plugged in and switched on? Is the machine on/off switch, switched on? Is the door shut properly? Check the socket by plugging another appliance e.g. table lamp in. Check the fuse. If your machine is plugged into a double adaptor or an extention lead, make sure that it is not faulty. Are both Hot and Cold taps turned on? Make sure that fill hoses are not kinked. Have any of the facility buttons been accidentally pushed in? (little fingers are often guilty here). If your machine has a delay facility, has it been activated? Has the child lock been activated?

My Washing Machine Won't Heat!
Make sure that the economy button has not been activated. (see manufacturer's instructions)

My Washing Machine won't empty!
If your machine is fitted with a filter, have you cleaned it? (some machines are fitted with self-cleaning filters). If the drain hose of your machine is fitted directly to the undersink pipework, there may be a blockage at this point. Disconnect the drain hose and check. Make sure that the drain hose is not kinked. If you have recently had any work done involving the removal of your washing machine, (i.e. new kitchen, floor, sink or taps fitted) make sure that any obstructions such as blank ends have been removed from the undersink pipework by the kitchen fitter.

My Washing Machine won't spin!
Some washing machines will not spin if they can not drain away. See My Washing Machine Won't Empty!

My Washing Machine Leaks!
Make sure that the machine is emptying properly. If not, see My Washing Machine Won't Empty!

Check Hot and Cold fill hoses at both ends. Make sure that the drain hose is not split. Make sure that the standpipe is not leaking or blocked. Leaks from the dispenser usually indicate that the machine is not emptying properly, (dispenser leaks can appear to be leaking from the door) although this could also be due to high water pressure, if so adjust water pressure at supply taps to the machine. Make sure that the dispenser drawer is clean, remove and clean underneath it. Door leaks can be caused by limescale build up on the inside of the door. Remove limescale with a scourer.

My Washing Machine Fills and Empties At The Same Time (or sticks)!
The drain hose could be pushed too far down the standpipe, causing the machine to syphon. Lift the drain hose and secure the end above the water line of the machine.

My Washing Machine Door Won't Open!
Make sure that the machine has emptied. If not, the door may be locked. See My Washing Machine won't empty!

The Fabric Conditioner Goes Straight Into The Machine!
Do not overfill the conditioner compartment as this can cause premature dispensing. Using a concentrated fabric conditioner will help this problem. Keep conditioner compartment clean. Note: Neat fabric conditioner can cause staining.

My Washing Machine Jumps Around!
Contrary to popular belief, the most common cause of this problem is not due to overloading the machine. Nor is it likely that the machine itself is at fault. In order to work properly, the machine has to be able to balance the load prior to spinning it. It can not do this if it has been badly loaded to begin with; e.g., it has been loaded with one large bath towel and a few smaller items. Therefore the cause of this problem is more likely to be that the machine is underloaded or badly loaded in some way. The most common cause of this particular problem, is the washing of bath mats. Most domestic washing machines are not equipped to cope with these. It is advised that they are not washed in a domestic washing machine. However, this problem may be overcome, by adding one or two large towels in order to maintain a balance. Using the half load setting will not alleviate this problem. Other items that commonly cause this problem include sheets, woollen jumpers and jeans. In fact any thing that becomes very heavy when saturated. Items should be loaded into the machine separately and not pushed through the door in a tangled lump. Load sheets from the centre first. The arms or legs of garments can wrap around other garments making it impossible for the machine to untangle them. Take care when loading.

Tumble Dryers

Tumble Drying - General
Over drying causes garments to give off lint. This in turn can clog up your tumble dryer, and under certain circumstances, lint can even catch fire. For this reason, it is vital that you do not overdry garments. It is equally important that the filter is cleaned after each drying cycle. A blocked filter will cause a build up of lint inside your tumble dryer. Additionally, poor drying performance can sometimes be attributed to blockages in either the inlet or exhaust of the dryer (not condenser dryers). If either becomes blocked or obstructed, the safety thermostat will cut off the supply to the heater. The dryer will then blow cold or may even stop altogether. Check that the inlet is not obstructed. Check that the outlet hose is not blocked and that the wall vent is clear. Do not place bags on top of the dryer. Do not try to dry excessively wet items.

My Tumble Dryer Won't Work!
Is it plugged in and switched on? Is the machine on/off switch, switched on? Is the door shut properly? Check the socket by plugging another appliance e.g. table lamp in. Check the fuse. If your machine is plugged into a double adaptor or an extention lead, make sure that it is not faulty. Have any of the facility buttons been accidentally pushed in? (little fingers are often guilty here). If your machine has a delay facility, has it been activated? Has the child lock been activated?

Condenser Drying
Condenser Dryers continuously circulate and heat the same air. For this reason it is very important that the lint filters are kept clean. If not, the dryer will overheat and the safety thermostats will cut in. On some dryers, these thermostats do not reset and so have to be replaced. This can be expensive. Check that the reservoir is empty before use.

Dishwashers

General
Where wash results are poor but your dishwasher is otherwise performing properly, there are a few checks that you can carry out yourself before calling for help. Firstly, make sure that you are using the dishwasher properly, by topping up the salt and rinse aid compartments. If you live in a soft water area, your dishwasher still requires salt occasionally to keep it working properly. After filling the salt reservoir it may take several washes before you begin to notice any improvement. Make sure that the rinse aid dispenser is set correctly. Too much rinse aid gives the crockery a greasy feel, too little leaves run marks. Clean filters and make sure that the spray arms are not blocked and are free to rotate.

My Dishwasher Won't Work!
Is it plugged in and switched on? Is the machine on/off switch, switched on? Is the door shut properly? Check the socket by plugging in another appliance e.g. table lamp. Check the fuse. If your machine is plugged into a double adaptor or an extention lead, make sure that it is not faulty. Is the supply tap turned on? Make sure that the fill hose is not kinked. Have any of the facility buttons been accidentally pushed in? (little fingers are often guilty here). If your machine has a delay facility, has it been activated? Has the child lock been activated?

My Dishwasher Won't Empty!
Have you cleaned the filters? If the drain hose of your machine is fitted directly to the undersink pipework, there may be a blockage at this point. Disconnect the drain hose and check. Make sure that the drain hose is not kinked. If you have recently had any work done involving the removal of your dishwasher, (i.e. new kitchen fitted) make sure that any obstructions such as blank ends have been removed from the undersink pipework by the kitchen fitter.

My Dishwasher Leaks!
Check fill hose at both ends. Make sure that the drain hose is not split. Make sure that the standpipe is not leaking or blocked.

My Dishwasher Fills And Empties At The Same Time (or sticks)!
The drain hose could be pushed too far down the standpipe, causing the machine to syphon. Lift the drain hose and secure the end above the water line of the machine. If the dishwasher sticks during the heat cycle, it may be that it is sticking due to a build up of suds in the machine. This can happen when you wash items that have been used to serve food high in protein. Protein causes an increase in suds, and suds can stop the dishwasher from working properly. Move the timer forward one click and see if the dishwasher finishes its cycle. If your machine is electronic and you can not index the timer manually, you could try putting a bar of soap in the top basket (soap kills suds) until the suds disappear. Remove the soap once the suds have gone. If the problem is a build up of suds, then your machine should continue through its cycle. In this case your machine will stick at only one point during the wash cycle. If it sticks more than once there may be something wrong with the heater circuit.

My Dishwasher Is Noisy!
Make sure that there are no loose objects such as cutlery, dishwasher fresheners etc obstructing the spray arms as they rotate. Small items, particularly light items, can fall through the bottom basket and obstruct the lower spray arm. Make sure that tall items of crockery etc are not catching the spray arms as they rotate.

Cookers

My Oven Won't Switch On!
Make sure that you have not accidentally switched the timer into the auto mode.

If all else fails!
If all else fails, please call or E-mail me.

Beware

Beware of untrained cowboy operators, they may cause you more problems than
they cure, and it will certainly be to your cost. Your machine should only need to be taken away in extreme cases, but these are very rare. Once this happens, you are
at the mercy of the repairer, as you can not see the work being carried out.
On these rare occasions Domesticall will return your displaced parts to you.
Unless you are certain what you are doing, do not attempt Do It Yourself repairs.

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