Smoke came out of the washing machine

An indispensable household appliance, a washing machine uses both water and electricity, making it doubly dangerous. Leaving it unattended is strictly prohibited; instead, it's essential to constantly monitor the washing process and, in the event of an emergency, promptly respond to any malfunction. The worst thing is if a washing machine starts smoking, as if left unattended, it could quickly escalate into a fire. Don't hesitate – turn off the power and determine the cause of the fire. Detailed instructions are provided below.

Immediate action

If smoke is coming from the machine or there is a burning smell, the first thing you need to do is turn off the power to the machine. If you cut off the power supply in time, you can stop the fire and prevent it from starting. Therefore, we turn off the corresponding circuit breaker on the panel, or better yet, cut off the electricity in all rooms.

Never pull the plug on a power cord that's still live! Doing so is life-threatening! There's a high risk of electric shock!

Until the power is turned off, do not approach the machine or touch its body. Remember that a faulty wiring will cause current leakage onto all conductive materials, including metal. Even approaching the machine is dangerous—a puddle of water could be nearby, which could have similar consequences. Therefore, at the slightest suspicion of a fire, quickly shut off the power and only then begin to investigate the root cause and assess the extent of the problem.

What could have happened?

Once there's no longer a risk of electric shock, you can begin searching for the source of the fire. Wait a few minutes and then unplug the cord. Your life is now out of danger.

Next, inspect the power cord, plug, and socket. These are most often the ones that suffer from power surges, loose contacts, or other fire hazards. Therefore, look for signs of melting, burning, or any characteristic odor. Smoke could only appear when high temperatures were applied to the top insulating layer of the conductors. If a visual inspection reveals no suspicious issues, the washing machine is smoking for another reason. In that case, we'll continue searching for the problem within the washing machine itself.

We are looking for the cause of smoke in the machine body

Smoke often comes from inside the machine, so we conduct a thorough inspection of the unit. For convenience, we recommend draining the machine through the emergency drain, then disconnecting it from the sewer and water supply and moving it away from the wall. Further investigation of the fire source proceeds as follows:

Use your sense of smell as a guide – the intensity of the burning smell will help you find the cause.

1. Open the hatch door and check for a burning smell coming from the drum. If there's smoke, the cause is a frayed drive belt. It's important to understand that with prolonged use, some components wear and shift, which affects the belt tension. Due to the changed load, the belt ring rubs heavily against adjacent components, causing smoke and an unpleasant smell of burning rubber. The solution is simple: simply replace the belt with a new one.
2. Pay attention to the rear panel, where the power cord enters the case. If there are signs of a fire, take a closer look at the surge protector. Visually assess its condition and be sure to check its functionality with a multimeter. If the part is faulty, it must be replaced.
3. We remove the rear panel, drive belt, engine, find the heating element and, having unscrewed the bolt holding it, take out the heater. Heavy scale buildup or faulty contacts on the heating element are the first things on the list of what could be causing a smoking washing machine. Most often, the wiring connected to it becomes corroded or dirty, or the part overheats due to a layer of scale. If this malfunction occurs, the smoke will persist even after turning off the machine. We check the heating element for functionality, clean it, or replace it with a new one.

While searching for the root cause, don't forget to immediately assess the condition of all the wires you encounter. A broken wire or short circuit could have occurred anywhere in the circuit, so look for traces of soot or melted insulation and don't forget to sniff all suspicious areas. The smell of burnt rubber lingers for a long time, increasing the chances of a successful diagnosis.

If the source of the smoke cannot be found, and there are no longer any visible or audible signs of fire, it is strictly forbidden to connect the faulty unit to the power supply. A service technician must be called in, who will use specialized equipment to quickly and accurately locate the problem.

   

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