Steam or smoke coming from washing machine?

Primrose

After using my washing machine in its Spin mode this morning I was disconcerted to discover what looked like either smoke or steam coming out of the open door when I removed the washing. I've never noticed steam before and am worried it might have been smoke.
Can anybody suggest what might be the cause and what I should do now? I'm a little worried about using it again in case it might have been smoke and wonder what precautions I should take when using the machine next time. Any experts out there please?

economiser

If it were smoke I would have thought it would have been accompanied by a burning smell which would have been evident even before you opened the door. On the other hand I cannot understand why you should get "steam" after the spin cycle. I would not use it unattended until I was sure it was OK.

Steel_2

I have seen steam on several occasions after I've opened the washing machine door, and the clothes inside were hot when I pulled them out. I assumed that something had temporarily gone squiffy with the thermostat and rinsed the clothes in water that was too hot.

Were your clothes hot or cold when you pulled them out of the machine? Or did you just pop something in for a quick spin?

If it's the latter, I would say it might be smoke possibly drifting down from the circuit board. I would keep an eye on it closely the next few times you use it, both on normal washes and on just spins, to see if it does the same thing again

If it does, might be worth visit from an engineer for a service.

maninthestreet

As someone has already stated, if it were smoke it would have smelt like smoke. The inside of the drum is unlikely to catch fire - wet things don't burn very well!

molerat

The last time it happened to me it was the drum bearings that were shot and the friction made them run hot.

yummymummy888888

This may be a silly question but is your washer a washer dryer?

If it is, you may have the dryer control on by mistake (my kids used to turn mine on when they were toddlers , drove me mad) so when it finishes the wash cycle it automatically starts drying. If it is on the shortest time setting, all it will do is heat up your clothes so that when is has finished and you open the door, your clothes will be hot and steam will come out!

Jolaaled

I had this happening on my new Beko washer.
Apparently, it's a fault with my model and they Beko guys came to repair it for free.

It seems that they have made the rubber seal too big for the drum and that, on faster spins, the subsequent friction that is caused by the close fit of the seal and drum, causes a bit of smoking!

Not nice on my lovely washing. All is fine now.

Primrose

yummy mummy - No, I don't have a washer dryer but I did have a couple of heavy items on the Extra Fast Spin only cycle, so possibly it was steam vapour and not smoke that I spotted briefly. . I've since run it on a Fast cycle and didn't see vapour of any kind so possibly I was panicking. Will run a full wash cycle next time and