Plug On Old Hotpoint Twin Tub Getting Hot?

Lily-Lu

Hi, appologies if I'm posting this in the wrong section, as I wasn't sure where it should go. I wonder if anyone can help me with this

I bought an old Hotpoint 9400 twin tub washing machine yesterday. Decided to bite the bullet and try it out this afternoon. Filled the tub, waited for the water to get hot, set it on wash, dial moved as the time went on and, the wash stopped as it got back round to the 'off' position....All good thus far. Put clothes in the spinner, spun for about a minute, then turned it off at the plug socket before attempting to put my hand in to check the clothes (this was purely for safety reasons due to not having used a twin tub since the early 80s, and this being old and a bit of an unknown quantity)
Anyway, as I went to flick the socket on again, I brushed passed the plug with my hand and noticed that it felt a little warm. I took the plug out of the socket to check just how warm it actually was, and the pins were actually hot.
My son said that it's normal, because his GFs tumble drier plug gets hot also and it's been like that for a few years. I've been using automatic washing machines since the late 80s and never noticed anything like this before on those plugs.

So, I'm sat here with a load of very wet washing, a tub still full of water, and am too worried to plug it in to spin and empty it all.:( Can anyone advise me on this please?

Also if it's not good news, then does anyone have any suggestions of what it might be and how I might rectify it?

Ps Forgot to mention, just in case it means anything....I'm not sure how old the machine is, but it still has an original Hotpoint plug on it.

malamute

Do you know an electrician, i would have it electrically checked to make sure it is ok, also i would cut the old plug off and fit a new one fused correctly for the appliance.

You are lucky so far but i can't over emphasise the dangers of using 2nd hand electrical appliances.

I won't give any further advise as i am not an electrician hopefully one will respond to your post.

espresso

You don't need an electrician to simply check if any screws in the plug have worked loose!

That would be the first thing to check.

Lily-Lu

I didn't think it sounded right. Thanks for the replies, though

Malamute - no, I don't know an electrician, unfortunately.

Espresso - there doesn't seem to be any way to get into the plug. There are no visible screws, and it appears to be a completely sealed unit. There's an orange strip which says fuse on it. It looks as though I could get that out, but not sure if any screws are likley to be behind that?

macman

If it's a sealed unit, cut off the old plug and fit a new one with a correctly rated fuse. Better to be safe than sorry.

keith969

What on earth possessed you to buy a twin tub? Are you setting up a museum?

Owain_Moneysaver

Cut off the old plug and about 6" of flex (and dispose of it safely, eg bend the pins so it can't be inserted into a socket) and fit a new good-quality plug eg MK
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/MK0646.html

If that doesn't fix it then the socket might be worn and due for replacement.

Tumble dryer plug should also not get hot - a lot of moulded-on plugs have poor quality internal connections.

totalsolutions

Try steel wool on the plug pins, they need to be bright and shiny, as in polished brass.

Vibrant

Hi,
Did you use the heater in the twintub to heat the water? The elements pull a fair bit of power and can make the plug heat up, it's best to fill it from the hot tap. I have a hoover twintub and have noticed the same problem, if I use the heater. Normally you don't notice, because the plug has cooled down by the time the wash is finished.
However, replacing the plug is a good idea, as it must be at least 20 years old by now.

Lily-Lu

Many thanks for the replies. They're much appreciated:)

Macman and Owain Moneysaver - I'll try what you suggest and change the plug. Oh heck, haven't wired up a plug since I was about 20 (many years ago) and after yesterday, even the thought of doing that and actually plugging it in, scares me
Owain Moneysaver - I don't think it's the socket, as I use it quite a lot for various other things, and haven't had any problems with it. It's the socket that's right next to the electric cooker switch (on the same plastic cover plate) that wouldn't be any different power wise to any other socket, would it? I plugged my Kenwood Chef in there earlier, and ran it for about 2 minutes, and the pins on the plug were cold afterwards.

Keith969 - No, I'm just fed up with automatics that only last a few years. Plus, in a twin tub, you can get several washes done in the time it takes an auto to do just one.

Vibrant - I've been after a twin tub for several months now, and a Hoover is really the one I'd have loved. I'm so envious My mum baught a secondhand Hoovermatic in the early 80s and it saw her through until she died in 93, never giving her a moments trouble. It must have been going on 20yrs old by then.
Yes, I did use the heater. I set it on 'hot'. I don't know whether it would have stopped when it reached the right set temperature, as I turned it off when it got too hot to wring the clothes by hand. I have no manual, so I don't know what temp it should have been, and there's two further settings on the dial - 'very hot' and 'boil'.

Well, if I can't sort this problem, I'm not sure it's worth saving up and paying an engineer to come out and sort it. There's a small hole in the side of the plate that houses the dials and being very close to the spinner lid , I think it could be dangerous if water got splashed through there (I was very careful yesterday, hense my reason for squeezing the water from the clothes by hand before transfering them to the spinner)
Plus I won it on Ebay and paid very little for it.

However, I still want a twin tub (preferably a Hoovermatic ) and if I'm lucky enough to find one, would a washing manchine engineer be able to check the electrics as well as service/repair the machine....Or, would I need to get a fully qualified electrician out as well?

Thanks again for all your help :beer:

Vibrant

Hi again,
As you have been using the heater on the twin tub, the plug will get warm, as the heater draws almost 3KW. Changing the plug, or shining up the pins as suggested by totalsolutions should reduce the problem. If you are worried about changing the plug, is there a friend, or neighbour you could ask.
With regard to the hole by the dial, is a screw missing, or is it just a hole for a locator pin. Which ever it is, I would just fill it with a blob of glue, filler, putty, etc, whatever is handy.
I wouldn't worry to much about these minor problems and certainly wouldn't bother calling an engineer out.

I was lucky with my Hoover, my old one had finally given up the ghost after years of service and I was wondering what to do, when I spotted an advert for a twin tub. It had been stored in a garage for years and was spotless, I almost fell over myself to buy it and even forgot to haggle.
For a really old washing machine, I still have a Burco mini washing machine (looks like a little dustbin) in the loft. It still works, I used it for a few weeks after my old Hoover packed up.