need some urgent advice

vintagegirl

hi there, not really sure where to post this but would appreciate some help.

Came home yesterday after a few days away and have recently got a new kitchen in,
None of the plug sockets in the house would work. They kept tripping the electric switch.

After the process of elimination i discovered its the washing machine thats causing it. Every time i plug it in, its causing the main switch on the socket box to turn them all off.

I dont know what to do. Is it a fuse? Do i have to buy a new washing machine?

Do i call an electrician or a plumber. I would appreciate any help you can offer

thanks

HalloweenJack

i had the same issue - it turned out to be the motor in the washing machine , in my case , the drum had a small leak which was dripping onto the motor part way into the cycle.

ollski

You need a white goods engineer. Have you had your consumer unit (fusebox) replaced?, this will often find electrical appliances on their last legs. Does the manufacturer offer a fixed price repair?

rogerblack

A plumber will not be of any use - you'd need someone that can repair the washing machine.
It's also possible it might be a faulty breaker, though this is less likely.

vintagegirl

did that cause it to not turn on? what happened? did it get fixed? sorry for all the questions. Was it a plumber you called

macman

First thing to do is pug it into another circuit and socket to check if it's a circuit or socket fault. then try changing the plug. Beyond that, it's a fault on the appliance and you need a white goods engineer as already suggested.
But if it's tripping the main switch on the CU (as oposed to the MCB on the ring main it's plugged into), then that indicates that you have RCD protection and so it could be an earth fault-which is potentially very dangerous.

vintagegirl

thanks for yur replies. I have checked other things in that socket yet nothing works, an ipod dock, a kettle and the red switch in the wall for the washing machine is the only thing staying on when the switch trips.

but when i put the washing machine plug in another socket, it works for a few seconds then blows everything again

macman

So if it trips on another socket, it's either a fault on that ring main, or an appliance fault. Plug it into a different ring main, most houses have one upstairs, one downstairs, maybe a third for the kitchen. Use an extension lead if needed.
Should all be marked on your CU.
Once the circuit is eliminated, it can only be the appliance.