Washing machine timer...very approximate

robatwork

I have noticed that my washing machine (Beko) timer is very inaccurate and wondered if it was the sign of a fault. For example a 60 degree cotton wash shows 1 hour 58 mins when I start it.

It actually takes 2 hours and 30 mins, which I have measured a few times as I noticed it seemed to be taking longer.

Beko's response was:

This is an approx. value which can vary depending on various factors. These include the water pressure, set and ambient temperatures, water hardness, laundry type and is an auxiliary functions selected etc.

I don't buy most of this. The filling happens quickly at mains pressure. The ambient temp is normal and the set temp is surely taken into account when the 1:58 is displayed (if I reduce the temp, the time reduces accordingly). Water is very hard but how does that affect the time? The laundry type I am not sure what they mean - perhaps heavy towels take longer. Auxiliary functions again should be taken into account by the timer eg. if I select extra rinse the time goes up.

And now I must do some washing!

phoenix_w

Yep, digital displays on washing machines are complete lies even when they're working, but it could also be a fault - when the drum bearings were starting to go on our Samsung a "20" mins remaining could actually be two hours...

The only way to make the display more accurate, in my experience, is to load them by weight depending on the program selected. Check your manual, you'll find quite a lot of the most used programs are only supposed to be used with half the max capacity of the machine by weight, overloading them usually causes programs to run looong.

sniggings

I don't think it's broken, if like mine which is a Candy, the manual says the timer will reduce if the load is not full, the time is a "max" not a exact time of wash...I find it a little daft, as whats the point showing the time left if it can go down an hour in the space of 20minutes.

London50

Could not agree more with above replies, our one can show 1 min left and in that time I can wash and wipe up a full Sunday roast dinner pots,pans and dishes along with making drinks after for the family. This has been an ongoing situation from new and we have had 2 new boards fitted in the time we have had our machine due to other problems but the timer display has always been the same.

SuzieSue

I was concerned about this too as my Siemens w/m seemed to take longer than the initial time shown. I think what happens is that it displays the time that the initial process is going to take and not the whole wash. Once the first process has finished it then displays the time the next process is going to take and so on.

sniggings

SuzieSue wrote: »

I was concerned about this too as my Siemens w/m seemed to take longer than the initial time shown. I think what happens is that it displays the time that the initial process is going to take and not the whole wash. Once the first process has finished it then displays the time the next process is going to take and so on.

Mine starts at over 3hours so mine is defo not that :eek:

robatwork

sniggings wrote: »

I don't think it's broken, if like mine which is a Candy, the manual says the timer will reduce if the load is not full, the time is a "max" not a exact time of wash...I find it a little daft, as whats the point showing the time left if it can go down an hour in the space of 20minutes.

Mine has never taken less time than shown. Always more.

I will time it with an empty load which I do every so often at a high temp with soda crystals to give it a good clean out..

sniggings

robatwork wrote: »

Mine has never taken less time than shown. Always more.

I will time it with an empty load which I do every so often at a high temp with soda crystals to give it a good clean out..

Mines like SuzieSue's, the last minute lasts a couple of hours :mad:, the rest of the time tho is always less than the start time shown.

pc1271

We have a whirlpool and the timer isn't generally too bad, but the last minute takes about 3 minutes to finish. Very annoying when you're waiting to unload!

missprice

I have a beko and the timer shows the correct time left. Most used wash is 1.21 and it deffo takes 1 hour 21 mins.

casper_g

Mine doesn't have a timer. Sounds like I'm not missing anything very useful!