LG new washer dryer feels hot to the touch. Is this normal?

icicat

Hey all,

I just got an LG FWV595WSE_WH washer dryer. So first time using it and set to mixed wash which is a staggering 2.5 hours and then set to dry which is another staggering 2.5 hours. My main concern is that during the long dry cycle and particularly towards the end the machine would feel hot to the touch. The sides are wedged in though feeling the top it feels very hot, particularly towards the right above the display panel. The glass door is also hot to the touch.

Definitly wouldn't let my toddler in the kitchen whilst drying. Does this heat sound normal from anyone who has experience with washer dryers? It finished up fine albeit a strange burnt rubber smell that seems to be typical of these machines from what I've read.

Any light shed on this would be great.

rach_k

We have a Hotpoint washer dryer and yes, it does feel hot when the dryer is on.  The glass door feels particularly hot, I'd say hot enough that a small child would complain that it was hot but not hot enough to do any actual damage to skin.

Feels like I've said hot far too much now!

icicat

Ok thanks rach_K. The fact that the whole thing heats up is a concern. I feel like this type of heat will shorten the lifespan. I'm not sure if you are supposed to leave a gap either side (like with a fridge freezer) so the heat can escape from the sides as mine is wedged in tight into it's space, just gap at the back and top for the heat to escape.

macman

Are you removing half the wash load before the drying phase? Washer/dryers are not designed to dry a full wash load as the drum is not big enough. It could be overheating because of that?
Which is the main reason why I'd never buy one, unless space made it the only option, but that doesn't help you....
Any air gap requirements will be clearly shown in the install instructions.

icicat

no this was a dry straight after a wash, though sure it was below the maximum load and I think these machines can actually sense if there is too much inside. Though need to confirm if that is correct. But yeah good point. We do a seperate dry after the wash now just to make sure

Andy_L

2.5 hours - its probably defaulting to its eco-setting which trades speed for using less water/elec. There should be a setting somewhere to prioritise speed instead.

rach_k

Ours is wedged in pretty tight and has been fine for years.  It is drying stuff by heating up so it's built to withstand heat.  I'm pretty sure they have thermal cut outs too.

It's a bit of an exaggeration to say you need to remove half the load before drying.  Mine is a 9kg wash machine and will dry 7kg, I think that's fairly standard.  I either do a mixed load and take out the things that can't be tumbled before drying or just load it to 7kg with only things that can be tumbled.  Works perfectly.  

ic

You'll be able to set it to wash and dry also (just select the wash programme, then press the dry button).  If you run the dry as a separate programme, it'll repeat the spin cycle at the start before actually drying.  It will also use sensor drying, so the 2.5 hr will be an estimate that is updated as it goes along.