Hotpoint Aquarius TCFS Dryer

dylmoney

Hi all,

Last year my partner and I decided to buy a new condenser dryer.
We settled on a relatively cheap Hotpoint model which we purchased and had delivery of through Argos.

Well, the day of delivery soon became a day of deep regret.

Issue One
On unpacking the device and starting it up I was greeted by a sound which resembled something like Hannibal Lecter greeting Clarice Starling for the first time.
In type it can probably only be best described as "fft fft fft fft" - a rapid sputtering sound, a low drone and no drum movement.
There were also minor trickles of water emanating from the bottom of the dryer whenever I moved it around.

We promptly called up Argos (less than an hour after it was delivered) and were told it wasn't their issue, it was now Hotpoint's issue.

So, dutifully, we rang Hotpoint and were told that basically if an engineer were to come out and the machine was not at fault (somehow this was considered normal operation I suppose?) then we'd be charged nearly £100 for the privilege.

I decided to let it sit for 48hrs, on an educated guess that there was some water somewhere it shouldn't be, that it got there potentially during transit, and perhaps giving it some time was all that it needed.

A couple of days later I switched the dryer on and lo and behold, as if some God-given miracle had occurred, it spun.

However... my joy was short-lived as the sputtering made way for a squealing sound the likes of which I haven't heard since my uni days - only this time, it wasn't coming from the halls it was coming from inside the house...

Issue Two
The stuck-pig noise is coming from somewhere inside the dryer, it's a constant squeak which seems to ebb and flow with the spin of the drum. That is to say it's louder at one part of the spin then tails off before starting again, but it happens on every bloody rotation.

I've checked out a number of causes of squeaky dryers online, but all of them seem to come from wear and tear of things like belts and pulleys which seems unlikely given that this has been happening since it was delivered although I'm happy to be proven wrong.

In an attempt to prevent my neighbours from calling the police and reporting me for animal cruelty or spousal abuse, I've cracked the damn thing open to see if I can figure out what the noise is and if it's repairable (and hopefully easily - I know nothing about dryers).

On opening the top and side I've noticed that the drum rim is slightly worn (or chipping?) and there seems to be a wheel on the bottom which I can't tell if it's damaged or not? 

Worn drum rim & potentially worn wheel (featuring dust):

 


Close up of wheel (which I can also move on its bolt):



We've left it until now because we've been taking advantage of the glorious sunshine to dry things outside, but now winter is rearing its ugly head we want to make use of our dryer.

I imagine we're out of luck with holding Hotpoint to account for an obviously faulty machine - does anyone know how on earth we can fix this?

SaverRate

tell argos you are rejecting the machine as its been faulty since delivery. Its there issue to sort out because of this and your contract is with them not Hotpoint. 

dylmoney

HarryDavies01 said:

tell argos you are rejecting the machine as its been faulty since delivery. Its there issue to sort out because of this and your contract is with them not Hotpoint. 

It's been quite some time since we had it (I'd venture a guess it's been since around this time of year in 2020). I'm guessing they'd try to force us to prove it's been faulty since the day we got it and it's quite hard to do that, especially given the time that I've allowed to elapse since.

I'm quite keen on the right to repair movement and I don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater if I can repair it... I don't know whether I'll decide to pursue them later if I can't.

Although by way of an update, I've got it running now with only a minor squeak... I took all the panels off, had a look and the flywheel/pulley seems to be fine in operation, and the belt is brand new and tight on the drum with no movement or slipping.

The only thing I've done is adjusted the two wheels holding the drum at the front. Seems like a hell of a noise for one of those small wheels?

EssexExile

Sorry, it's been 20 years since I've worked on these but something is obviously rubbing and causing that white powdery stuff in the second picture. The cause could be anything - is the cabinet properly square? Can't help any more I'm afraid.

If you can find out when you bought it and it's under a year I'd still call out Hotpoint.

SaverRate

dylmoney said:

HarryDavies01 said:

tell argos you are rejecting the machine as its been faulty since delivery. Its there issue to sort out because of this and your contract is with them not Hotpoint. 

It's been quite some time since we had it (I'd venture a guess it's been since around this time of year in 2020). I'm guessing they'd try to force us to prove it's been faulty since the day we got it and it's quite hard to do that, especially given the time that I've allowed to elapse since.

I'm quite keen on the right to repair movement and I don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater if I can repair it... I don't know whether I'll decide to pursue them later if I can't.

Although by way of an update, I've got it running now with only a minor squeak... I took all the panels off, had a look and the flywheel/pulley seems to be fine in operation, and the belt is brand new and tight on the drum with no movement or slipping.

The only thing I've done is adjusted the two wheels holding the drum at the front. Seems like a hell of a noise for one of those small wheels?

Okay, you will need to pursue this with Hotpoint then. From your original post it seemed like it was the last 2 weeks

Is the warranty period with Hotpoint still valid. If not, you may find it hard to prove its been a fault since the beginning unless your calls to them reporting the fault was within the warranty period. 

MalMonroe

dylmoney said:

HarryDavies01 said:

tell argos you are rejecting the machine as its been faulty since delivery. Its there issue to sort out because of this and your contract is with them not Hotpoint. 

It's been quite some time since we had it (I'd venture a guess it's been since around this time of year in 2020). I'm guessing they'd try to force us to prove it's been faulty since the day we got it and it's quite hard to do that, especially given the time that I've allowed to elapse since.

I'm quite keen on the right to repair movement and I don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater if I can repair it... I don't know whether I'll decide to pursue them later if I can't.

Although by way of an update, I've got it running now with only a minor squeak... I took all the panels off, had a look and the flywheel/pulley seems to be fine in operation, and the belt is brand new and tight on the drum with no movement or slipping.

The only thing I've done is adjusted the two wheels holding the drum at the front. Seems like a hell of a noise for one of those small wheels?

I definitely wouldn't run it if it's not fit for purpose. And it has never been fit for purpose. It's dangerous to run tumble dryers if they are not working properly, haven't you ever seen the news reports where fires have been started by faulty dryers? Sometimes when they haven't even been in use, too.

If it needs to be repaired, get the experts to do it. You shouldn't really have taken anything off or adjusted anything either but don't mention any of that.

Initially, you could have insisted that Argos collected it and gave you a full refund, including delivery. That's your right as a consumer. Don't accept everything retailers tell you because their staff sometimes don't know the answer so they'll say anything. You do have rights and it's up to the retailer to sort things out, not the manufacturer. If the sales staff don't know, or talk rubbish, then ask for a manager or director or owner. 

Now, I'd phone Argos asap, tell them about the phone call you made when the machine was first delivered and tell them it's still not working properly, it shouldn't be making weird noises and it's not fit for purpose because a tumble dryer should last a lot longer than 12 months. I've had mine (White Knight, condenser dryer, cheap and cheerful as I thought at the time) for 15 years and it's still going strong. [I have to say that I've never really considered Hotpoint to be a cheap and nasty manufacturer, though.]

There's some great info in this link from Citizens Advice -

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/our-work/citizens-advice-consumer-work/the-consumer-rights-act-2015/

Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the links for buying goods from home and buying in a shop. 

dylmoney

Thanks everyone for the responses.

EssexExile said:

Sorry, it's been 20 years since I've worked on these but something is obviously rubbing and causing that white powdery stuff in the second picture. The cause could be anything - is the cabinet properly square? Can't help any more I'm afraid.

If you can find out when you bought it and it's under a year I'd still call out Hotpoint.

I think I've diagnosed the issue in that left-hand drum support wheel is rubbing on the plastic behind it which is indeed causing the noise. It seems to move on its axle/bolt back and forth towards the drum and the plastic which the other one on the right-hand side doesn't do.

When I pull it forward towards the drum and create space between it and the plastic it stops making the noise, but eventually it works its way back.

It's possible the cabinet isn't square, but it seems fine and sturdy with nothing rubbing elsewhere... my best guess is a manufacturing error where a washer of some description is missing or the installation of this particular wheel was done incorrectly.

To repair it I'd have to remove the drum completely and on balance I think I'd rather try to hold Hotpoint/Argos to account.

So I'm going to give Hotpoint/Argos a chance to repair or replace and cite some concerns about fire safety. Given the recent recalls and safety concerns hopefully that'll put the wind up them to replace it...