Cleaning washing machines

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Niel

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#1221436 24-Jan-2015 16:40

Periodic hot wash might work, but vinegar once a year is cheaper than heating the water.

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DarthKermit

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#1221518 24-Jan-2015 18:45

Niel:
DarthKermit: I have a F&P washing machine that I purchased in 2002. For some reason, the bowl clean cycle doesn't work any longer.

If I try to run it, it comes up with an error code on the display and says to phone a service tech. This also happens if I try to do a hot wash (the bowl clean cycle also runs on a hot wash).

Anyone else had this problem?

I'd guess the filter on the hot water valve is blocked. Unscrew the hose and see if the filter can be pulled out.

Cheers, I'll try that and see if there's any crud on it. The machine has five temp settings ranging from cold to hot. It works fine up to warm (the middle setting), but if you go to hot only, it shuts down with that error code.

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robjg63

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#1221526 24-Jan-2015 19:02

Yep - Fabric softener creates a sort of wax/silicon build up called scrud - there were lots of Fair Go programs about it after it came on the market in the (late 80s?) - best not to use all the time - and do some hot washes to dissolve it.

If you look at the shelf in your local supermarket you will find Ceraclean washing machine cleaner (recommended by F&P apparently).
Here is their page http://www.ceraclen.co.nz/products.aspx
Scroll down to the bottom for the washing machine cleaner.

We started getting algae like crap on the washing.
Tried vinegar/bleach etc - Used a packet of Ceraclean in the machine to soak overnight as per the instructions - seemed to clean the machine up well - something like $4 or $5 from memory.

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DarthKermit

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#1221813 25-Jan-2015 13:17

Niel:
DarthKermit: I have a F&P washing machine that I purchased in 2002. For some reason, the bowl clean cycle doesn't work any longer.

If I try to run it, it comes up with an error code on the display and says to phone a service tech. This also happens if I try to do a hot wash (the bowl clean cycle also runs on a hot wash).

Anyone else had this problem?

I'd guess the filter on the hot water valve is blocked. Unscrew the hose and see if the filter can be pulled out.

I did as you said and removed the filter. There were a few small particles of gunk in the plastic filter, I didn't think they would make any difference.

However, I removed them all and today the machine seems perfectly happy to run on a hot cycle. I'm just running the bowl clean cycle now which takes several hours to complete.

Thanks Niel!

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richms

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#1221818 25-Jan-2015 13:32

A friend has lousy hot water pressure and even turning a sink on will make it drop enough for the machine to error out. Those F&P's really dont like low pressure or a blocked inlet.

Richard rich.ms

Niel

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#1221855 25-Jan-2015 14:48

The partly blocked hot water combined with cold water pressure was enough to prevent the "no pressure" alarm, but running only hot water through a partly blocked filter tripped it. Can't believe F&P made it so sensitive when low pressure hot water is so widely used in NZ.

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pctek

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#1222211 26-Jan-2015 07:52

The low pH of acetic acid makes vinegar an excellent cleaner. Cleaning experts recommend its use for polishing metal, cleaning mildew from tile, sanitizing your garbage disposal, and removing calcium deposits. Just ask my fellow Quick and Dirty Tips expert, the Domestic CEO; she’ll tell you. Also, Ancient (and some modern) physicians even used vinegar to cleanse the inside of the body.

Sodium hydrogen carbonate (aka baking soda) is a base. Bases are also good cleaners, and baking soda in particular seems to have no end to the things it can be used for. It’s been recommended as an air freshener, antacid, carpet cleaner, toothpaste, and more.

Since both of these things are such good cleaners separately, surely mixing them together will provide even better results. Right?

Since vinegar is an acid and baking soda is a base, they undergo an acid-base reaction. Now there are a couple of different theories that scientists use when discussing acid-base reactions, but generally when an acid and a base are mixed together, the result is that the acid and base neutralize each other to form water and a small amount of salt.

In the case of vinegar and baking soda, the acetic acid and sodium hydrogen carbonate combine to form water, carbon dioxide (which is responsible for all the bubbles), and sodium acetate.

So now you have a cleaner made of sodium acetate and water, so what’s it good for? Sodium acetate itself has lots of uses. Most deliciously, it provides the salt and vinegar taste of potato chips. It is also used to make instant hot packs and heating pads and it’s useful as a chemical buffer that resists pH changes. As for sodium acetate being useful as a cleaning agent - you're better off using straight vinegar.

Gunk in the machine, as has been said is caused by fabric softener. Something I never use.
Took my washer apart a while ago, it wasn't really dirty at all, not bad after 9 years I guess.

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tdgeek

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#1222217 26-Jan-2015 08:06

pctek: The low pH of acetic acid makes vinegar an excellent cleaner. Cleaning experts recommend its use for polishing metal, cleaning mildew from tile, sanitizing your garbage disposal, and removing calcium deposits. Just ask my fellow Quick and Dirty Tips expert, the Domestic CEO; she’ll tell you. Also, Ancient (and some modern) physicians even used vinegar to cleanse the inside of the body. Sodium hydrogen carbonate (aka baking soda) is a base. Bases are also good cleaners, and baking soda in particular seems to have no end to the things it can be used for. It’s been recommended as an air freshener, antacid, carpet cleaner, toothpaste, and more. Since both of these things are such good cleaners separately, surely mixing them together will provide even better results. Right? Since vinegar is an acid and baking soda is a base, they undergo an acid-base reaction. Now there are a couple of different theories that scientists use when discussing acid-base reactions, but generally when an acid and a base are mixed together, the result is that the acid and base neutralize each other to form water and a small amount of salt. In the case of vinegar and baking soda, the acetic acid and sodium hydrogen carbonate combine to form water, carbon dioxide (which is responsible for all the bubbles), and sodium acetate. So now you have a cleaner made of sodium acetate and water, so what’s it good for? Sodium acetate itself has lots of uses. Most deliciously, it provides the salt and vinegar taste of potato chips. It is also used to make instant hot packs and heating pads and it’s useful as a chemical buffer that resists pH changes. As for sodium acetate being useful as a cleaning agent - you're better off using straight vinegar.

Gunk in the machine, as has been said is caused by fabric softener. Something I never use.
Took my washer apart a while ago, it wasn't really dirty at all, not bad after 9 years I guess.

Tks for the chemistry lesson! Googling 1000 uses for vinegar did often mention mixing with baking soda, especially as a shampoo paste or toothpaste. So thats debunked if it neutralises the acetic acid?

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