Smoke came out of the washing machine.

An indispensable washing machine in everyday life deals with both water and electricity, so it is considered a doubly dangerous household appliance. Leaving it unattended is strictly prohibited; on the contrary, it is necessary to constantly monitor the washing process and, in the event of an emergency, respond to a problem in a timely manner. The worst thing is if the washing machine starts smoking, because if you don’t do anything, everything will instantly turn into a fire. You cannot hesitate - you must stop the current supply and identify the cause of the fire. Detailed instructions are provided below.

Immediate Action

If smoke comes out of the machine or you smell a burning smell, then the first thing you need to do is turn off the power to the equipment. If you turn off the current supply in time, you can stop the fire and prevent the start of a fire. Therefore, we turn off the corresponding machine on the panel, or better yet, cut off the electricity in all rooms.

While the apartment is not de-energized, you must not approach the machine or touch its body. Remember that if there is a problem with the wiring, current leaks to all conductive materials, including metal. It is dangerous to even approach the machine - there may be a puddle of water nearby, dangerous with similar consequences. Therefore, at the slightest suspicion of a fire, we quickly turn off the power supply and only then begin to look for the root cause and assess the scale of the problem.

What could have happened?

When electric shock is no longer a threat, you can slowly begin searching for the source of ignition. We wait a few minutes and unplug the cord from the socket. Now your life is not in danger.

Next, we inspect the power cord, plug and socket. Most often, they are the ones who suffer from voltage surges, loose contacts, or other causes of fire. Therefore, we are looking for traces of melting, burning, or their characteristic Odor. Smoke could only appear when the upper insulating layer of the conductors was exposed to high temperatures. If an external inspection did not reveal any suspicious aspects, then the washing machine started smoking for another reason. Then we continue to look for the problem in the washing machine itself.

We are looking for the cause of smoke in the machine body.

Smoke often comes from inside the machine, so we conduct a thorough inspection of the unit. For convenience, it is recommended to drain the water from the machine through the emergency drain, then disconnect it from the sewerage system and move it away from the wall. Further search for the source of ignition proceeds as follows:

• We open the hatch door and check if there is a smell of burning from the drum. If there is smoke, then the reason lies in a frayed drive belt. It is worth understanding that during long-term use, some parts wear out and shift, which affects the tension of the elastic belt. Due to the changed load, the ring rubs strongly against adjacent elements, causing smoke and an unpleasant smell of burnt rubber. The situation is easy to correct - just replace the belt with a new one.
• Pay attention to the back panel, where the power cord is connected to the case. If there are signs of fire, you should take a closer look at the surge protector. We visually assess its condition and be sure to check its functionality using a multimeter. If the part is faulty, it must be replaced.
• We remove the back panel, drive belt, engine, find the heating element and, unscrewing the bolt holding it, take out the heater. Severe scale or problems with the contacts on the heating element are the first on the list of things that can cause the washing machine to smoke. More often, the wiring connected to it becomes oxidized or contaminated, or the part overheats due to the “fur coat” created by the scale layer. With this malfunction, the smoke will not disappear even after the machine is turned off. We check the heating element for functionality, clean it or replace it with a new one.

In the process of searching for the root cause, do not forget to immediately assess the condition of all wires encountered. A wire rupture and short circuit could occur in any part of the circuit, so we look for traces of soot and melting on the insulation and do not forget to sniff all suspicious places. The smell of burning rubber lasts a long time, and there is every chance of a successful diagnosis.

If it was not possible to find the source of the smoke, and traces of the fire are no longer visible or heard, then it is strictly forbidden to connect the faulty unit to the network. It is necessary to call a service worker who, using special equipment, will quickly and accurately localize the problem that has arisen.