washing machine broke down

This is one of those repairs that took much longer than it should, due to unexpected complication.

This 17-year old clothes washer stopped in the middle of a wash and I discover it 2 days later. It had a full load of laundry.

matching pair of dryer (left) and washer (right)

This was the top of the range Asko and in those days very few people buy such "expensive" machine. I wanted a machine that will last indefinitely (and hopefully a lifetime). That had always been my view about durable goods. This machine would remain as the "fastest" machine for many years to come (spins at 1500 rpm) as well as being one of the most energy efficiency and best washing performance. Even today few high end machines can match its performance.


made in sweden

led indicators* showing 1500 rpm spin cycle of the selected program

* the uneven brightness only occur with the camera, not detectable with human eye; it may due to the time multiplexing of the display drivers

Getting the fuse out of this sleek looking fuse holder is easier said than done. I have to reach to the back of the machine where the fuse holders face down from a overhang ledge. You have to use a flat blade screwdriver to twist the cap 1/8 turn to remove the fuse. The soft plastic strips very easily and the spring inside is too weak to overcome the friction between the cap and the fuse holder body and the cap stubbornly clink to the fuse holder. It is easier to remove the entire the fuse holder from the machine and then remove the fuse once you have it out so you don't have to struggle reaching to the back of the machine in a awkward position. The full load of the laundry making the machine to heavy to move at any distance.

top removed

left - fancy stock unit; right - no nonsense American made

No sweat, check the two 15A fuses at the back. Encouraging, the one on the left is blown. This happened once or twice before if the load is too big and cause the main motor to draw too much current. It was near 11pm and the closest fuse I have is 20A. 33% over size is a bit of risk taking but I really want to get it going to finish the wash. Do what I say but don't do what I do. I always advise others to never put in larger fuse than specified.

Since I have the fuse holder out I really want to replace it with a trusty American made one (the right one in the photo) like I had done to the other one last time the fuse blew. However on the American one one of the contact blade is a bit small to mate well with the slide-on contact of the machine wiring. Not wanting to settle for a less than secure fit, I grudgingly put the factory fuse holder back after inserting the 20A fuse into it.

To my surprise the machine would not turn on. There is no indicator on the electronic display. I double and triple checked the two legs of the 220V supply, before and after the fuse. All are as expected. I realize this is not a good sign, something must had failed and the chance is replacement part for it is no longer available long ago.

I went online to find a service manual and none exist. I eventually manage to find a parts manual and it has sufficiently good diagrams. I was hoping there is another fuse or breaker somewhere inside the machine. No, there isn't unless on the main control board. By now my hope begin to dim and the thought of having to replace the machine after 17 years depress me. It would not be easy to find a machine with equal performance and with such clean form-follows-function appearance.

I remove the front panel and checked the main power switch hoping for miracle knowing it is very unlikely is the switch. The switch is good.

I began to dismantle the machine further to drain and remove the wash load. You would think one would make a mess due to the front loading design. The design is very well thought out and there is a provision for this eventual inevitability.

In order to get to the main control board which is located on the bottom of the machine I have to dismantle a great part of the machine and it is a major undertaking. I postponed it until the next day.

The next day after a cup of coffee I set out to tackle it again. Dreading the difficult tasks ahead I decided to check the power inputs again with a DMM. This time I checked it more carefully at different points. I checked both side of the hot with respect to ground (should be 110V) and relative to one another (should be 220V). Before the fuses everything checked out. However after the fuses while both hot has 110V WRT ground, there is zero between them. How can it be? Well this is a common phenomena if one fuse is burnt. The 110V hot from the unburnt side goes though the machine circuit, and the high resistance of the component would allow sufficient current that the DMM will measure the same voltage on the side with the open fuse.

It turned out the new fuse holder cap has slip down a bit and the fuse does not make contact on both ends, all due to the form-dictate-function power design of the factory fuse holder! Now I have enough of this fuse holder and I replaced it with a no-nonsense American made one (right on above photo).

I withheld the suspense  if now the machine would power on. I was not going to risk it with the over-sized 20A fuse. I bought a pack of 15A fuse at Home Depot. The machine powered on as expected.

In the process of dismantle some portions of the machine I got to see the conditions of the many parts and I am reassured my great investment 17 years ago. The machine is as beautiful as the day I first bought home. There is no signs of wear at all. The gasket of the front loading door is as pliable as a high quality new silicone gasket. Even most of the parts of the machine are no longer available, I am at ease that the mechanical parts of this machine would continue to function for many years to come.

In the end the machines live up to their uncompromising quality and design excellence. I was a victim of a not-so-well designed fuse holder in this fault diagnostic process but all ends well.

more about the machines

• both machines cost $2200 in 1995 - it was a hard reach for me then
• at the time i set my eyes on a pair a miele - which at near $4500 was clearly out of reach for me
• it turned out that this pair of asko are better than the miele despite it cost less than a half

both machine doors open - gleaming stainless steel drum as in 17 years ago

washer door closed - the entire inner assembly floats on a suspension for whisper-quiet operations

• unlike most consumer appliances these machines has no sign of design-in obsolescence
• both machine requires only a single 220V 30A outlet - the dryer power cable connects to the washer
• the dryer may be stacked onto the washer to save space
• both machines has stainless steel drums (inner and outer for the washer)
• both are design to fit in a 24"x24" space - hence may be installed under standard 24" deep kitchen or laundry room counter top
• the washer is whisper quiet even during the 1500 max rpm spin cycle
• the 1500 rpm spin cycle was made possible with a microprocessor programming; the machine intelligently balance the load by gently rotating in cw and ccw directions many times until it determine it is safe to spin to full speed; sometimes it takes forever if the load is too unbalance
• washer requires only cold water - it heats it's own hot water
• dryer is a condensing design so it requires no vent to outside - the heat of the dryer augments comfort heat of the house furnace
• the condensate of the dryer can be used to water house plants
• instead of suffering from value engineering, the moving parts of both machines were built like a good german automobile
• other than the fuse, the only part i had ever have to replace is the water solenoid assembly (which does eventually wear out in most machines) - fortunately many european machines use common parts
• european stainless steel typically has higher chromium content, and maintains the gleaming shine the american counterpart lacks; that is why the drums on these machines still look brand new after 17 years of use

solenoid assembly that was replace circa 3 years ago - this part is used by many different european washers