Replacing a washing machine drum fin

Like all troubles, failure of household appliances occurs when you least expect it. Washing machines can also break down at any time. In Ariston, Samsung, Indesit and any other model, one of the most vulnerable parts is the drum rib. Without it, washing will not be of high quality and will not be effective. Let's try to figure out whether it is possible to replace the drum fin of a washing machine at home.

Washing machine drum

What types of bumpers are there and why are they needed?

It is not difficult to notice that the drum rib needs to be replaced. This problem is visible to the naked eye. You need to look inside the machine. There are two options:

the redan has “come off” from the surface of the drum and no longer holds in its usual place;
The bumper is not secured firmly; when pressed, it moves out of place.

In any situation, it is better to immediately repair or replace the drum rib. The bumpers must be purchased for a specific model of washing machine. For example, on Indesit and Ardo top-loading washing machines, 3 steps are installed, two hollow and one heavy (it serves as a balancer). If it is the balancing rib punch that is damaged, be sure to install the same one.

The overwhelming majority of front-wheel drives have only hollow blades. There will be no need for expensive heavy fenders, so the cost of components will be lower. But getting to the fastenings in this case is more difficult. On “verticals” of the Bosch and Brandt brands a flat step is installed. In such models, only one rib is provided.

Why are bumpers located in the drum of a washing machine needed? During the washing process, it is the redans that ensure the movement of laundry inside the machine. Things are “thrown” from one edge to another, thereby the clothes are “beaten”, and the washing process becomes more efficient.

If there are no bumpers in the drum, the washing efficiency will decrease by 50-70%.

In addition, if even one bumper falls off, the laundry will begin to cling to the drum. There are special fastenings on the surface for redans, which are sharp enough to ruin things. Therefore, it is important not to start the wash until the rib is returned to its place.

Usually the edgings fail due to foreign objects getting into the blades: bra wires, paper clips, small keys, etc. When they fly under the bump stop, the things break the plastic fasteners, after which the rib begins to fall off. You can replace the element yourself.

Replacing a washing machine drum fin

Washing machine drum

We replace and repair the bump stop on the “vertical”

The progress of work on replacing the gearbox for frontal and vertical machines will vary. To begin with, we’ll tell you how to remove the old one and install a new bumper on a “vertical” washing machine, using a Brandt washing machine as an example.

Before starting work, be sure to turn off the power to the washing machine.

The Brandt top-loading washing machine has one flat step. It is located at the bottom of the drum. To remove the bump stop, you only need a screwdriver. Having prepared the tool, you need to:

lift the top cover;
open the drum doors;
Use a screwdriver to press the special hole on the surface of the bumper;
move the edge to the side, focusing on the arrow tips.

The new bumper is installed in the reverse order. The fasteners must fit into the grooves, so the rib will be securely fixed to the surface of the drum.

If a foreign object damaged only one blade mount, it is not necessary to buy a new element. To save money, you can repair the old bumper. Turning the “vertical” over, you can see many stiffening ribs.

On the side where there are no factory fasteners, it will be necessary to drill the stiffeners in three planes. These holes are necessary to secure the bump stop with disposable clamps. On the side where the latches are not broken, you will not have to resort to such measures.

To install a “repaired” redan, you must:

open the drum flaps and put the bumper in its place, so that the remaining factory fasteners fit into the grooves;
close the “centrifuge” and turn it until the rib punch attachment point is at the top;
secure the redan by threading clamps through the holes on the drum and holes drilled in the stiffeners.

The clamps must be secured as shown in the figure. The clamps must be tightened tightly, and the remaining ends must be “bitten off” with pliers. After such manipulation, the bump stop will “sit” securely in its place.

Do not use bad clamps, otherwise it will be impossible to securely fix the bump stop.

General rules for replacing the activator

In addition to the above reasons, breakage of the drum ribs of a washing machine, which can be classified as careless user handling, there are other options for damage to the part:

malfunction of the heating element (this is the biggest problem with such units as Samsung and LG),
incorrect distribution of laundry during spinning.

If the malfunction occurs due to mechanical damage to the activator itself, or damage to the drum, replacement is necessary.

Drum wash

You can do it yourself according to this scheme:

The first step is to remove the broken rib. To do this, you need to find a thin object, 10–12 cm long, for example, a metal knitting needle, and insert it into the hole under the rib.
The working edge of the drum is blocked and held by a tongue, which must be pressed with a knitting needle in order to unlock the fastening and remove the activator.
You need to press deep into the part, away from yourself. You shouldn’t be too zealous and put pressure, movements should be smooth and careful.
Next, you need to take a new part; it must have hooks on it, with the help of which it is attached to the drum.
It doesn’t matter which side to install the new rib, the main thing is that it should be pressed tightly against the drum, recessing the locking hooks.
It is necessary to move the rib tightly pressed to the drum until the locking tab snaps into place.
After this, you need to manually rotate the drum several times to ensure the stability and rigidity of the new activator.

We replace and repair gearboxes on the front-end

Replacing drum fins on front-loading washing machines is much more difficult. If you install new bumpers, you will have to remove the tank from the machine, that is, almost completely disassemble the “home assistant”. This is a rather labor-intensive process.

If the redan is only slightly wobbly, it can be repaired. In this case, you will not have to remove the drum from the machine. To fix the bumper, you will need a regular metal wire with a soft rubber “braid”. The process of attaching the rib will take no more than 5-10 minutes. The algorithm of actions will be as follows:

turn off the power to the machine;
open the hatch door and illuminate the drum with a flashlight or lamp;
align a rib that does not “sit” tightly in place;
insert the wire into the near hole of the redan, pass it under the drum and pull it out through the far hole of the chipper;
tighten the knots tightly on both sides;
“hide” the sharp ends of the wire in the adjacent holes of the redan.

If the bumper comes off completely, or you simply want to replace the damaged blade, you will have to remove the drum from the washer to install a new part. To do this you need:

disconnect the machine from the water supply and sewerage;
drain the remaining water from the system through a garbage filter;
remove the top housing cover;
remove the lower false panel;
get the powder receptacle;
Unscrew the control panel bolts and remove the “tidy”;
remove the hatch cuff;
remove the door lock;
remove the front wall by unscrewing the screws holding it;
remove the back panel of the case;
reset the drive belt;
disconnect the wiring from the heating element;
disconnect the power wires from the motor, pull out the engine;
disconnect all hoses and pipes from the tank;
remove shock-absorbing elements;
pull out the tank;
disassemble the tank by removing the mounting bolts and dealing with the latches;
unscrew the screw and remove the pulley;
remove the drum from the plastic container.

If the tank of your washing machine is non-separable, the tank will have to be cut.

If the damaged step needs to be removed, then straighten the special fastening “tongues” on the outside of the drum. When you can’t get the bump stop this way, you’ll have to use a hair dryer. Direct a stream of hot air at the rib, the plastic will become soft, more pliable, and pulling out the blade will not be difficult.

The new level is installed in the same way. If the bumper does not fit into the seat, you can also blow one of its edges with a hair dryer and “sand” the wall. The fasteners are inserted into the grooves, and then the fixing “tabs” are bent. Reassembling the washing machine is performed in the reverse order.

Interesting:

Top-loading or front-loading washing machine…
A plastic rib came off in the washing machine drum
Best top loading washing machine
Dimensions of a top loading washing machine
How to remove the ribs of a washing machine drum
The drum in the washing machine came off

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Purpose of the part

The drum fin of the Ariston washing machine, like Ardo, Beko and Samsung, is responsible for achieving the maximum washing effect. After the user has loaded the laundry, poured in the washing powder, selected the desired program and pressed the start button, the drum begins to rotate. This is where the ribs come into play, they catch and turn things over during the washing process, which allows you to get rid of existing contaminants. During the spin cycle, the ribs hold the wet laundry against the walls of the tank, thereby helping to get rid of excess moisture. When the final part of the cycle begins - rinsing, the ribs also take a significant part in it. They turn the laundry over in water, which helps remove any remaining powder and rinse aid.

What do the ribs look like? The drum of each washing machine looks almost the same and the plastic parts in it that resemble combs are those same ribs. They are made of plastic and can be as long as 8cm (small-sized Ardo) or as long as 25cm (Samsung machines with a loading capacity of 8kg). The number of ribs also depends on the model of the unit, in Ariston there are 3, and in Indesit there are 4 pieces.

The ribs, or wash activators as they are also called, are attached to the drum body using self-tapping screws or plastic latches. It is the last plastic latches that are the “weak links” that most often break, disabling the entire machine.

How the ribs are attached

This happens:

due to excessive loading of the drum with laundry,
washing shoes with rough or heavy soles,
damage from objects forgotten in pockets.

Features of drums of different washing machines

Washing machines from different companies have a lot in common. So Ariston is similar in structure to LG and Ardo, and Indesit is similar to Beko and Samsung.

Since the ribs are located inside the most important part of the drum after the motor, you need to be able to navigate and understand their available varieties.

Tank material. In washing units of all times, the drum has always been made of steel. But the tank inside which it rotates can be either plastic or stainless steel. It becomes obvious that models with metal tanks are much more reliable.
Balancing. An unbalanced drum of any washing machine wears out the laundry and breaks “its ribs.” The machine will alert its owners to the imbalance by making a loud noise during the spin cycle. This problem must be corrected with the help of repair specialists.
Drive unit. Today it is very fashionable to promise silent operation of a washing machine due to the fact that the motor is equipped with direct drive. But even if they work quieter, if they break down, the tank itself will have to be replaced along with the engine. In models with conventional transmission, it is enough to replace one worn part.

Despite the apparent ease of replacing the fin of a washing machine yourself, you should not do this without special technical education and skills. At each replacement stage, machine parts can be deformed, the replacement of which will cost much more.

Source

How to replace a washing machine drum striker.

Washing machine repair

With the replacement of spare parts, as practice shows, it is not as simple as it seems.
However, knowing what tool to arm yourself with and what method of replacing spare parts for a washing machine
,

you can
the repair yourself
.

The procedure for replacing the drum striker of a washing machine is as follows:

1) Arm yourself with a tool with a hook, like the one shown in Fig. 1