Hotpoint Tumble Drier Error F02 - how to repair?

[CovBoy]

Hi,

We're currently quarantined until Tuesday and the tumble drier has gone kaput.

The model is Hotpoint TCEL 87b.

The other half grabbed me on Monday and said that the drier was not heating.

I've tested the thermostats and thermistor and these appear to be fine.

I put the tumble drier back together and gave it a spin, and within 10 minutes, the drum is spinning, there's been no heat, and the lights are flashing. Looking at this page it looks like error code f02.

https://www.espares.co.uk/advice/careandmaintenance/hotpoint-tcl-tumble-dryer-error-fault-codes

I've restarted a few times and am consistently getting this error code.

What I would say is
i) the element looked very floppy and tired so may need replacing anyhow
ii) the tumble drier lives in the garage, and was full of fluff and had things stored on and around it, so original issue may have been improper ventilation / circulation of air

We OK while the weather is good, but with 3 kids the tumble drier gets a lot of use, I’m trying to establish if this is something I'll be able to debug and fix myself with parts available on the internet, or if I instead need to source a new tumble drier, or something else?

Cheers

Ben

 

[jj4091]

Did you test the element when you did thermostats & thermistor & was the drum turning before that? If it was then that suggests you have disturbed something.
If the drum is now turning but still falling over with f02 then that suggests you may have a pcb or wiring fault.

 

[CovBoy]

Did you test the element when you did thermostats & thermistor & was the drum turning before that? If it was then that suggests you have disturbed something.
If the drum is now turning but still falling over with f02 then that suggests you may have a pcb or wiring fault.

thanks for the response.

I didn’t test the element - I didn’t learn this was a thing until afterwards.

This is what happened before I attempted to “fix” it...

Other Half out a cycle on. Went back to check on it and the programme had paused because the chamber was full of water. Emptied chamber, ran the rest of the cycle, nothing was dry / warm.

She then emptied the fluff catchers.

When unchecked the thermostats, all I did was take the back off so while I accept I may have made the situation worse, I’m not clear how from there. I did spot that the sponge in the back behind the elements was wet.

 

[jj4091]

Check the float switch has dropped back into place on back of the container draw. Test the element for conductivity then if you are competent to work on live machinery check for a voltage to the element.