Routy56 - can you just....

[Storrsy]

Is there no end to my skills and talents
Sharon (SWMBO) said the other day, "Oh by the way the washing machine has been making a banging noise for a few days now."
It's a very nice 'top of the range' Miele Supertronic W5000 which was new back in 2012.
Thinking "Bugger, it could be the spider gone"
So I set about stripping it down with view to fixing whatever was wrong.....
View attachment 70126

Usual check on the drum revealed absolutely no play in bearings and/or spider. 1600rpm spin with no load, still quiet, and these machines are super quiet.
So stuck a few items of my stinky, sweaty running gear in for a quick wash - and there it was on spin - a clanking/banging noise like I was trying to wash a toolbox full of spanners - WTF
View attachment 70127
So you will see that I took the sump drain off to check for metal filings etc. And there was this little heater clip that fell out
Ah ha a clue - gave the heater terminal a wiggle and it moved. Obviously flapping around and banging the drum!

View attachment 70128
Pull the heater and found that it was cracked and which had obviously caused it to let go of the little bracket and the one inside the drum.
Quick check with the Fluke revealed that it was indeed dying

View attachment 70129
Anyway good old Amazon had a pattern heater at £21.99 v £85 for genuine Miele.
Delivered the next day and now back up and running.

Gonna keep this machine going forever - we love it

Miele is . The fact that you have had 13 years out of it. Some or our machines have only lasted 3 years. Went for a better Bosch last time which touch wood is ok but thinking Miele for next time- better start saving!

 

[Routy56]

really really interesting.
great to see this first hand and in operation.

I'm eyeing up my flat garage roof and using trays, wholesaler had some good rates on panels etc but batteries always seemed a bit out of reach.

Thanks!

My advice is to get as much solar pv panels up there as possible. Output is much reduced on cloudy days. Sunny days make me happy
New batteries are getting more cost effective. But being techie I took a risk with second hand stuff
And I have an App which shows real time production and history. I post some screenshots if anyone is interested

 

[Routy56]

Miele is . The fact that you have had 13 years out of it. Some or our machines have only lasted 3 years. Went for a better Bosch last time which touch wood is ok but thinking Miele for next time- better start saving!

Yep we have a lot of Miele stuff and I am confident about fixing it. But I have a bean 🫘 to cup coffee making that I’ll be sorting out soon

 

[V8Druid]

Very curious to here how much that stack cost you??

exactly my thoughts Shaun ...... laoks a 'kin 'spensive pile of black boxes to me
how long will they last?

 

[V8Druid]

Miele is . The fact that you have had 13 years out of it. Some or our machines have only lasted 3 years. Went for a better Bosch last time which touch wood is ok but thinking Miele for next time- better start saving!

Creda Excel 1200 here on its 18th year IIRC -- had a set of drum bearings about 7 years ago - otherwise, been a great machine (touch wood) -- complete strip to do the bearings though

 

[bobthebuilder]

Yep they look impressive don't they. But some in the Solar industry hate them because of reliability issues. But looked after they are specified at lasting for about 15 years. So the cost during the period that I have collected them.....
And it's very much like buying second hand plant - "Buyer Beware" especially as I sourced them from eBay and Facebook Marketplace. You get a feel when you meet people and them check the goods
My total cost for all 6 x PylonTechs AND the inverter was £2150
The last 2 x PylonTechs that I bought were £550 for the pair (£275 each) - that's a bargain IMHO. Many are selling used one of these at about £400. New they are about £600.
Hopefully my install is cost effective compared with he likes of the big expensive Solar Batteries such as Tesla Powerwall etc
Hope this helps, feel free to PM or phone me for a chat about solar stuff...

question ,has anyone considered using a car battery ? as you can buy a leaf 24kw battery for 800 quid ?

 

[V8Druid]

question ,has anyone considered using a car battery ? as you can buy a leaf 24kw battery for 800 quid ?

which is why they're 800 quid - think they're quite sought after, but you've no idea of their history

 

[bobthebuilder]

i

which is why they're 800 quid - think they're quite sought after, but you've no idea of their history

can buy a leaf car ,for 1300 quid with a 90 % battery ,there are ways to test them

 

[Routy56]

exactly my thoughts Shaun ...... laoks a 'kin 'spensive pile of black boxes to me
how long will they last?

Yep they are not cheap, but knowing you, I think you'll probably research the viability v the cost etc
But over here in East Anglia we enjoy lots of sunshine and it's very cost effective to store it.
These units are only a few years old with a claimed life of 15 or more years if looked after.
I'll be very happy if they last at least 10 years

 

[Routy56]

Creda Excel 1200 here on its 18th year IIRC -- had a set of drum bearings about 7 years ago - otherwise, been a great machine (touch wood) -- complete strip to do the bearings though
View attachment 70163 View attachment 70164 View attachment 70165View attachment 70166View attachment 70167 View attachment 70168

Yep I too have done loads of bearing replacements like this over the years for us and family
How was the spider on the Creda? On ones made from cheap cast aluminium they often corrode and let go.
On newer machines, it's difficult to change the bearings and seals. The outer drum is 'sealed' and you are expected to change the whole drum unit.
Had this with our very nice Bosch a few years ago. You can carefully cut open the outer drum, replace the gubbins and reseal.
Drum assemblies cost hundreds of pounds, so that Bosch was flogged to a 'messer' for spares or repairs
Down my small shed I've got a nice 4 year old Candy washer/dryer previously owned by my daughter.
Swapped it out for our nice 'spare' John Lewis jobbie.
So the Candy could be next up for fettling - control panel glitch

 

[Routy56]

question ,has anyone considered using a car battery ? as you can buy a leaf 24kw battery for 800 quid ?

Yep - have seen the stuff about this on the internet. Both YouTube and Forums shows guys doing this stuff.
Lots of modifications have to be done it ain't simple
But I'd be pleased to see yours (or other forum members) attempts at successfully doing this

 

[Routy56]

i

can buy a leaf car ,for 1300 quid with a 90 % battery ,there are ways to test them

Go on Bob you can do it. But please post your project on this forum
But if I bought a Leaf for £1300 with a 90% battery, I'd be using it as a local runabout. And charging it with our East Anglia sunshine

 

[Monkeybusiness]

Go on Bob you can do it. But please post your project on this forum
But if I bought a Leaf for £1300 with a 90% battery, I'd be using it as a local runabout. And charging it with our East Anglia sunshine

There needs to be the ‘best-of-both-worlds’ breakthrough where the electric car can also double up as the house battery - it’s daft that this isn’t an option yet.

 

[Gecko]

Sure - that's been around (officially) for a few years and unofficially for 20.

Imaginatively called V2H (vehicle to house).
One random site

Vehicle to Home (V2H): What is it and how does it work?

Electric cars have huge battery packs that can power an entire house for several days, or even a whole week. This is known as vehicle to home (V2H).

topcharger.co.uk

 

[bobthebuilder]

There needs to be the ‘best-of-both-worlds’ breakthrough where the electric car can also double up as the house battery - it’s daft that this isn’t an option yet.

i belive they arses in charge have just passed the law to allow v2g chargers which allow you to use your car battery for power ,a tesla s with free lifetime charging then makes a lot of sense

 

[Lancs Lad]

i belive they arses in charge have just passed the law to allow v2g chargers which allow you to use your car battery for power ,a tesla s with free lifetime charging then makes a lot of sense

Except now Tesla's are a target for weirdo lefty twats .
Which goes to show how keen they are on saving the planet if electric cars are now evil
If there's ever a display of agendas and whoose pulling their strings this is it

 

[V8Druid]

i belive they arses in charge have just passed the law to allow v2g chargers which allow you to use your car battery for power ,a tesla s with free lifetime charging then makes a lot of sense

so how the hell does that work then ..... presumably only at Tesla chargers??

 

[Routy56]

so how the hell does that work then ..... presumably only at Tesla chargers??

Yep and all this stuff in relation to EVs can be challenging in the real world. Location of charging be it at home or out and about has to be logistically convenient and cost effective. We will stick to our self charging Hybrid got now. And leave the fiddling around with old EV batteries powering yer house for the nerds
In other news about EVs, our crazy neighbour Terry who lives opposite, is on his second EV. He is nearly 89 and still can't figure out how to use the various Apps for the car and charging. He simply charges it at home and uses it locally
Late last year Terry got in a muddle and drove his BMW i3 through the back wall of his garage, "My foot slipped off the brake"
After getting the scuffs fixed, he took it in for a service and the BMW Stealers flogged him a new iX1
The worst thing is that his daughter lives about 300 miles away in Bishop Auckland and with 'range anxiety' he won't take it and uses his old Peugeot Partner wheelchair car (used for his late wife) on this journey several times a year. The crazy thing is that BMW will give him free charging at their dealerships, if only he could get his head around it.

 

[bobthebuilder]

so how the hell does that work then ..... presumably only at Tesla chargers??

tesla superchargers

 

[Routy56]

Busy day today did a Parkrun up the road at Alton Water just over the border into Suffolk. And came first in my age category

About 8 of us from Harwich Runners went over as Parkrun Tourists rubbing shoulders with the 100 or others.

It was cold and windy but most enjoyable. Held back and cruised round 'cos I have Colchester Half Marathon tomorrow. Not a course for a PB but I came 1st in my age category