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I have an AEG dishwasher. It must be 15+ years old by now but it is still tidy looking. About a year ago I had an issue with it as no water came in but I managed to figure out that was a faulty inlet valve and then to buy a new one and voila it worked again until a couple of months ago a distinct burning smell during the was part of the cycle.
My initial reaction is that it is the heating element though I have not done so much research to confirm that but it is not the retro sort with an exposed element so it is not just something plastic lodged on it burning!
Since I fixed it once I am kind of motivated to try, it would also be a pain to get a new one not least due to restrictions and the fact it has some pesky plumbing. But fixing it won't be hassle free as it due to the same pesky plumbing and a very confined working area.
The dilemma is whether I spend £30 on the part to find out when in a few weeks time I might be able to get a secondhand one for £50. Has anyone got any experience or suggestions that I am looking at the wrong part?!
My advice on smelling something burning relates to my car. I successfully ignored the intermittent burning smell until smoke started coming from the glove compartment - followed by flames - followed by the fire service.
I’d stop using it immediately until the faulty part is fixed or just order a replacement (see recent ‘what dishwasher thread’)
It’s just not worth setting fire to your kitchen, possibly more. GSOH required otherwise.
Possibly a deceased rodent.
There comes a point where pride in keeping an appliance running is outweighed by cost and the risk of burning your house down and I think after 15 years you've arrived at that point.
Opps should have searched for previous dishwashing adventures of STW.
To be clear it was turned off within a couple of minutes of first smelling the burning and has not been back on since. The dishwasher was also only ever used in the daytime when we were in the house as a result of a burning dishwasher story from a friend of a friend.
I will read the other thread but agree a rodent is a possibility.
As to whether 15 years old means I should replace it I'm not convinced. It is mainly made of metal with limited working parts; in some respects it would be a shame to replace it with something new that has built in obsolescence. But as you suggest safety will be the primary factor.
There was a safety recall of a lot of dishwashers of that era for a fault in the controller that could cause fires. We got ours done FOC when it was about 8 years old. You should be able to find out whether your machine was one of the ones affected (might even get it fixed for free).
Personally I'd pull it out and have a closer look. Primarily to check that the burning smell is definitely coming from the appliance. If you're minded to attempt a repair you may well end up having to cycle the machine with the side or back removed to find out what exactly the problem is. There will be exposed electrical parts so keep fingers/children/pets away until it's isolated again.
It may well be obvious and a part available. You're probably not the first person to experience this problem. Google might throw some information up.
I kept my old Hoover machine going for around 15 years with new brushes, recon motor and all kinds of fettling but the day I opened it up and spotted that the insulation on a cable was fretting and getting thin against the flat side of the case was the day I decided it needed to retire.
I have an AEG dishwasher. It must be 15+ years old by now but it is still tidy looking.
I had an AEG of similar vintage, which would sometimes produce a burning smell. That was until the time it actually starting smoking, and I had to remove it (hindered by it being integrated) before it set fire to the kitchen. It turned out that the pump had seized.
I'm all for repairing rather than replacing, but given its age and fire risk, I'd buy a new one.
To be clear it was turned off within a couple of minutes of first smelling the burning and has not been back on since
I wish you’d been around to advise me on my car 😅
I have spare imline heater you can have for free if you like. Its off a smeg but they seem prettty universal. 40mm tube 230905 21080 or 16 020 0029
Checked for ohms and plugged in to a socket so i know it works
Having swspped it out i was surprised how simple they are underneatg
Pcb fault killed the smeg but the bosch that has replaced it seems better better