Haven't posted in a long while, but am hoping forum members can assist once again.

My W6021 washer developed an odor. Called one of the repair companies listed on the ASKO home page. Without disassembling anything, he recommended AFFRESH, which wasn't available at the local hardware store or Kroger. Instead purchased and used a similar product that was available at the hardware store. No dice, and I found that the washer is no longer heating water.

The local service rep also recommending leaving the door open, which I've done from day one.

I have enjoyed the super cleaning powers of the washer, and in the beginning had fun shrinking towels and sheets using the very hot water. The machine will be 7 in the summer. Would have liked the washer and the accompanying dryer to last a little longer. What is involved in fixing the heater? The warrantly period is over.

Did have the motor replaced under warranty, used another service company listed on the ASKO webpage. Didn't call them back for a number of reasons.

Any advice regarding the smell / heating?

I use three teaspoons of Cheer unscented powder detergent, no fabric softeners. Household is two people. The door gasket is pretty dry when a wash load is complete. The units are in the basket, and as I indicated earlier, the door to the washer is not shut unless a wash is in progress. I also leave the detergent tray open slightly when the washer is not in use.

If I do need to repace these units, I have a 220V line and it sounds like I'd have a hard search finding another washer/dryer pair using 220V.

Thanks in advance.

Fix it no matter ! the spare heating element is not very expensive
and it's a plain ten minute labor fix

The reason of smell ... you said it : you have been having just tap cold washes since the heating element broke.

If that repairman had been a bit wiser he would ask you "how often do you run 140°F or hotter cycles?"
As you wrote here, you would have answered that you use boiling water now and then. By your answer HE could suspect a faulty heater as the culprit of mold issues, not you.
Also he could run the washer and wait ten minutes to check if it was heating ... The affresh advice is understandable if it were given from someone who doesn't know the machine, not from a repairman. An authorized repairman should know the machines he services. This one doesn't at all. Stay away from him

Once repaired, run a empty boilwash cycle with some dishwasher detergent to clean the tub

Once the heating element will be fixed, you'll get rid of smell issues in a while
You won't need affresh at all

I agree, get your heating element fixed/replaced and do some max hot washes and I think your problem will abate, if not completely disappear.

Question: did the tech check the element itself with an electrical meter to determine that's what failed? It is possible that there is a failure in another, different, part that feeds juice to the element. I think there may be fuses, and certainly, wiring and connections, too.

We have ASKO machines and they are not that hard to work on.

Also be sure that you have cleaned out the coin trap. Lie on the ground and peer in to make sure nothing organic (and rotting) has gotten stuck at the far end - baby socks have reportedly slithered out of machines and gotten hung up in cevices.

Getting parts is sometimes a problem, but you could always call ASKO in Texas, which is where we get anything needed. Plan on staying on the phone waiting for them to answer.

Thanks, will call to schedule repair.

Should I take no postings on this thread since April as a good sign?

I have a 10-year-old Asko set, W620 and T760. They are installed stacked in an upstairs hall closet, with an unfortunately rather long vent, including a six-foot section of flexible hose between the dryer and closet wall so that it can stay attached when the machines are pulled out. The washer had a new motor put in three years ago and we're otherwise getting along well. I love the analog controls, the high wash temps and the high spin speed.

The dryer had been relatively problem-free (belt replaced I think twice, each roller replaced once) until a year and a half ago or so, when it started overheating semi-regularly. We had first had the vent cleaned about five years ago or so, but for some reason had a different guy come the second time. Then we called him again a few months later, when it started overheating again. He sent a GC friend with no specific dryer-vent expertise, and he managed to disconnect the vent from its roof outlet (my husband fixed it with duct tape) *and* blow lint in around the heating element, so that it caught fire. Fortunately a service tech was there when the flames started up (because the dryer still wasn't working properly), and he cleaned out all the lint that was where it shouldn't be.

Here we are a few months later, and while it wasn't overheating, I was noticing a lot of condensation on the top edge of the dryer door and around the lint trap inside. We had the first vent-cleaning guy (the one who hadn't screwed anything up) come back, and he found a good quart of water in the flexible hose between the dryer and the closet wall. He cleaned everything up, but remarked that the dryer didn't seem to be moving a lot of air. And it's still taking forever to dry stuff, and there's a lot of water around the lint trap.

So, it looks like I may need a new blower/fan or something like that. Couple hundred to fix. At what point do I throw in the towel? How much more good life should I expect out of my dryer? Don't they say their machines should have a 20-year lifespan? If I were to replace my dryer, am I crazy to stick with an Asko I can plug my washer into? Given the length of my duct, would I be better off in terms of dryer life getting a condenser dryer? I've had one of those before, and didn't like cleaning the condenser.

I think just putting together this post is convincing me to repair the thing and not just ditch it. It did have quite a few problem-free years, after all, and if replacing the blower will get me back to that . . . .

But how come none of the vent cleaners and service people before yesterday noticed that the dryer wasn't moving air like it should?

I think it's usually less expensive to repair your existing machine than it would be to purchase a newer version of what you currently own.

I have an older ASKO condenser dryer (You don't want one if you have an alternative - cleaning the condensers is my most-hated household task. It's just plain icky!)

Anyway, are you at all handy? Because I have found that periodically taking my dryer completely apart and cleaning all the fugitive lint out of it, and off fan blades and out of all the air paths and crevices, gives it a remarkable new lease on life. Mine may be different because of the dual air-flow paths and the fact that I don't use it much, but it collects a lot of misplaced lint that needs to be scraped, vacc'd and brushed off (I use special 1/4" round spiral brush intended for cleaning pneumatic milking machine orifices, but I have seem similar brushes for cleaning coffee machines and tools.) My dryer performance gets gradually gets poorer, and I suffer with it and finally take the trobble to disassemble it to the bones (fitting the case together again is a PITA, but not complpicated). Afterward it's as effective as new. Perhaps yours will be, too. I think it might be an expensive proposition to pay a repair guy to do all the fiddly cleaning, though.

RE your exhaust connection: Could you figure out a way to convert to a smooth hard connection? Perhaps something that is firmly attached to the back, but is then "broken" in the middle so you can access the joint to separate it prior to moving the stack? Without seeing your installation, it's hard to suggest a solution, but smooth pipe will make it more efficient and less prone to collect lint.

BTW, Doncha just love it that the overheat reset button is smack dab in the middle of the back of the machine? Guess they figure that by the time you've wrangled the machines apart to reach it, the machine has cooled down enough for safety.

I always repair my ASKOs (now almost 20 y.o.) since I think they're better than what's available today.

Little OT here...I'm getting ready to purchase an Asko 6903 washer and I'm a little nervous over the lack of reviews. My biggest concern are the electronic menus. I love that it is cold-water fill and 220V but I'm disconcerted by not having buttons and a dial like on my AEG 88830. Also, everyone here really loves the Mieles so I'm second-guessing myself.

I think I need some hand-holding here or someone to tell me I shouldn't worry about it and the machine will be great.

I agree, popping the cabinet off of any dryer and vacuuming it out will restore performance to like new. You'd be surprised what gets trapped where inside the dryer. Whirlpool recommends this cleaning every three years.

Between me and the vent tech, we've cleaned out the whole bottom of the dryer and the fan assembly, and on his last visit (third for the current problem) he significantly shortened the flex hose between the dryer and the wall, so it's straighter and doesn't "U." It's still not working right (moisture buildup around door; overheating and shutting off), so I think there's something going on somewhere in the vent--unfortunately probably something in the section in the walls. After speaking with someone at the appliance repair place, they're convinced it's a venting issue and not directly related to the health of the dryer.

As for that reset button, I've figured out that if I push the dryer all the way to the right of its closet, I can reach back on the left side and pop the reset button with the eraser end of an unsharpened pencil. It takes some feeling around, but I can usually get it in less than a minute.

I am surprised at the number of people who feel comfortable enough to do repairs to their washers. Do you all have access to repair manuals? If so, do you know where someone in Canada could get one.

My W6021's heater is also on the fritz. I'm currently using a cold-water liquid detergent and either using a sani cycle, or a short followed by a normal cycle. This is working pretty well, but I don't feel my clothes are being cleaned quite as well as when the water is heated.

I was going to call a repair person from a recommended repair company that specializes in Asko and two other brands. I'm expecting a repair job to cost about the same as a new, inexpensive top loader/dryer pair. (My wife isn't entirely happy with our washer & dryer pair, and might want me to replace them if repair costs are too great.) I was wondering if the problem could be due to one of the fuses being blown, but I'm not certain how to check the fuses. Do I have to open up the back?

Also, someone recently mentioned replacing the heating element is a 10-minute job. How would one go about changing the heating element?

Advice would be welcome.

We've never replaced the heating element on an Asko washer, as far I can remember. But I wouldn't think it's too hard.

Full disclosure: I'll disassemble and poke around and do mechanical stuff, but I leave anything electrical to my DH.

Do you have a multimeter and know how to use one? I know that's the first thing he'd do to determine whether it was the fuse, wiring harness or the element itself. I'm pretty sure this would need to be done while the machine was plugged in, so for safety's sake, I wouldn't advise trying this unless you're absolutely sure you know what's what and how to use the meter.

Other than that, you'd just take off the back and top (need to do that probably to use multimeter, anyway) order the part, access the heater assembly, take old off, reinstall new, check circuits, and re-assemble case. I wouldn't be surprised if the heating element cost a couple of hundred bucks (US), but I don't know for sure, A fuse certainly wouldn't, though. Labor's where the cost is, plus any service call minimum. Can you take the machine to them to save some $$? The machines are heavy but small enough to put in an SUV hold.

And do you have a good source of correct parts? That can sometimes be a problem with older Askos.

I have a parts/service manual that I ordered from Asko in Houston. There's not much how-to in it, but the expanded-diagram parts list is useful. My machines are quite old now, and probably not similar to yours.

My husband is intrepid about taking things apart (getting them back together in a timely fashion is whole 'nother story). Whether you can do this really depends on your skills and whether you (and your spouse) can risk having the machine out of commission for awhile if it turns to be a bigger/more complex problem than you think.

While I think Askos are much better cleaning machines than most ordinary T/Ls, I'm sure you've heard the old adage that "if Momma ain't happy, then nobody's happy!" And if she is the primary user, then maybe she has a bigger vote in the matter. Your water use will increase substantially, however. That's why I got my first F/L, to decrease water use and its damage to my primitive septic system.

I can ask my DH how big a job he thinks replacing an element is. (Not too big as I recall we've had ours out to inspect it, once.) And also how to go about testing fuses, etc., if you want to go forward.

L

My thanks to liliodendron for the above info.

In the end I called a local Asko-approved repair service to come in to look at the washer and make a diagnosis. It turned out that there was nothing wrong with the fuses or the heater. The problem was with the main controller board, which had elements that were clearly burned out, with charring noticable in those parts.

Unfortunately, service techs don't get many calls for servicing Asko products, so they aren't as experienced with repairing them as with "domestic" North American brands like Whirlpool or Frigidaire. To complicate matters, things like circuit diagrams for European brands are done using different symbols than North American brands. So the techs find them a bit difficult to read.

Anyways, the controller board was replaced, and the water heated up as it should. Unfortunately, the tech hadn't understood that certain jumpers needed to be cut on the board to match that model. (Reference was made to a "type" of washer rather than a "model #", which I felt confused matters.) Asko's design requires the jumpers on a controller board to be cut in an exact manner before power is applied to it. Once power is applied the electronic settings are permanent. If the jumpers were not cut correctly before power was applied to it then the circuit board needs to be replaced. In the case of our washer, we couldn't get any high-speed spins. Why Asko couldn't design a board that could be reset is beyond me.

The tech came back with a new controller board. The jumpers for the second board were cut as per the original before power was applied. My wife and I now have a properly functioning washer again. Cost was $475 CDN (approx. $450 US) for the repair and labour.

I am hoping that we won't have to deal with any more repairs on this washer for at least another five years.

Hi Everyone..

First off, Happy New Year....

Its been a while since I posted here, but I am having an issue with my T761 dryer that my ASKO repair center cant diagnose..

November 28 - Placed load of clothes into the dryer and started using program P1. After 2 hrs dryer still ruuning so opened door and clothes were still wet.. heating element never came on. Turned off dryer, restarted program and all was fine.

December 26 - Placed load of clothes into dryer using P2 cycle. At end of cycle pulled clothes out and they seemed more hot than usual... then I heard a click and the display went out.. overheat sensor tripped. Let dryer cool, reset sensor, and dried another load... overheat circuit tripped again right before end of load. Dryer drum and back of dryer were too hot to touch..

December 27 - Tried air fluff cycle and the heating element came on. Turned dryer off and again tried air fluff and clothes were hot...

I have an extended warranty so the only local ASKO authorized tech was out on Monday and couldnt duplicate the air fluff heater issue. Then started program P1 (with no clothes in dtyer) and stuck a thermometer at the exhaust and told me that the readings are good and there is nothing wrong with the dryer. He didnt open the dryer to take any electrical readings or check any internal components, which previous techs from this company have done for past issues.

Today, it seems that the opposite is happening. Dryer starts normally displaying 'Drying', then 'Iron Dry', but then goes to 'Cooling' and ends cycle but clothes are still damp.

Any idea what could be happening here? The warranty company is calling the repair center to come back again so Im hoping that if anyone else had this issue they can let me know how the problem was resolved so I can give this info to the tech..

Thanks again and have a great day.

Regards,

Rich

Well, a new tech from the same service center was dispatched last week and did a thorough check of the dryer. It appears I'm experiencing the symptoms of a bad controller board in my dryer. The warranty company balked at the repair quote that the service center gave them and told me that the repair would cost more than the dryer is worth so they were going to either replace the dryer with a comparable unit or offer me monetary compensation... well, I think they just realized the true value of an ASKO because the service center just called to tell me the warranty company authorized the controller board repair...

Will keep you posted as to the outcome...

Regards,

Rich

Help! My Asko washer stopped working, no longer under warranty, about 2 weeks ago and repair estimate was half the cost of a new washer. New washer was installed Thursday and the experience was a nightmare. The installer removed the washer and dryer, a stacking unit and then reinstalled. The first spin cycle caused the units to almost fall out of the cabinet. Thank goodness I was standing nearby and was able to stop the cycle and support the machines. A quick call caused him to return and remove the shipping bolts he should have removed during installation. That solved the washer problems. Now the dryer won't work and was working perfectly before the new washer was put in place.

The dryer will start when the button is pushed, but won't continue to run. The lint screen is washed and clean and I checked the vent hose while the unit was out of the cabinet. I know coincidences occur, but it seems reasonable that the dryer issue could be related to the installation of the new washer. Could the jarring 1200 rpm vibrations of the dancing washer have caused a problem with the dryer? Any ideas on solving the dryer problem short of buying a new one?

The installer also damaged the cabinet. He did not seem to have the strength to handle the units and chipped the wood while trying to slide the washer into place. The appliance store who contracts with and pays the installer told us that the installer and his insurance is responsible for repairs. Is that true? The appliance store has no responsibility for any of this? They are the only authorized dealer in our area.

Thanks for any ideas or empathy you may offer. We will be calling the store this morning. This is our second weekend with laundry issues and I've about run out of patience.

@ corgilvr

While I'm not an attorney, I deal with legal issues almost every day. The answer to your question comes down to this - who did you pay for the installation? If you paid the dealer, and were not asked to sign any disclaimers stating that the dealer is not responsible for the actions of the installer, any court of law will find the dealer liable if they were the ones who accepted payment and you did not sign a waiver or disclaimer. If you paid the installation company separately, then it is between you and them.

Based on the answers to the above, I would press my case against the responsible parties. If you don't receive satisfaction, sue BOTH parties in small claims court and recover whatever damages you can. Take pictures, too, and document as much as possible while everything is fresh in your mind. If you know another installer or "expert", have them write a statement regarding the unprofessional installation which you can later use as evidence if it goes to court.

Not removing the shipping bolts from a front load washer is reason enough to claim the installer was incompetent and did not take basic care in installing your units. At the same time, however, you also bear a certain responsibility in watching the installation and ensuring it was done properly. For example... I had a problem a few years ago with my Kobe vent hood. They sent a totally incompetent technician to my house who did not even know how to strip a wire - and he had to strip multiple wires. After he started working and I could tell he had no idea what he was doing, I sent him home. He was quite upset and said a few expletives on the way out the door, but ultimately I witnessed his incompetence and asked him to leave.