Americans are sounding the alarm: Several people in Texas, Georgia and Indiana have gone to court, claiming their Samsung top-loading washing machines unexpectedly exploded while in use. One victim said her 2012 washing machine exploded “like a bomb” and made a large dent in the wall. As it turned out during the investigation, the drum, which broke from its mounts during the spin mode at maximum speed, destroyed the washing machine, breaking its plastic body and scattering pieces of plastic casing.
Samsung says the defect affects US-market top-loading washing machines manufactured between March 2011 and April 2016. Faulty models, according to the Koreans, may experience abnormal vibrations that pose a risk of injury or property damage when washing bedding, bulky or water-resistant materials. In such cases, users are advised to use the low speed spin mode.
Samsung is now working with US authorities to develop recommendations and ways to resolve this potentially dangerous situation for consumers. Let us remind you that the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently prohibited not only bringing the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone on board an airplane, but also checking it in as luggage when turned off, as this could jeopardize the safety of aircraft and passengers.
In September 2016, news spread around the world that several washing machine owners in the United States were suing Samsung due to the explosion of their washing machines. But let's figure out where the truth is and where the fictional story is.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has stated that this problem affects top-loading washing machines. But this message does not contain any specifics, it is simply processing a message from users, there is no indication of the series of washing machines, etc.
But still, let's look at what can explode in a washing machine, paradoxically, there is nothing to explode in a washing machine, there is nothing dangerous there, the washing machine is not equipped with pressure cylinders, there are no explosive materials.
So, what happened to the users, most likely the washing machine drum mount was destroyed during the spin cycle; the impact of the untwisted drum caused an explosion.
Why such incidents can happen. World practice shows that many companies, trying to reduce the cost of production in order to be among the leaders in price, lose quality. Recently, manufacturers have taken the path of using cheaper materials; parts are made from materials that have worse parameters.
This picture is indirectly confirmed by the following analysis: the service life of a washing machine at the beginning of 2000 was 10 years, while modern washing machines modestly indicate a period of 7 years. This suggests that the manufacturer calculates the average number of washes per year, which is approximately 200 washes; multiply by 7 years and it turns out that washing machines are produced with a capacity of 1,500 washes. That’s why there is a division into household appliances for the home (they have a shorter lifespan) and professional appliances with an extended service life; professional appliances are much more expensive than household appliances. The price is due to the fact that higher quality components are used in the production of professional appliances.
Why could such a situation arise? The washing machine is a rather complex mechanism, so it is necessary to monitor the condition of the washing machine; if any extraneous noise or knocking occurs, you must contact a service center to diagnose the washing machine.
Washing machine fires.
Dangerous elements in the washing machine, electric motor and heating element. There may be a short circuit in the motor windings or a short circuit in the heating element. Washing machines are equipped with short circuit fuses. A washing machine fire is a rather rare occurrence and usually occurs under certain conditions.
An example of the destruction of a conventional washing machine from vibration
At the end of August, owners of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone were faced with the explosion hazard of the battery of their purchase. The manufacturing company had to recall a huge number of devices and suffer serious financial and reputational losses.
While information was spreading around the world that the Galaxy Note 7 could declare war on its owner and explode while charging or working, new data about the products of the Korean giant surfaced.
This time, the culprits of the bad news were washing machines. A potential threat is posed by vertical loading units (WA400 and WA500 series), which are more popular in Europe and the USA than in the former USSR.
According to information provided by the manufacturer, the Korean giant is now engaged in an active dispute with the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) regarding the safety of washing machines manufactured between 2011 and 2016.
According to an ABC News report, the washing machine "shatters" during operation, with parts turning into shrapnel.
Images from an ABC News story
Images from an ABC News story
One American woman told reporters that her Samsung washing machine “exploded” while working with such force that the debris broke through the wall of the garage.
According to the conclusions of Samsung specialists, this phenomenon is associated with overloading of machine components when washing bed linen or items made of water-repellent materials at high speeds.
Anyone who has ever washed something together with a duvet cover is familiar with the situation of “knocking” the laundry into one lump inside the machine. This results in uneven load on the drum. The same effect can be observed when washing one massive item, for example, a rug.
Modern washing machines equipped with load sensors successfully detect the problem of uneven load and try to “distribute” the laundry over a larger area of the drum at low speeds. If this fails, the machine does not switch to high speed mode for both washing and spinning.
However, apparently problematic Samsung washing machine models ignore the uneven load on the drum, which leads to catastrophic consequences.
The company's engineers recommend using the “delicate” mode at low speeds when washing bulky items. The company does not comment on why the washing machine cannot withstand a loaded drum in normal mode and explodes like a bomb filled with shrapnel, or does not prevent its own components from being overloaded during operation.