OK, I've been meaning to put this site up for some time, though finally realized recently I could start a blog and save a whole pile of time and a few bucks....
Anyhow, I'm a fan of Bosch. I have a few of their power tools, and I like to put their parts in my vehicles. At our first house my wife and I bought a Nexxt washer and dryer when they first came out in 2004. There are not many companies I'll buy first-generation cars, computers, or appliances from. I trusted Bosch enough to do just that.
I don't work for Bosch, I don't know anyone that does. Bosch doesn't know anything about this site; it's purely something I'm putting together because I believe that Bosch's Nexxt washer and dryer are some of the best domestic laundry equipment available. They're quiet, extremely efficient, well-built, and do a fantastic job.
That's not to say we didn't have issues with the fairly common E:04 drain error on the machine that we sold with our first house (after the error was fixed; see my first post for details).
However, in researching how to fix the error, I found lots and lots of owners that were frustrated by this. And let's face it. While we're still in the petroleum age, people in this country will be buying laundry machines. For the amount of resources that goes into manufacturing and operating these things, it makes a ton of sense to me to make sure that efficiency is of the highest concern. So to see a machine as impeccable as the Nexxt marred by something as stupid as detergent film build up on the impeller than can be removed by running a few empty loads with fabric softener added (again, see my first post) was a bummer.
Finally, I'm just a homeowner that likes Bosch's products. I'm not a trained service technician. I'm not qualified to give advice. If you happen to try anything I mention here, or get any ideas and try something I don't mention, you're on your own: you take the risk. In other words, if you get hurt or break something or drain water all over your new floor, don't blame me, it's your responsibility.
That said, if any of this does help, I'd love it if you'd leave a comment ;)
Thursday, May 1, 2008
How Much Detergent to Use in Your Nexxt?
Before buying our first Nexxt several years ago I'd never owned a front-loader and had only used them a handful of times. I did know to not put much soap in, so we bought natural soap that was labeled as OK for front loaders, and cut the recommended amount for each load by more than half.
Within about 18 months we were plagued with the E:04 errors; too much soap still. Turns out these machines are so efficient that even that reduced amount of soap was too much, and a film had built up on the drain impeller. Read my first post for how we dealt with this.
Anyhow, when we bought our current home, which came with an ancient top-loading Hotpoint machine that sucked in pretty much every way (energy hog, water hog, loud, slow, and didn't do a very good job), we jumped when shopping for a chest freezer my wife found a barely-used Nexxt for a few hundred bucks off.
When the shop delivered it and the delivery guy/installer was showing me how to run it (I stupidly told him we'd had one for a couple years and I knew how to run it), he mentioned about how much detergent to use. I showed him what I used at our old place, to which he responded "way too much." According to him, the machine only requires about a tablespoon of detergent for a full load of towels; less for lighter loads. I was skeptical though gave it a whirl.
We live active lives on almost 30 acres in rural Maine. Our kids seem to make a point of getting as dirty as possible, our youngest is still in cloth diapers (mostlyy ;), and we're still doing the local co-op's laundry. In short, even using almost no soap the machine still gets everything sparkling clean, and we wash everything but diapers on cold. I love that machine!
Within about 18 months we were plagued with the E:04 errors; too much soap still. Turns out these machines are so efficient that even that reduced amount of soap was too much, and a film had built up on the drain impeller. Read my first post for how we dealt with this.
Anyhow, when we bought our current home, which came with an ancient top-loading Hotpoint machine that sucked in pretty much every way (energy hog, water hog, loud, slow, and didn't do a very good job), we jumped when shopping for a chest freezer my wife found a barely-used Nexxt for a few hundred bucks off.
When the shop delivered it and the delivery guy/installer was showing me how to run it (I stupidly told him we'd had one for a couple years and I knew how to run it), he mentioned about how much detergent to use. I showed him what I used at our old place, to which he responded "way too much." According to him, the machine only requires about a tablespoon of detergent for a full load of towels; less for lighter loads. I was skeptical though gave it a whirl.
We live active lives on almost 30 acres in rural Maine. Our kids seem to make a point of getting as dirty as possible, our youngest is still in cloth diapers (mostlyy ;), and we're still doing the local co-op's laundry. In short, even using almost no soap the machine still gets everything sparkling clean, and we wash everything but diapers on cold. I love that machine!
How Not to Move Your Bosch Nexxt
The exterior paneling of these machines is exceptionally smooth; too smooth if you're trying to get access to the back of the unit. About the only thing to grab on to is the small lip where the plastic control panel where the detergent hopper thing is joins the rest of the body. DO NOT use this as a handle. This plastic piece is held in place by about 6 screws. Those screws are metal, and they thread into metal fittings. On our first machine I didn't know better and ended up breaking almost all of the tabs these screws attach to attempting to move the machine in search of the E:04 error (the solution is a couple posts down).
Instead, only move the machine while holding metal parts. Wear sturdy gloves, watch your back, and walk it out a little at a time.
Instead, only move the machine while holding metal parts. Wear sturdy gloves, watch your back, and walk it out a little at a time.
How to Open the Drain
OK, first thing, if you're getting an E:04 error on the Nexxt, that means a drain issue. Over the years we've definitely had baby socks, cloth baby wipes, and random bits of debris from pockets get around the drum gasket and into the pump unit.
Fortunately, the pump seems to be pretty good at stopping itself when these things are there. The downside is that if the clog happens at the beginning of a drain cycle, there can be *a lot* of water in the machine still (load of towels, anyone?)
So here's the deal. If you don't own a wet/dry shop vac, don't even bother continuing. I guess you could somehow jack the whole unit up onto blocks to get a tub or bucket under it, though a shop vac is the way to go. Even a small one will do just fine; the repair guy that showed me how to do this carries a 1 gallon unit....
Anyhow on the front of the machine, at the bottom right is a circular panel. On the panel is a small hole. Insert a sturdy, pointed object into the hole; my favorite is an awl, though a heavy duty paperclip unwound also works. While applying pressure to the plastic plate through the hole, rotate the panel (I'm pretty sure it's clockwise to remove it). It only turns about an inch or so, then should come right out.
There are 2 things of interest here: a green pull cable and a black 4" drain pipe with a recessed cap threaded inside of it. The cable is the manual release for the door. If you have a lot of water in the unit, this is by far the easier way to get the hose of the vac in there to pull it out.
Even if the machine has run a full cycle, there will still be a good amount of water in the pump's trap and plumbing. Since the pump is at the bottom of the machine and the drain outlet at the top, the pump can only empty the water until the pump housing is empty. At this point the pump shuts off, and with a gurgle the water remaining in the drain hose between the pump and the outlet runs back into the pump trap.
So, first turn on your vac and put the hose into the bottom of the 4" drain pipe. If you have a big shop vac, you may need either a reducer or a crevice tool. I found that it was easiest to keep the hose of mine right at the opening of the drain pipe so I had room to work with my hands to get the cap off.
SLOWLY unscrew the drain cap. At some point the threads will have backed off enough that a trickle of water will come out. This trickle quickly increases, so go SLOW, with the vac running the whole time. Continue unscrewing the cap until it's the maximum your vac can handle. It will likely still take a couple minutes or more to empty all the water out.
Once the water's no longer running out of the cap's threads, continue to unscrew it; I've always found there's a little bit more in there and I don't turn the vac off until the cap is totally removed. At this point (if not earlier), I like to have on a pair of rubber gloves. We do our own cloth diapers and also weekly laundry for our local food co-op, so there's really no knowing what sort of putrid funk is hanging out in the machine's trap. Then I put my hand in there and feel around for anything that could plug the impeller. It's always been pretty obvious if there's something in there. Then put the drain cap back on, tighten it firmly, and run the machine without laundry just enough to first get some water in and then switch to drain to make sure the issue's fixed.
Put the panel back on and voila.
Fortunately, the pump seems to be pretty good at stopping itself when these things are there. The downside is that if the clog happens at the beginning of a drain cycle, there can be *a lot* of water in the machine still (load of towels, anyone?)
So here's the deal. If you don't own a wet/dry shop vac, don't even bother continuing. I guess you could somehow jack the whole unit up onto blocks to get a tub or bucket under it, though a shop vac is the way to go. Even a small one will do just fine; the repair guy that showed me how to do this carries a 1 gallon unit....
Anyhow on the front of the machine, at the bottom right is a circular panel. On the panel is a small hole. Insert a sturdy, pointed object into the hole; my favorite is an awl, though a heavy duty paperclip unwound also works. While applying pressure to the plastic plate through the hole, rotate the panel (I'm pretty sure it's clockwise to remove it). It only turns about an inch or so, then should come right out.
There are 2 things of interest here: a green pull cable and a black 4" drain pipe with a recessed cap threaded inside of it. The cable is the manual release for the door. If you have a lot of water in the unit, this is by far the easier way to get the hose of the vac in there to pull it out.
Even if the machine has run a full cycle, there will still be a good amount of water in the pump's trap and plumbing. Since the pump is at the bottom of the machine and the drain outlet at the top, the pump can only empty the water until the pump housing is empty. At this point the pump shuts off, and with a gurgle the water remaining in the drain hose between the pump and the outlet runs back into the pump trap.
So, first turn on your vac and put the hose into the bottom of the 4" drain pipe. If you have a big shop vac, you may need either a reducer or a crevice tool. I found that it was easiest to keep the hose of mine right at the opening of the drain pipe so I had room to work with my hands to get the cap off.
SLOWLY unscrew the drain cap. At some point the threads will have backed off enough that a trickle of water will come out. This trickle quickly increases, so go SLOW, with the vac running the whole time. Continue unscrewing the cap until it's the maximum your vac can handle. It will likely still take a couple minutes or more to empty all the water out.
Once the water's no longer running out of the cap's threads, continue to unscrew it; I've always found there's a little bit more in there and I don't turn the vac off until the cap is totally removed. At this point (if not earlier), I like to have on a pair of rubber gloves. We do our own cloth diapers and also weekly laundry for our local food co-op, so there's really no knowing what sort of putrid funk is hanging out in the machine's trap. Then I put my hand in there and feel around for anything that could plug the impeller. It's always been pretty obvious if there's something in there. Then put the drain cap back on, tighten it firmly, and run the machine without laundry just enough to first get some water in and then switch to drain to make sure the issue's fixed.
Put the panel back on and voila.
Bosch Nexxt Front Load Washer's E:04 Error
UPDATE: My second Nexxt is still running strong since 2007. I've never had the e:04 on it after using about 1 tablespoon of detergent, maybe 2 for a big load. Clothes always come out clean; I even run my dry cleaning-only work clothes, and handwash-only outdoor gear through it. Never been a problem!
First, the error. Over the course of 4 years I've owned 2 Bosch Nexxt washing machines. The first one sold with our first house, and my wife and I loved the appliance enough to buy another one at our new house.
To me, that's saying a lot about an expensive major appliance. Now, that first machine wasn't without its trials, specifically a beeping E:04 error that became an almost certainty. I spent a lot of time looking online for an answer. I talked to the place we bought it. I even signed up for, and was approved for a technician's account on Bosch's appliance website hoping I would get access to more specific documentation.
I knew that E:04 was about the drain. A few weeks after we got the first unit the error appeared because one of my at-that-time infant daughter's socks had slipped between the drum and seal and made its way into the pump. The repair guy showed me how to open the pump housing and empty the trap (more on this in a sec).
After almost 2 years of a lot of use, we started getting the error more and more. I got pretty good at getting into that pump unit. To make sure that nothing was clogging the drain line I took the machine apart and visually inspected every hose and valve to make sure there wasn't a physical obstruction. Since the impeller is driven magnetically, there's no chance that a belt was slipping or damaged.
Everything I read, and what the shop kept telling me, was that a soapy film had built up on the impeller, and that I needed to start using fabric softener to dissolve the film. So we did, to not much avail. I opened the pump (again) and scrubbed the impeller with an old toothbrush. No difference. I even ordered a new pump that I was going to put in, though while I waited for the special-ordered part to arrive, I figured it out. If I ran an empty cycle on hot with only fabric softener, and then flipped the cycle switch to drain, I could, in the span of a few minutes, run several gallons of hot water and fabric softener through the impeller. It worked. Not the first time, not the second time, not the third time. Though after the first batch of this I noticed a difference; the E:04 error stayed away for a week or so, then then next time it appeared and I did 3 hot water->drain cycles it stayed good for a couple weeks. By the time we sold the house, the error was gone, though I gave the new owners the pump and a 1 year warranty on the appliance. It's almost been a year, and no phone call ;)
First, the error. Over the course of 4 years I've owned 2 Bosch Nexxt washing machines. The first one sold with our first house, and my wife and I loved the appliance enough to buy another one at our new house.
To me, that's saying a lot about an expensive major appliance. Now, that first machine wasn't without its trials, specifically a beeping E:04 error that became an almost certainty. I spent a lot of time looking online for an answer. I talked to the place we bought it. I even signed up for, and was approved for a technician's account on Bosch's appliance website hoping I would get access to more specific documentation.
I knew that E:04 was about the drain. A few weeks after we got the first unit the error appeared because one of my at-that-time infant daughter's socks had slipped between the drum and seal and made its way into the pump. The repair guy showed me how to open the pump housing and empty the trap (more on this in a sec).
After almost 2 years of a lot of use, we started getting the error more and more. I got pretty good at getting into that pump unit. To make sure that nothing was clogging the drain line I took the machine apart and visually inspected every hose and valve to make sure there wasn't a physical obstruction. Since the impeller is driven magnetically, there's no chance that a belt was slipping or damaged.
Everything I read, and what the shop kept telling me, was that a soapy film had built up on the impeller, and that I needed to start using fabric softener to dissolve the film. So we did, to not much avail. I opened the pump (again) and scrubbed the impeller with an old toothbrush. No difference. I even ordered a new pump that I was going to put in, though while I waited for the special-ordered part to arrive, I figured it out. If I ran an empty cycle on hot with only fabric softener, and then flipped the cycle switch to drain, I could, in the span of a few minutes, run several gallons of hot water and fabric softener through the impeller. It worked. Not the first time, not the second time, not the third time. Though after the first batch of this I noticed a difference; the E:04 error stayed away for a week or so, then then next time it appeared and I did 3 hot water->drain cycles it stayed good for a couple weeks. By the time we sold the house, the error was gone, though I gave the new owners the pump and a 1 year warranty on the appliance. It's almost been a year, and no phone call ;)
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