I used the following youTube video to find out how to dismantle the tumble drier.
My model is slightly different but the video helped a lot (thank you to
http://www.how-to-repair.com/help/how-to-service-a-hoover-candy-condenser-tumble-dryers/ )
In the video, the guy does say that Hoover/Candy don't sell the motor capacitors. I visited a spares website and searched for a new capacitor. It was £18 (plus postage).
It wasn't until I started to dismantle the machine that I discovered that he was indeed correct. I had accidentally ordered the capacitor for the heat pump and not the motor.
Knowing that she wot scowls at me would not be happy about the machine sitting in bits in the middle of the kitchen, I popped down to
Capital Repairs in Raynes Lane to get a 7μF capacitor (if you live in west London, I strongly recommend them- helpful & knowledgeable staff and competitively priced). They tested my old capacitor, confirmed it was dead and then sold me a replacement for a tenner.
Taking the machine apart- the first hurdle was that the kitting fitters seem to have used an impact driver to fit the (integrated) door hinge screws. They were completely stripped.
I used TCT drill bits to drill the screwheads off.
With the hinge arms removed, I was then able to open the tumble drier door fully and remove the two torq screws. The only screw on the front metal skin that doesn't need to be removed is the door lock sensor.
This is what it looks like with the front skin removed.
The red lines show you which four screws need to be removed.
Because of the
quality of construction I had to use a block of wood and hammer to tap up the bottom right of the plastic front. The invaluable youtube video recommends removing the drum. I undid all of the retaining screws, and then discovered that the drum is too big to remove. I tried to twist it and pull it forward- no joy. I then removed the metal L profile bar at the top, still no joy.
In the end, I used a plastic paint kettle to lift the drum up
With the drum lifted, I could see the motor.
The capacitor in the background is the one that I purchased in error. The one in the foreground is the motor capacitor.
Anywho. The machine is now working thanks to the advice on the internet and Capitol Repairs. If anyone has the same Hoover heat pump condensing tumble drier, please watch the video first. The bits I have added will only make sense if you watch the video first. I am only adding this because I want to enable fellow owners to repair the same (or very similar heat pump machines).
Regards
Ohh.. I have three screws left over. I am not taking the whole unit apart to findout where they go. It works... I wish that the likes of Hoover/Candy would make the service/engineer manuals available to the public under the "right to repair". I spent 4(?) hours repairing a 3 year old £650 tumble drier- I do not think that reflects well upon Hoover/Candy. Yeah, some components will fail prematurely but why not make it easier for owners to repair products?
