Amana NTW4516FW trips GFCI/AFCI breaker during wash cycle only

Washer Repair
1

This past week our Amana NTW4516FW has started to trip the dedicated 20 amp combo GFCI/AFCI breaker but only during the wash cycle. Rinse and drain cycles run fine.

I have tested various load levels (small, medium, large), various wash cycle types (regular, delicate, heavy), and different temperatures (hot, cool, cold) with the same results. Neither the outlet nor the plug look damaged in any way.
I have plugged the washer into a different outlet on a different combo breaker which did trip during the wash cycle. I then plugged the washer into a non protected breaker which did not trip at all. Trip code is 3 blinks, which indicates an overload (or some sources say a short..?). It’s hard to determine which model year breaker I have without taking the panel apart.

For these reasons I’m thinking it’s probably an issue dealing with something regarding the motor drawing too much power, but I don’t know how to be certain without buying a multimeter etc. Any thoughts?

2

With any type of problem like this you would want to have a multimeter to do testing. It would be recommended to put the unit into service diagnostics and see if there are any error codes that come up.

3

Appreciate your response. I did go out and grab a multimeter the other day. I put the washer into service diag mode but it didn’t throw any codes, so then I put it into auto test mode which didn’t reveal any problems, either. I then put it into manual test mode to see if I could identify any issues but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Finally I re-leveled the machine, performed a calibration, unplugged the unit for 5 - 10 minutes, then plugged it back in. Tried it with a small hot and medium warm load - no issues. Then tried it just this morning with a large cool load, also with no issues. I’m not sure what was wrong but it’s working again for now.

4

This would not be limited to Electrolux products but all!

Field Support FS2621 Nuisance Tripping of AFCI or GFCI Circuit Breakers Connected to Electrolux Appliances.pdf (338.6 KB)