Flavel washing machine tripping the electrics

What is actually happening

An RCD trips when current leaks to earth. When a machine trips it the moment it is switched on, the leak is usually in the mains filter or the wiring. When it only trips once the wash warms up, it is nearly always the heating element, which has cracked and is leaking to earth as soon as it energises — the timing is the diagnosis.

The Flavel fault codes that point at this

A Flavel washing machine will usually tell you what it thinks is wrong before anyone opens it up. These are the codes we hold for this make that relate to tripping the electrics:

• H01 — The machine can't get a sensible reading from the temperature sensor that tells it how hot the water is, so it won't heat.
• H02 — The machine has decided the heating element isn't working, so the water won't warm up.
• H05 — Water is getting into the drum when it shouldn't be, and the machine has cut the cycle short to avoid overfilling and flooding.

If yours is showing one of those, that is a much shorter conversation than a general fault — tell us the code when you book and the engineer can often carry the part.

The usual causes on a Flavel washing machine

• A failed heating element leaking to earth — the classic "trips ten minutes in" fault
• A failed mains interference filter — trips the instant it is switched on
• Water ingress onto wiring from a leak elsewhere in the machine
• A failed motor or damaged cable

What you can safely check yourself

1. Note exactly when it trips — at switch-on, at fill, or once the water heats. That timing tells an engineer most of what they need
2. Try a cold wash: if a 30°C cycle completes and a 60°C one trips, it is the element
3. Leave the machine unplugged if it trips the house repeatedly — this one is not worth living with

Common questions

Why is my Flavel washing machine tripping the electrics?

Switching the machine on, or reaching a certain point in the cycle, takes out the power to the house. An RCD trips when current leaks to earth. When a machine trips it the moment it is switched on, the leak is usually in the mains filter or the wiring. When it only trips once the wash warms up, it is nearly always the heating element, which has cracked and is leaking to earth as soon as it energises — the timing is the diagnosis.

Can I fix a Flavel washing machine tripping the electrics myself?

Note exactly when it trips — at switch-on, at fill, or once the water heats. That timing tells an engineer most of what they need. Try a cold wash: if a 30°C cycle completes and a 60°C one trips, it is the element. Leave the machine unplugged if it trips the house repeatedly — this one is not worth living with. Beyond those checks this one normally needs an engineer.

What Flavel error codes mean tripping the electrics?

Flavel washing machines report this through their own fault codes. The ones that point at tripping the electrics are H01, H02, H05. If your machine is showing one of those, that narrows it down considerably — each has its own guide on this site.

How much does a Flavel washing machine repair cost?

£66 including VAT for an engineer to come out and diagnose it, or £84 in total including VAT if it is put right on the visit and no parts are needed. Any parts needed are quoted on site before we fit them — you decide. Every repair carries a 90-day workmanship guarantee.

Other Flavel washing machine faults

• washing machine not draining
• washing machine not spinning
• washing machine leaking water
• washing machine making a loud noise
• washing machine not heating the water
• washing machine door will not open

Repairs we cover near you

• Washing Machine Repairs — what we charge and how it works
• Washing Machine Repairs in Nottingham
• Washing Machine Repairs in Arnold
• Washing Machine Repairs in Beeston
• Washing Machine Repairs in Bulwell

Written by the engineers at ASAP Repairs from our own repair notes. See also our general guide to washing machines tripping the electrics and our Flavel repairs page.