Introduction: What to Do With Old Broken Washing Machine?

Hello everyone who read this article! I'm Jayasanka Bandara and this is my first instructables article!

As I know, most people who searching about washing machines had seen a video like below!

After I saw that video, I thought 'What happened if I reuse something like that without destroy?'


So this is the article for how to use them usefully!

Step 1: Find What You Want

At our home, I didn't have old washing machine to do this. So I started to search in junkyards!

Finally I found a washing machine called Whirlpool AWT4085 with top load horizontal axis rotating drum and a lot of PCBs from old household appliances!

That machine is something like on top! (Picture1)

And the hardest part is get the machine out from my car! (Picture2)

Step 2: Prepare and Test It

Next, I had test it's parts with my trusty multimeter and unfortunately most of them are broken. There works only,

  • The motor
  • The drain pump
  • The heater
  • and The pressure switch

Step 3: Make a Plan for What to Do With It

As I said before there only 4 electric parts working fine. So I decided to make a spin dryer with it. Next, I powered up the motor and the drain pump.

After that, I planned a simple circuit using a light dimmer switch and 2 switches (1 for the drain pump).(Picture3)

Step 4: Find Parts and Set Them Up

As on Picture4 you can wire the universal motor.

Picture5 is after I built it up.

Step 5: Update for This Machine

Unfortunately, after 3 dries the dimmer had failed. (And I forgot to close the inner drum door :( and breaked the door) You must choose a good quality voltage regulator or universal motor controller. But I remembered that I got some PCBs from old appliances.

Thankfully 1 of them works (Picture6). But, there are 2 bad relays,1 bad cap and 1 bad resistor.

So I repaired it and I add to the machine.

Step 6: What to Do With Waste?

As I said before, there only 4 parts works. So what happen to rest of them?

There are a lot of wires in it and I keep other wires that the machine don't want.

And other keep other parts also because they can be useful at future!

I like to notice if you have a washing machine with only a bad control board (PCB) you can use a universal washing machine control board. (Picture7)

So finally I would like to say Thank You and your project will be also working well!