Front Load Washing Machines....

[ACoyle]

We just replaced our washer & dryer (Both 20+ years old) We loked at the fancy front loaders. My wifem otherwise known as "Deluxe" really wanted one fo the $1K each ones that talk to each other. My reasoning was that a mid priced set gave us 20+ years of service. Hopefully another 20 will put us out of the washing business. I won!



AC

 

[MKinner]

I will be getting the Kenmore front loader set when the time comes. Step mom swears by hers and with the high efficiency soap, she says it cleans better than anything she has used. I will also buy it from a Sears outlet store as the prices can be discounted up to $500 for each one depending on the cosmetic damage, if any.

 

[2broke2smoke]

we are one of the folks in that maytag lawsuit ...



sister in law and mother in law purchased theirs at the same time



absolute worst junk we have ever bought ...



all those problems + 1 motor and 1 computer board ... .



we have replaced the seal on the door 3 times ...



two of the girls i work with have kenmores and love them

 

[DGFoster]

we are one of the folks in that maytag lawsuit ...



sister in law and mother in law purchased theirs at the same time



absolute worst junk we have ever bought ...



all those problems + 1 motor and 1 computer board ... .



we have replaced the seal on the door 3 times ...



two of the girls i work with have kenmores and love them

We got lucky that we was able to return our Maytag,but most have not been that fortunate.

 

[Holysmokes]

HE washers from a Tech. point of view

I work on these washers for a living. And as you all have discovered MAytags are junk! Whirlpool makes a top load HE ( High Eficiency) washer called a Clayspo (sp?) It is junk as well and BOTH have class action lawsuits on them.



I reccomend only buying the Whirlpool Duet and Kenmores HE 3 or HE 4. Again I work on ALL brands and these have the best repair rate. The kenmore modles will start out 110. in the modle number.



As stated, they are best if put on a concrete floor. When you get it on your first or second floor you have what the factory reffers to as "weak floor syndrom" This weak floor is compaired to a slab of concrete. Weak floor will cause a little more vibration. (sometimes aLOT more)

98% of the service calls I run ( Iam factory authorized for Whirlpool,Kitchen Aid,Fridigiare,and Fisher - Pykal) It is because customer is NOT using HE detergent. Even though it is only "reccomended" in the book.



If there are any questions about these or any other appliances shoot me a PM. If I dont have the answer I can get it for you. (with the exception of fridges)

 

[C. Harlan]

we have the whirlpool duets, and they are ok... would rather opt for the top load water hogs though... more reliable, and like stated above, once the load is started, you can't throw something in... kinda sux! Just thought I would add my $. 02!



-Chris-

 

[DGFoster]

I work on these washers for a living. And as you all have discovered MAytags are junk! Whirlpool makes a top load HE ( High Eficiency) washer called a Clayspo (sp?) It is junk as well and BOTH have class action lawsuits on them.



I reccomend only buying the Whirlpool Duet and Kenmores HE 3 or HE 4. Again I work on ALL brands and these have the best repair rate. The kenmore modles will start out 110. in the modle number.



As stated, they are best if put on a concrete floor. When you get it on your first or second floor you have what the factory reffers to as "weak floor syndrom" This weak floor is compaired to a slab of concrete. Weak floor will cause a little more vibration. (sometimes aLOT more)

98% of the service calls I run ( Iam factory authorized for Whirlpool,Kitchen Aid,Fridigiare,and Fisher - Pykal) It is because customer is NOT using HE detergent. Even though it is only "reccomended" in the book.



If there are any questions about these or any other appliances shoot me a PM. If I dont have the answer I can get it for you. (with the exception of fridges)

What does the NON HE soap do to the front loaders?

I use the HE soap from Tide,but was just curious as to what the regular soap will do to the washer.

Thanks

 

[The patriot]

It seems to foam up more.

2+ rinse cycles aint enough if you use the regular detergent. :--)

Eric

 

[DGFoster]

Ok thanks.

 

[Holysmokes]

What does the NON HE soap do to the front loaders?





It does several things. HE detergent is low to no sudsing. The suds are what kills front load and all HE washers. First, your standard detergent is set up for the top load washers. Top load washers use aprox. 64 gallons of water on large load setting. HE washers typically use between 8 and 15 gallons. More water diluting the soap. Salesmen and women say "You can use regular detergent but cut it in half. " NOPE you lose the washability at that point. The HE detergent is made up of different enzymes that break down dirt and those are less sudsing.



Service calls I run on the HE washers



"I keep getting error codes on the display"



The suds dont silter through the basket,the CPU is sensing the weight, the pump is trying to drain (it thinks there is water in there) and it puts up a LD (long drain) error code. Also, the suds have a tendency to eat up the pump motor assy after a long period of time. Another error is SUDS. The unit actually locks the door,flashes SUDS, and you have to call for service to get unit out of suds lock. (there is a procedure) Suds have a tendency to bubble over, want to guess where the high dollar electronics are? Yup, on the bottom. Water / suds dont mix well. Also, as stated, the suds dont filter through the basket. When pump turns off the suds remain. The suds dissipate, turn back into water,and now the clothes are too wet to put into the dryer.

Please note that these are mostly "short term" problems. We are starting to see "long term" problems of prolonged use of non HE detergent like rear bearings on the basket, false error codes on the main CPU.

Sorry for this being so long, but typically, even if its only a few weeks old, the manufacturers dont cover "oversudsing" under warranty or extended contract as it is "customer instruct" and not a defect in the appliance.



P. S. As of today, I am unaware of a hypoallergenic HE detergent. Yes there is dye / perfume free. Same with Dreft. (detergent for infants) If you have these issues there is no HE detergent and might want to consider buying HE units. That said, I own the Whirlpool Duet. They are PHENOMINAL!

 

[DGFoster]

What does the NON HE soap do to the front loaders?





It does several things. HE detergent is low to no sudsing. The suds are what kills front load and all HE washers. First, your standard detergent is set up for the top load washers. Top load washers use aprox. 64 gallons of water on large load setting. HE washers typically use between 8 and 15 gallons. More water diluting the soap. Salesmen and women say "You can use regular detergent but cut it in half. " NOPE you lose the washability at that point. The HE detergent is made up of different enzymes that break down dirt and those are less sudsing.



Service calls I run on the HE washers



"I keep getting error codes on the display"



The suds dont silter through the basket,the CPU is sensing the weight, the pump is trying to drain (it thinks there is water in there) and it puts up a LD (long drain) error code. Also, the suds have a tendency to eat up the pump motor assy after a long period of time. Another error is SUDS. The unit actually locks the door,flashes SUDS, and you have to call for service to get unit out of suds lock. (there is a procedure) Suds have a tendency to bubble over, want to guess where the high dollar electronics are? Yup, on the bottom. Water / suds dont mix well. Also, as stated, the suds dont filter through the basket. When pump turns off the suds remain. The suds dissipate, turn back into water,and now the clothes are too wet to put into the dryer.

Please note that these are mostly "short term" problems. We are starting to see "long term" problems of prolonged use of non HE detergent like rear bearings on the basket, false error codes on the main CPU.

Sorry for this being so long, but typically, even if its only a few weeks old, the manufacturers dont cover "oversudsing" under warranty or extended contract as it is "customer instruct" and not a defect in the appliance.



P. S. As of today, I am unaware of a hypoallergenic HE detergent. Yes there is dye / perfume free. Same with Dreft. (detergent for infants) If you have these issues there is no HE detergent and might want to consider buying HE units. That said, I own the Whirlpool Duet. They are PHENOMINAL!

My neighbor has the HE 3 Kenmore like I got,she uses regular soap and has for a year or so,I set her straight on that but,is there anything I can do to counter act the effect of using regular soap?

I heard from others that run hot water through it to get any gummed up soap out of the pump to reverse any effect of the regular soap.

Is this true?

 

[DLausche]

Maytag Neptune

So, is there a significant difference in reliability between the solid state (i. e. computerized) Neptune's and the older analog timer style? We bought ours in 99 and have had no problems whatsoever. They are the non-computer models. There is no readout or display on the front, just a big rotary dial like most ordinary washing machines have. All the talk about computers and codes leads me to think that maybe the fact we got the older model is possibly a blessing.



-Deon

 

[Todd G]

I had the first generation Neptune. The main bearings the tub spins on went bad allowing the tub to wobble enough to wear a hole in the front plastic part of the tub. Of course this was right after the warranty expired. The repairman said it would cost a bundle to fix and was a known design flaw...

 

[RGardner]

I am pretty sure that we bought ours during that time, but have had no troubles other than a belt squeeking once in a while. Is Maytag supposed to contact us about the settlement?

 

[Holysmokes]

is there anything I can do to counter act the effect of using regular soap?

I heard from others that run hot water through it to get any gummed up soap out of the pump to reverse any effect of the regular soap.

Is this true?



Adding HOT water,by itself, will enhance the suds. Thats how I generally check to see how much suds the unit is getting. What I generally do is add a Tablespoon of vegitable oil to a large load and put it on "whites whites" with no clothes in it. Once it fills with hot water, hit "pause" and add it in the tub, then hit "start". Dont put it in the dispenser. The oil will nutralize the suds. I recommend running it through the full cycle. Then,when its done,run it again (same cycle) to help rinse any oil that might be left behind. The next load should be towels. Dont put your dress clothes in untill you run a regular cycle. Ive never had a oil residue problem... . but why chance it. And leave the door open when not in use as it prevents mold build up. If you get a moldy smell, let me know, you can help kill that too.

I had the first generation Neptune. The main bearings the tub spins on went bad allowing the tub to wobble enough to wear a hole in the front plastic part of the tub. Of course this was right after the warranty expired. The repairman said it would cost a bundle to fix and was a known design flaw...



True.

All the talk about computers and codes leads me to think that maybe the fact we got the older model is possibly a blessing.



If Im not mistaken,the problem is a mold issue. There is a "service flash" (maybe even a recall) with the front tub half not draining the water around the door boot (or bellow) causing HEAVY mold build up.

 

[DGFoster]

I had the first generation Neptune. The main bearings the tub spins on went bad allowing the tub to wobble enough to wear a hole in the front plastic part of the tub. Of course this was right after the warranty expired. The repairman said it would cost a bundle to fix and was a known design flaw...



True.

All the talk about computers and codes leads me to think that maybe the fact we got the older model is possibly a blessing.



If Im not mistaken,the problem is a mold issue. There is a "service flash" (maybe even a recall) with the front tub half not draining the water around the door boot (or bellow) causing HEAVY mold build up.

Ok I will let her know and I will make sure she does it right

Thanks for the info. .

 

[Holysmokes]

ANY time.

 

[SHobbs]

Holysmokes,



Top loaders use app. 64 gallons of water? Dang I did not know that. Never thought I would learn that here, lol.

 

[Holysmokes]

YES Sir! Remember, it fills up,washes,drains, FILLS UP AGAIN... . thats a bunch!

 

[vegasredneck]

We have the LG W/D for two years now. Quietest machine that I have ever heard. It sounds like my turbo inside the truck, when it is on spin. I believe it is 1400RPM. The dryer is the same. We were told that it has a dryer has direct drive motor but I don't know how true that is. It also uses floating rollers on the drum to stabilize during spin cycle and has less parts compared to the other front loading machines. all for the things that were told to us about the machine.

Here's what we have discovered. If you can get the sanitizer for whites only or extra hot water buttom it will help clean better. It uses less soap and also softener so that is a plus. The clothes are only damp after the last spin cycle so drying time is cut to 25-30 min. the old washer it took 50 min+ to was my dress clothes but now it is 30 min and less fading BUT MOST OF ALL



GET THE PEDESTALS to raise them up or do the stackables I hate bending over the higher you rais them the better.