Advice needed on washer/drier

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freezinbevr

New member
Nora,
All sound advise above as usual from this crew! Just be CERTAIN on door swing of the washer as it is NOT reversible! Dryers are reversible but washers are not due to the seals. I have witnessed plenty of jobs with "designers" laying out the new laundry and doors open against each other or they have to lift over the top of the door of the washer. That will reduce the units on your search possibly a little.
Just a heads up as that can be a pain. Just know which way it is roughed in, washer on the right or left, and look accordingly.

Karen and I have had the Duets for 6 years with a few problems but not too bad. Open door, 1/8 cup HE soap per load (barely any but oversoaping is a main contributor to the smell). Good luck!!

Brad
 
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groomerdriver

New member
freezinbevr said:
Nora,
All sound advise above as usual from this crew! Just be CERTAIN on door swing of the washer as it is NOT reversible!
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There is one brand that offers reversible doors on some models.....Electrolux if memory serves. FWIW - steam feature on a washer is iffy IMO. Can't say about a dryer because we still use a standard front load dryer with a moisture sensor. Dryer takes very little time as the clothes are really dry after the HE front loader spin cycle.
 
L

lenny

Guest
capacity and efficiency was the seller for our family and I can say they have earned their keep. Ours are not fancy by any means but very practical. When I sold my house (and I have to be out in 5 day) buyer wanted the front loaders and we said no, they are very valuable to us.
 
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russholio

Well-known member
freezinbevr said:
1/8 cup HE soap per load (barely any but oversoaping is a main contributor to the smell).
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Sound advice that applies to dishwashers as well. When we had to have our clothes washer and dishwasher serviced (at separate times) while I was working at the FD, in both cases the repair guys told us that we were using too much soap and to use only a fraction of what the manufacturer's instructions called for.
 
mezz

mezz

Well-known member
dcsnomo said:
No, they are not sexy and pretty and red and chiming, but I crank out a lot of laundry for a lot less money and I beat these machines like a borrowed Polaris.
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Now, that statement right there is funny!!!! I laughed my azz off!!! Back on the topic, my current washer is sounding pretty rough & I know it is going to need replacing soon, the current one is #3 in 26 years. Seems as though you only get around 10 years on them with family of 6. Now that we are down to one left, you would think it wouldn't see as much use, NOT! girls are horrible with laundry, wear it once & done!?! Anyway, a lot of good advise on here, still not sold on front load quite yet though. As far as the steam feature, simple resolve, place a couple of damp hand towels in the dryer, this will steam the wrinkles right out of the load that had to sit.-Mezz
 
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fusion

Guest
I would strongly suggest being VERY careful about buying a front loader. We bought a Frigidaire about 3 years ago and started have problems immediately with hose leaks and then spin cycle vibration problems. We have the extended warranty but they don't consider the vibration a quality problem because they claim the washer is meant to be fully loaded before operation or you get this unbalanced load condition. The Sears unit we got rid of still worked and was 20 years old whereas the front loader has been nothing but problems. Imagine a washer you have to stand next to and hold onto while it's in its spin cycle, at least 90% of the time! Crazy. Be careful. Oh yes, and we spent nearly a grand for washer and cabinet pedestal. Not cheap.
 
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rv245

Member
dcsnomo said:
I have three washers and four dryers and replace them every 5 years or so. I know you want front loaders, but here's what I know- The purpose of a washer is to wash clothes easily and efficiently, the purpose of a dryer is to dry them. All the fancy bells and whistles and cycles and lights do nothing IMHO. So, after many trials I use Speed Queen top loaders, stainless drum, mechanical contol ( not digital). Has a reg cycle, PPress, Delicate, hot/warm/cold cycles. All I need. Fast, excellent job of washing. Best dryers are Ingliss from Best Buy, Canadian division of Whirlpool. Mechanical control, 3 cycles, drys fast.

I did have a couple of Fisher & Paykels, good machines but not right for what I was doing. I have one LG big fancy dryer, is holding up well but doesn't dry as well as the Ingliss machines and I don't need the 772 different cycles, temps and timers it has.

No, they are not sexy and pretty and red and chiming, but I crank out a lot of laundry for a lot less money and I beat these machines like a borrowed Polaris.
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Sounds like us........ At one time we had 2 adult foster care homes (down to one now that the kids are older and gone), taking care of 21 adults, along with my wife and 7 kids. Each place had 2 washers and 2 dryers, a usually day was around 7 loads of laundry. Washers and dryers lasted about 5 years or so. The only thing lasting not as long were coffee makers and vacuums. I found that the best ones were the commercial, non-thrill kenmores or maytags, whirlpools weren't bad either. We bought a place up in Lewiston last year and got a top loader LG washer. I didn't want a front loader as we are not there daily and didn't want the smell of a front loader developing.

Anyways, here's the things that were important in our selection of washer/dryer combo. For the washer we wanted the dispenser in the back. A direct drive with room for king size comforters. A clear see though lid is a nice extra feature but not necessary. As for the dryer, it had to have a removable rack for drying shoes and sweaters, these things work great.

John decide what features/options you want first and go from there, kind of like picking out a sled.
 
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groomerdriver

New member
fusion said:
I would strongly suggest being VERY careful about buying a front loader. We bought a Frigidaire about 3 years ago and started have problems immediately with hose leaks and then spin cycle vibration problems. We have the extended warranty but they don't consider the vibration a quality problem because they claim the washer is meant to be fully loaded before operation or you get this unbalanced load condition. The Sears unit we got rid of still worked and was 20 years old whereas the front loader has been nothing but problems. Imagine a washer you have to stand next to and hold onto while it's in its spin cycle, at least 90% of the time! Crazy. Be careful. Oh yes, and we spent nearly a grand for washer and cabinet pedestal. Not cheap.
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You have to hold onto yours 90% of the time? Okey dokey. No doubt ours rumbles at times but I never once thought that it had to be held down. As I mentioned in my post, a SOLID floor is a must. If you have an older home and have not or cannot reinforce the floor underneath, a front loader might not be for you. Hose leaks? If you use good quality braided stainless hoses and properly tighten them you should never have an issue unless the hoses are defective.

Also have learned that if your clothes are really dirty most of the time (think farmers, construction workers, etc.) that a front loader isn't for you either. You need lots of water and soap to clean really dirty clothes. A front loader is meant to save water leading to lower energy costs. Plus if you have holding tanks you are putting so much less water into the tanks with a front loader.

Just my .02 through experience and research.....
 
F

fusion

Guest
groomerdriver said:
You have to hold onto yours 90% of the time? Okey dokey. No doubt ours rumbles at times but I never once thought that it had to be held down. As I mentioned in my post, a SOLID floor is a must. If you have an older home and have not or cannot reinforce the floor underneath, a front loader might not be for you. Hose leaks? If you use good quality braided stainless hoses and properly tighten them you should never have an issue unless the hoses are defective.
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Had repair guy out as we suspected machine was not level. Nope. And it's a new floor and 1990 home. Yeah I stand and hold onto it because am afraid of long term effect of all that vibration. Repair guy told he has same washer and he has a chart of what exact clothes he puts into each load to fill it full to capacity and this balances it. That's totally insane. Who would do that. We only have 3 people in the house so don't have big loads. But the sAlesmen made it sound like this was the super fantasmigoriacal unit. I'd like to drop it right on the showroom floor and leave it. Modern tech and the entire saga is hilarious if not totally pathetic.
 
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groomerdriver

New member
fusion said:
Had repair guy out as we suspected machine was not level. Nope. And it's a new floor and 1990 home. Yeah I stand and hold onto it because am afraid of long term effect of all that vibration. Repair guy told he has same washer and he has a chart of what exact clothes he puts into each load to fill it full to capacity and this balances it. That's totally insane. Who would do that. We only have 3 people in the house so don't have big loads. But the sAlesmen made it sound like this was the super fantasmigoriacal unit. I'd like to drop it right on the showroom floor and leave it. Modern tech and the entire saga is hilarious if not totally pathetic.
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Sell it....life is too short for a washing machine to cause angst in your lives.
 
W

whitedust

Well-known member
groomerdriver said:
Sell it....life is too short for a washing machine to cause angst in your lives.
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Yep my Amana drove me nuts with repair bills then bought Fisher Paykel & never looked back...best purchase I made appliance wise.

- - - Updated - - -

fusion said:
Had repair guy out as we suspected machine was not level. Nope. And it's a new floor and 1990 home. Yeah I stand and hold onto it because am afraid of long term effect of all that vibration. Repair guy told he has same washer and he has a chart of what exact clothes he puts into each load to fill it full to capacity and this balances it. That's totally insane. Who would do that. We only have 3 people in the house so don't have big loads. But the sAlesmen made it sound like this was the super fantasmigoriacal unit. I'd like to drop it right on the showroom floor and leave it. Modern tech and the entire saga is hilarious if not totally pathetic.
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Yep told me the same then FINALLY found a bad foot weld from birth. The Amana POS went to the dump ASAP....total waste of money.
 
H

Hoosier

Well-known member
ragex2 said:
After much research we too bought an LG front load. It runs like a watch, wife loves it . would buy another. we don't get the "smell' very often , but Tide makes a 'wash machine cleaner' soap that takes it away, run it once or twice a year. and keep the doors open as stated
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I haven't used tide but if you use amsoil at about 65:1 the smell will go way down. What are we talking about again?
 
D

dcsnomo

Moderator
fusion said:
I would strongly suggest being VERY careful about buying a front loader. We bought a Frigidaire about 3 years ago and started have problems immediately with hose leaks and then spin cycle vibration problems. We have the extended warranty but they don't consider the vibration a quality problem because they claim the washer is meant to be fully loaded before operation or you get this unbalanced load condition. The Sears unit we got rid of still worked and was 20 years old whereas the front loader has been nothing but problems. Imagine a washer you have to stand next to and hold onto while it's in its spin cycle, at least 90% of the time! Crazy. Be careful. Oh yes, and we spent nearly a grand for washer and cabinet pedestal. Not cheap.
Click to expand...

http://youtu.be/wxNKbVqxZac
 
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lenny

Guest
That's pretty much normal operation for mine. I just put it back together each time my wife uses it.
 
M

m8man

Moderator
I will say our front load washer spins very freakin fast.....you better have a good and level floor.

I do pull off my front load washer rubber seal a few times a yr a clean it in the sink with bleach and that keeps any smells at bay.

it says like it can hold 16 pairs of jeans but we don't have that many......I still hate buying that HE washer soap but I don't use them hardly ever so I guess I shouldn't complain.

I think my wife loves them.

buy em and treat em good, like anything, they should last.

m8man
 
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dcsnomo

Moderator
HIGHLANDER said:
shouldnt this be post"d in the Off Topic Ramblings??? im very disappointed
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Well, let's see..the thread was started by Administrator, who is John Dee. The site is Johndee.com. Now, I may have ridden into town in the turnip truck, but I didn't ride in back with the turnips. Seems to me John can post whatever he wants where ever he wants.
 
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