Clothes washing machines - any reccos of new machines and manufacturer experiences?


 
Brian B Atlanta said:
This is a pretty good video has gotten 1m views in the last 10 mos so seems there are alot of people trying to make decisions on washing machines. Especially near the end based on a google search of people searching for error codes let you read it yourselves its very interesting to me to see the results.

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Great video. Thanks for that share.
 
John G (Boston) said:
We currently have a front load Whirlpool set (stacked) that is European size - a little smaller than what is common here in the USA. The dryer is a ventless heat pump dryer.
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Funny you should mention this. These exact units came with the house we just moved into, both not more than 2.5 years old. The front of the condenser was caked with lint that we couldn't vacuum off or remove using a toothbrush, and it had a poor fitting filter that was allowing lint to get to the condenser. Then I started watching YouTube videos on what it takes to disassemble and clean these units and how what you see at the front of the condenser is literally the tip of the iceberg in terms of how much lint build-up happens inside. Then the washing machine threw an error code at us and we decided to chuck them and buy something new.

We're stuck having to use a heat pump dryer based on the location of the laundry room and no outside venting, and while I'm a fan of the technology and the significant energy savings, it just can't be a good idea to pass lint-filled air through a series of condenser coils even after passing through a series of filters.

For anyone interested in how this works, here's a good video.

 
That is interesting, and it sounds good in theory for someone who can't have a vented dryer. My electric bill is so obscene now however, that I don't think I can afford another electric appliance. I gotta stick with a gas dryer.
 
Steve Hoch said:
That is interesting, and it sounds good in theory for someone who can't have a vented dryer. My electric bill is so obscene now however, that I don't think I can afford another electric appliance. I gotta stick with a gas dryer.
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We have pretty good electric rates in GA but depending on what kind of dryer you have its not really that expensive to run it believe it or not. We would fit in to 2-3 times a week in my family only 2 of us.

  • On average, dryers use 1,500 to 5,000 watts of electricity – this number is highly dependent on the model you have
  • Using a clothes dryer three times a week will use about 468 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year.
  • It costs an average of $5.53 to run a dryer for a month and $66.41 to run for a year.
 
Here is another interesting blurb from Speed Queen on capacity as at first glance its pretty small.
speedqueen.com

Top Load Washer Machine Capacity - Speed Queen

What does machine capacity actually mean? Washer capacity refers to the size of the washer basket or drum, and is typically measured in cubic feet. So does a bigger number mean the more laundry you can do at one time? Not necessarily.
speedqueen.com speedqueen.com

Pricey yes but if it keeps my wife happy I am happy and after being on my second washer in 14 years with the 7 year warranty or even the model with 5 years its enticing but gonna do more research and see if I can find a local dealer to look at one. Although the Tc7 because of the agitator system would interest me more.
 
Brian B Atlanta said:
We have pretty good electric rates in GA but depending on what kind of dryer you have its not really that expensive to run it believe it or not. We would fit in to 2-3 times a week in my family only 2 of us.

  • On average, dryers use 1,500 to 5,000 watts of electricity – this number is highly dependent on the model you have
  • Using a clothes dryer three times a week will use about 468 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year.
  • It costs an average of $5.53 to run a dryer for a month and $66.41 to run for a year.
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question, do you know your cost per kw? i'd like to "see" the above math.
 
The amount of people you have living in your house is probably the most underrated variable of appliance longevity and utility bills. I have five adults. Two college graduates who still grace me with their presence, and a freshman in college who is attending the local junior college for her first year. My wife complains about our utility bills and I add to that why it seems like I'm always fixing or replacing one of our appliances. Meanwhile my best friend from high school lives in a similarly sized house but has managed to stay single his entire life. Needless to say, he still has all the same appliances that came with his house when he bought it over twenty -five years ago and it blows him away when I tell him what my electric bill is compared to his.
 
Steve Hoch said:
utility bills.
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We get an energy usage comparison with our neighbors..... and we're always high. Just the 2 of us..... but I've got a rack of electronics here that always drawing a good amp & a half or more (the UPS says 4 amps, but I'm not sure I trust that number.)
 
Steve Hoch said:
The amount of people you have living in your house is probably the most underrated variable of appliance longevity and utility bills. I have five adults. Two college graduates who still grace me with their presence, and a freshman in college who is attending the local junior college for her first year. My wife complains about our utility bills and I add to that why it seems like I'm always fixing or replacing one of our appliances. Meanwhile my best friend from high school lives in a similarly sized house but has managed to stay single his entire life. Needless to say, he still has all the same appliances that came with his house when he bought it over twenty -five years ago and it blows him away when I tell him what my electric bill is compared to his.
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exactly. that we got 16 years from the maytags in 2002 with 5 people and heavy use, i find that as very reasonable considering the use model.

and we had the same on our gas cooktop, oven and micro. all have been replaced since 'vid and with current use model, will last eons (and for the new owners TBD).
 
JKalchik said:
We get an energy usage comparison with our neighbors..... and we're always high
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Same here. I did recently discover something that may have been contributing to high electric bill. I had a breaker in the basement that started to randomly trip. I took turns resetting it and unplugging everything that was on that circuit. The culprit ended up being an electric fireplace that wasn't even turned on. I'm no electrician so I will see if that affects future bills or not.
 
Brett-EDH said:
exactly. that we got 16 years from the maytags in 2002 with 5 people and heavy use, i find that as very reasonable considering the use model.

and we had the same on our gas cooktop, oven and micro. all have been replaced since 'vid and with current use model, will last eons (and for the new owners TBD).
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I would consider that to be fantastic. The worst washing machine I ever had was a Maytag Neptune front loader from I believe 2005. I think I gave up on it after about 5 years.
 
I'm late to the party on this. We have a Whirlpool WTW7500GW bought through Home Depot in 2018. Top load with impeller (no agitator). 4.8 CF capacity. It's been working great. We did have a small issue with the control panel within the 1st month. WP had a local repair tech there within a day, and had it fixed within 1/2 hour. No issues since then.

I really like the agitator-less design. It can manage all my heavy and bulky camping stuff. Bed sheets and comforters no problem.

Also just an added support for (future) appliance purchases through Costco. I helped my brother and parents with appliance purchases through Costco both in the last year, and it is by far the easiest and quickest way to go. Their delivery times were way faster, and much more accommodating than HD or other places. Couple that with the ease of service and added warranty and I don't think you can go wrong.

Our dryer is an cheap electric one we had to buy kind of on an emergency basis (long story). It's just a basic Whirlpool, bought in 2017. I remember buying it not expecting to keep it very long, but sure enough it's still truckin', so we just keep using it.
 
Brett-EDH said:
question, do you know your cost per kw? i'd like to "see" the above math.
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I picked that up off the internet and I am in a Co-op so there is a credit for usage the more you use. But my last bill was $135.00 used 1387 KW so to use that for example which has the service charge and taxes in it. Its basically .0973 per KW so based on 468 for the dryer per year my yearly cost if I did the math right is $45.54. I am sure the summer skews it but it should not make that much of a difference.

Now rates are cheaper in the winter, more money in the summer so it would fluctuate. Problem is I have a pool the dryer is the least of my problems and we had that deep freeze last week never seen 5 days in a row at the temps we had and lived here since 1996. Because the pool goes into protection mode the bill is gonna be alot higher next month which of course heating will be also.

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Cobb EMC is now ranked #1 in Georgia for having the lowest electric rates in the state among all 90 reporting electric utilities according to the Georgia Public Service Commission's 2023 residential summer rate survey.
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